Sourdough With Upcycled Barley

Here is another sourdough bread recipe using upcycled flour, only this time it is barley upcycled flour. Here is what internet says about it “Upcycled barley is made from barley that has gone through the brewing process. As a result, the flour retains the aroma of the brew. The beer takes away most of the carbohydrates, leaving behind a protein rich grain. By using whole grains, the flour also has a high fiber content. Instead of being thrown away, the complete nutritional value of barley is captured in the flour.”

Here is what the whole process using the upcycled barley flour looks like.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour 
• 5g rye flour 

Dough

• 240g bread flour (80%)
• 30g stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• 30g upcycled barley by NETZRO (10%)
• 207g water (69%)
• 33g (11%) cold water added along with salt. Total hydration 80%
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)

Directions 

Starter

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at room temperature 74-78F until in about 8-10 hours starter reaches its peak (triples or more in volume)
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

• 5 pm mix water with flour and cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.
• During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 6 pm add sourdough starter. 
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated. 
• Also if for some reason you don’t have a mixing machine, you can incorporate starter into the dough by hands. Using Rubaud method or slap and fold method (about 5-7 min).

• Cover, let it rest for 30 minutes.
• 6:30 pm add salt and extra water. 

The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 minutes until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.

Please note, if you perform mixing by hands, using Rubaud method or slap and fold method, that takes about 10 minutes. Do a couple of stops in between kneading, it helps tightening up gluten.

• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• 7 pm wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.
• 7:45pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 3rd stretch and fold.
• 9:15 pm 4th stretch and fold.

Performing stretches and folds helps with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.

After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 9:45 pm Transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down. 
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust. 
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 10:15 pm Dust the dough with whole wheat flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured side faces down. 
• Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action on the left side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.

• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).
• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes. 
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in refrigerator.

Baking

Next morning:

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 

• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 
• Transfer it on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.
• Remove the lid, lower temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Let it cool for 2 hours and enjoy.

Sourdough With Upcycled Barley

1258kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

This innovative artisan loaf incorporates upcycled barley flour—reclaimed from the beer brewing process—into a high-hydration white bread flour framework. Using a dual-stage water introduction technique (bassinage), the recipe achieves an airy, open interior. The resulting bread boasts a unique, toasted malty aroma, soft texture, and deeply caramelized crust directly influenced by the brewing grains.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter (Levain)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All purpose flour (or bread flour)
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

The Upcycled Barley Dough

• ▢ 240 g Bread flour (80%)
• ▢ 30 g Stone-ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• ▢ 30 g Upcycled barley flour (such as NETZRO brand) (10%)
• ▢ 207 g Water (69% baseline hydration)
• ▢ 33 g Cold water (11% – Reserved for bassinage adjustment added later with salt)
• ▢ 60 g Active levain (20% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Fine sea salt (2%)

Equipment

• ▢
  Cast Iron Dutch Oven (A heavy combination cooker or deep pot with a tight-fitting lid to properly trap steam)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Highly recommended to smoothly manage the initial hydration and bassinage cycles)
• ▢
  Dough Scraper (An essential bench knife for building high surface tension and handling wet dough)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (A standard round banneton or a deep bowl lined with a flour-dusted kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Scoring Lame (Or an ultra-sharp razor blade for swift, clean expansion cuts prior to baking)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

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Step 1 – Levain / Starter Prep (Morning Of)

1. 7:00 AM – Starter Initialization: In a clean glass jar, add the 5g of mature sourdough starter culture to 35g of room-temperature water and whisk together thoroughly until completely loose.
2. Flour Incorporation: Stir in the 30g of all-purpose (or bread) flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix well until no dry pockets remain, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and triples or more in volume.

Step 2 – The Grain Autolyse & Initial Mix

1. 5:00 PM – The Flour Hydration: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 207g of baseline water with 240g of bread flour, 30g of stone-ground whole wheat flour, and 30g of upcycled barley flour. Mix with a heavy spoon or your hands just until a shaggy, raw dough mass forms and no dry spots remain. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 1 full hour to complete the autolyse, fully hydrating the flour and activating natural gluten development.
2. 6:00 PM – Levain Integration: Pour 60g of your mature, peak-ripened levain directly over the autolysed dough.
3. Mechanical Mixing: Secure the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use speed 3 on a KitchenAid mixer for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3 – Bassinage & Warm Fermentation

1. 6:30 PM – Salt and Bassinage Addition: Sprinkle the 6g of fine sea salt evenly over the dough surface and pour in the reserved 33g of extra cold water. This bassinage process adds a secondary splash of liquid to tighten the gluten network while bringing the total hydration safely to an advanced 80%.
2. High-Speed Emulsification: Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until well incorporated. The dough should pull together into a cohesive ball but remain slightly sticky on the bottom. If mixing by hand, utilize the Rubaud or slap-and-fold method for roughly 10 minutes, using brief stops to let the structure self-tighten. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes at 74–78°F / 23–26°C.
3. 7:00 PM – First Stretch and Fold: With wet hands, slide your fingers under one side of the dough, pull it upward gently to stretch it, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Perform this on all 4 sides, then cover and rest.
4. Progressive Structural Folds: Continue building vertical dough strength by executing regular stretch-and-folds spaced 45 minutes apart: 2nd fold at 7:45 PM, 3rd fold at 8:30 PM, and the 4th/final fold at 9:15 PM.
5. Final Bulk Proof: Following the final fold, let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (23–26°C). Keep a close eye on the dough—look for a distinct lightness, small surface bubbles, and a 40% to 50% volume expansion. If the dough rises too quickly due to room temperature, shorten the time between folds.

Step 4 – Tension Shaping & Cold Retard

1. 9:45 PM – Preshaping: Transfer the fermented dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Using your scraper, flip the dough over so the floured side faces down against the counter. Fold the dough cleanly onto itself so that the flour remains entirely on the outside of the loaf (this becomes the crust). Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten mesh.
2. 10:15 PM – Final Shaping: Dust the dough with a little whole wheat or bread flour and use a scraper to flip it over floured-side down. Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right two corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into the half of the dough. Repeat this identical action on the left side. Finally, roll the dough tightly away from you into a smooth, taut, high-tension cylinder (log shape).
3. Basket Transfer & Cold Retard: Place the shaped log seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap to trap the moisture. Return the dough to a warm 80°F (27°C) environment for exactly 15 minutes to jumpstart yeast activity, then transfer the covered basket directly into the refrigerator to undergo a slow cold fermentation for 14 to 24 hours.

Step 5 – The High-Heat Steam Bake

1. The Next Day – Oven Preheating: Place your cast-iron Dutch oven and its lid inside your home oven. Turn the temperature up to 500°F (260°C) and let it preheat thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Inversion and Scoring: Remove the cold dough basket directly from the fridge. Invert it cleanly onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use an ultra-sharp knife or scoring lame to cut a clean decorative slash across the crown.
3. The Dutch Oven Bake: Carefully transfer the dough into the smoking hot cast-iron pan using the parchment paper handles. Cover tightly with the lid to lock in the escaping steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
4. The Crisp Finish: Remove the lid to vent the steam, reduce the oven temperature down to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the crust achieves a beautiful golden-brown color. Transfer the baked loaf onto a wire rack and let it cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1258kcalCarbohydrates257gProtein41gFat6gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat1gSodium2347mgPotassium493mgFiber14gSugar1gVitamin A8IUCalcium71mgIron6mg

Notes

– **The Nature of Upcycled Barley Flour:** Upcycled barley flour is made from spent grains that have already gone through the beer brewing process. Because the starches are converted during brewing, the flour lacks standard gluten-forming proteins but carries a highly distinct malty aroma, deep color, and unique texture. Keeping the upcycled component at 10% ensures the loaf is heavily infused with old-world beer aroma while the remaining 90% wheat framework builds a strong gluten web.

– **Why the Autolyse Stage Cannot Be Skipped:** Given that upcycled grains absorb water differently than fresh-milled wheat flours, allowing the flours to autolyse together with water for a full hour before adding the starter or salt is crucial. This gives the primary bread flour proteins a head start to hydrate fully and cross-link naturally, preventing the barley from interfering with early gluten strand building.

– **The Bassinage Adjustment Rule:** The extra 33g of cold water added late in the mixing cycle alongside the salt is called bassinage. This process is used to cool down the dough slightly from mixer friction while introducing late-stage moisture to tighten the gluten network. If your kitchen runs damp or humid and the dough feels overly loose during the initial mix, you can safely withhold a few grams of this bassinage water to keep the dough easy to shape.

–**Steam Capture Mechanics:**Leaving the heavy cast-iron Dutch oven lid sealed tight during the first 15 minutes of the baking cycle is critical. The high heat coaxes moisture out of the cold dough, creating a localized steam chamber. This delays crust formation, allowing the loaf to expand fully without cracking, resulting in a light, open crumb structure and a glossy, blistered exterior.

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