Baked Barley Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Barley was traditionally used to add bulk and a comforting flavor to stews and broths. The gentle flavor of this grain makes it endlessly adaptable. I have often substituted it for rice in main course dishes but it is definitely dessert worthy too.

Like rice pudding, its a comforting (old fashioned) dish. Barley stays chewy compared to how soft rice becomes even after a few days in the fridge. Now, don’t get me wrong … I love rice pudding and of course its one of those desserts that holds nostalgic memories for me.

Barley was a grain crop my father grew on our family farm. As Canadians, we are blessed with some of the most fertile farmland in the world. Our province of Alberta, along with the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, are the major growing areas for barley in Canada.

Having such great nutritional value and versatility, barley deserves much more culinary acclaim than it receives, I think. This barley pudding is best served warm. I chose to make a simple caramel sauce to drizzle over it. In the whipped topping MIX, I used 1% milk and added a tiny bit of anise flavor for interest. Yum!

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Baked Barley Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course

dessert

Cuisine

American, European, German

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Barley Pudding

• 2 3/4 - 3 cups boiling water
• 2/3 cup pearl OR pot barley
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 Tbsp butter,
• 1 tsp rum extract
• tiny dash of salt
• whipped topping with a dash of ANISE extract added (optional)

Course dessert Cuisine American, European, German Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Barley Pudding 2 3/4 - 3 cups boiling water 2/3 cup pearl OR pot barley 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 1 1/3 cup milk 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup raisins 1/2 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp lemon juice Caramel Sauce 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1 Tbsp cornstarch 1 cup boiling water 1 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp rum extract tiny dash of salt whipped topping with a dash of ANISE extract added (optional)

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Barley Pudding

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil; add barley & 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is tender. Cool.
2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, butter & vanilla; beat well. Add cooked barley, raisins, lemon zest & juice.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F. Turn pudding into a well buttered, 6-cup baking dish. Set pan into a larger baking pan in oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan to within an inch of the top of the pudding. Bake for an hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm as is or with caramel sauce & anise topping.

Caramel Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, add sugar & cornstarch. Pour in a little of the hot water & whisk quickly to blend. Over a low heat, add the rest of the water, butter, salt & rum extract. Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Prepare dry whipped topping mix if using.