Steamed Barley Bread

A bouncy, spongecake-like bread with a tinge of sweetness and nuttiness. This recipe is inspired by a steamed barley bread sold at Tongin market, 통인시장, in Seoul, Korea.

With everything going on, I’ve been craving and making a lot of cozy, comfort foods–for me, that mostly entails Korean and Asian foods. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about a steamed barley bread, 보리빵, that’s sold at an outdoor market in Seoul called Tongin, 통인시장. It’s a bouncy, spongecake-like bread with a tinge of sweetness and nuttiness. I like it so much that whenever my mom visits, she’ll bring a few with her–which I freeze and savor over the course of a few months. It’ll be a long time until my mom can visit, and me her, and so I thought it was a good time to learn how to make this bread at home.

Steaming is not the most common way of making bread in Western countries, but it’s a technique that’s existed for a very long time and commonly practiced in Asian cuisines, especially Chinese. While bread that’s baked has crunch and a caramelized crust, steamed bread is soft and super moist.

As with all other categories of foods, there are many different types of steamed bread. This recipe falls in the easier category, in my opinion, because it actually reads more like a sponge cake–whole eggs are whipped with oil and sugar to create bounce and lightness. Whipping the eggs may sound a little intimidating, but a lot less than kneading, no?

The ingredient list for this recipe is short: eggs, oil, brown sugar, salt, makeolli (Korean rice wine), barley flour, all purpose flour, and baking powder. Although the ingredient list is not too complicated, there are a few things you may not have on hand (especially if you’re not Korean). Since most of us are trying to stay at home as much as possible, going to the store in search of new ingredients is probably not the best idea. Below, I’ve included some notes on the specialty ingredients and their substitutes.

WHAT IS MAKEOLLI, AND WHAT’S A GOOD SUBSTITUTE?

Makeolli, 막걸리, is a Korean rice wine that’s slightly sweet, sparkly, and cloudy white in appearance. It’s made by fermenting rice with yeast, water, and a starter culture called nuruk, 누룩, a dense cake made with rice, barley, and naturally inoculated wild cultures and lactic acid bacteria. It’s one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in Korea, dating back to around the 1st century BCE. It’s a humble and happy beverage that Koreans like to drink with savory nibbles. In this recipe, the makeolli is used to help raise the bread and impart a distinct, sweet-yeasty flavor. If you can’t find makeolli, substitute with beer.

WHAT IS BARLEY FLOUR AND WHAT CAN I USE AS A SUBSTITUTE?

Barley flour is a flour that’s made from milled barley. It’s a product that can be found in Korea, but one I couldn’t find in the US, even at the Korean grocery store. Not a problem though, because I used my Vitamix to grind my own. If you want to do the same, grind whole barley in a blender or food processor and then pass through a sieve. This DIY barley flour won’t be as fine as commercially milled barley, but it works for this home recipe. If this isn’t for you, use brown rice flour instead.

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Nothing is ever quite the same when made at home, but this steamed barley bread comes close. I’ve made the version using brown rice flour and beer as well, and that one comes out beautifully too. The flavor profile is a little different (you can definitely taste the beer!) but the texture and bounce are right there.

If you’ve never made steamed bread before, give this a try! If anything, experience some alt-tourism by getting a taste of Korea without ever having to leave your home (except maybe to get some of the ingredients). During this time when everybody is cooped up, any form of escape seems like a good idea to me.

More Korean recipes:

Soboro Bread, Korean Peanut Streusel Bread
Hotteok, Sweet Korean Pancakes

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