Black Nile Barley began with a simple question.
Actually, it began with a lot of questions.
Like many people, I started baking bread because I wanted to make better bread at home. That led me to questions about flour, hydration, fermentation, and why swapping one flour for another could have such a dramatic affect on the final product.
Then those questions led somewhere else.
What exactly is barley? Why does protein matter so much? Why do some grain mills cost $100 while others cost $800? How does malting work? What even is malt? Why do different flours behave so differently? How did people figure all of this out in the first place?
That’s why I created Black Nile Barley. To answer these questions for myself.
What You’ll Find Here
Black Nile Barley is a place to explore the world of grains and everything that grows from them.
Here you’ll find articles about:
- Grains and flour
- Bread baking
- Brewing and malt
- Whiskey and distilling
- Fermentation
- Ingredient science
- Equipment and tools
- Experiments and lessons learned
Some articles explain the science behind an ingredient. Others explore history, compare equipment, or document something I’ve tried in my own kitchen. My goal is always the same: to understand how things work and explain them clearly.
About Me
I’m Richard, a software developer and designer by profession and an endlessly curious person by nature.
I enjoy understanding how things work. Whether it’s software, baking, brewing, or the chemistry of fermentation, I’m happiest when I’m digging beneath the surface to figure out why something behaves the way it does.
I’m not a professional baker, brewer, or miller, and I don’t pretend to be.
I’m simply someone who loves cooking, learning new skills, asking questions, experimenting, and sharing what I discover along the way.
My Approach
There are plenty of websites that chase search rankings with quick answers and generic advice.
That’s not what I want Black Nile Barley to be.
When I write about a topic, I want to understand it first. That means reading, researching, comparing sources, experimenting when I can, and sometimes admitting that the answer is more nuanced than I expected.
If I recommend a product, I want there to be a reason behind that recommendation. If I don’t know something yet, I’d rather say so than pretend otherwise.
This site isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking good questions and following them wherever they lead.
Looking Ahead
Black Nile Barley is a long-term project.
Over time, I hope it grows into a trusted resource for anyone interested in grains, baking, brewing, fermentation, and the craft of making things by hand.
Whether you’re just starting to wonder what makes a loaf of bread rise or you’ve been brewing beer for years, I hope you’ll find something here that teaches you something new, sparks your curiosity, or inspires your next project.
Thanks for stopping by, and welcome to Black Nile Barley.