Since much of Greece’s dense, crusty, grainy, wonderful bread has always been dried toast like for keeping, it stands to reason that the Greeks would also have a number of ways of soaking the bread to restore its moist chewy softness. Bread salads are proof of how the plainest, simplest of foods can be utterly matchless. If you want to make barley rings go to Greek Black Barley Rings (Mavrokoulouria) # 210035 Barley Rings remain one of the most unusual and renowned Greek breads. Traditional in Crete and the Southern Cyclades, they are the epitome of rural breads, they nourish, last, and feed through winter, keeping hearts strong. Barley rings are nutty, honest, truly down to earth. They stay crunchy even when soaked in liquid. They are the bread of choice for bread salad. They are marvelous crumbled in soup, and dunking in morning brew. Traditionally the rings are made with sourdough starter but this recipe uses yeast.