Chefs Are Bulking Up With Spent Grains

Following the nose-to-tail, no-waste ethos, more chefs and bakers around the country are cooking with spent grains, the aromatic byproduct of beer brewing. Most commonly comprised of malted barley, spent grains can also include rye, oats or wheat. Incorporating the softened grains into foods is more than a way to be economical and sustainable: It can add textures and flavors that range from earthy to nutty to chocolaty, depending on the beer of origin.

Because the grains go bad within about 36 hours of being strained from the wort (the liquid that becomes beer), chefs tend to cook with the whole wet grains right away—folding them into bread and pizza doughs, adding them to soup stocks or mixing them into raw meatballs.

In other cases, chefs freeze freshly used packets of spent grains. Another option, said Erica Shea, co-founder and owner of the Brooklyn Brew Shop, a store specializing in home-brewing kits, is to spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a low oven for 8 to 10 hours. "Then you can keep them practically forever," Ms. Shea said. She suggests sprinkling the whole grains into banana bread dough or milling them into a flavor-packed flour that lends itself to everything from graham crackers to cheddar scones.

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