[Sca-cooks] made my first loaf of bread
Terry Decker
t.d.decker at att.net
Sat May 15 22:50:36 PDT 2010
Hmmm, mealy. I assume this is a basic wheat bread. If so, I'd say either
you have the wrong ratio of liquid to solid or the dough did not get
thoroughly mixed and kneaded.
There are two forms of malt used in baking, dry powdered malt (usually
diastatic malt AKA diamalt) or liquid malt extract. The powder provides
additional enzymes which help break down the wheat starch into usable sugars
and improves the rise. One or two teaspoons of diamalt (for a two loaf
recipe) blended into the flour before mixing the solids and liquids helps
improve the rise without altering the flavor. Much more and you pick up the
flavor of the malt. Malt extract is commonly used as a sweetener that
replaces sugar or honey in a bread recipe.
There is an argument as to whether diastatic malt (enhanced by additional
diatase) or non-diastatic malt does best for bread. Diamalt with too much
diatase produces additional liquefied starch and dexetrins which in turn can
reduce the water holding capacity of the dough and permit it to slacken in
the rise. Non-diastatic malt requires more malt be added to produce the
required effects.
Malted milk, which is commonly used in malted milkshakes, is a mixture of
malt powder, wheat flour and dried milk solids. No reason it can't be used
in baking, but non-diastatic or diastatic malt should give you better
results.
Bear
> Anyone know how to make it less mealy?
> Also, has anyone used "malt," the stuff you use in a malted milkshake, in
> baking?
>
> --
> Ian of Oertha
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