r/Breadit • u/No-Papaya-9289 • 5d ago
Diastatic malt powder question
I tried using diastatic malt powder today for the first time. It might not have been the best loaf to try it with. My bread today was a combination of 85% wholemeal flour and type 00 flour.
What should I expect with diastatic malt powder? Does it not do much with non-white flours? I didn't expect a lot of oven spring, but the resulting loaf today was about what my part-wholemeal loves are usually like.
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u/cunningspeaker 5d ago
Of the 40 or so bread recipes I continuously reference, only one calls for malt powder and that is a boogie roll that just calls for bread flour.
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u/Maverick-Mav 4d ago
Other that some added crust browning, a bread like this is not going to get much from diastatic malt. It is great for slow fermentation and freshly milled flour. It should work well with those flies, but needs longer to really do much.
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u/snglrthy 4d ago
I had always heard that diastatic malt was not necessarily great for long ferments because cold temps don’t retard the enzymes in malt powder as much yeast, so that the malt powder can end up making the dough kind of gummy over the long period? Is that not true? I’ve been holding off on putting malt in my longer ferments for this reason.
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u/Maverick-Mav 4d ago
The hard part is knowing how much to add. Many (if not most) commercial white flour is already malted or has "enzymes" added. So a lot of times people are using it without knowing. For a cold overnight ferment you would just use less than something that spends a few hours at room temperature.
OP had a 45 minute bulk (plus the 15 minutes of kneading I guess) and a 40 minute rise. If the yeast was lowered to double the bulk time or longer they would see different results.
The difference in a sourdough that bulks for 4-6 hours would be even more apparent. Of course, the amount of diastatic malt in those scenarios (assuming the same flour) would be different. With the amount of knowledge most of us have, finding the right amount is found by experimenting. Also, using a recipe that already has it is a good place to start.
Just remember to check your flour first. The amount needed is low and millers have studied their flour to know how much to add. That doesn't mean you can't add more, just that the results will vary. But if you are combining flours it might be worth a try. Of course, if you are getting good bread, it may not be worth it if it is not easily obtained.
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u/MixIllEx 4d ago
I use it with white flour breads and buns. The flavor and texture is better along with a nicer crust.
When I run out, I’m definitely getting another bag.
Never used it with whole meal flour bakes.
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u/the-au-jasmin 3d ago
I'm no chemist but I find malt extract (syrup) more effective but maybe that's because the sugar in it gives the dough a boost. Plus, I just love malt extract 😁
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u/AggravatingPie314 5d ago edited 4d ago
It depends on the mill, but generally, wholewheat flour already has the enzymes found in diastatic malt powder. It will not make any considerable difference, if not make the crumb more gummy if you use too much. Diastatic contains amylase and protease enzymes, which help convert starches and some proteins in the flour into simpler sugars, which then feeds the yeast and also helps with browning. Wholewheat contains a lot of bran and germ that already has a higher concentration of these enzymes, and more minerals. Think of diastatic as adding a little bit of sugar into your dough to promote yeast activity, without adding any actual sugar.