Food - Drink
Diastatic Malt Powder Is The Secret Ingredient For Taller Bread
By MOLLY HARRIS
You may be dreaming of re-creating the gorgeous loaves of artisanal bread you see at your local bakery, but your best home-baked bread still might not rise to the same lofty heights. Fortunately, there is an ingredient that just might be pro bakers’ best-kept trick for taller bread, and it's called diastatic malt powder.
Diastatic malt powder is a type of malted barley flour that has “diastatic” properties thanks to its enzymes that break down starches into sugars. The most important result of this process is a better rise, which will create taller bread, but it also gives the bread a deeper color, a more complex flavor, and a longer shelf life.
When using diastatic malt powder, make sure to follow a recipe that specifically calls for it, and keep in mind that the proofing time may be altered . Diastatic malt powder is most easily found in specialty baking supply stores or at breweries or home-brew supply stores, since it's often used in beer brewing as well.
You may also find diastatic malt powder at health food stores or large retailers such as Wal-Mart, but when all else fails, there are a variety of online retailers like Amazon that specialize in baking ingredients. Be sure to look for flour that specifically states that it is diastatic, as not all malt powder has this property.