February 4, 2014 - 10:47am
Can you freeze diastatic malt powder?
I just got some diastatic malt powder today from KA and it is a bit short dated. I'm wondering if I can freeze some of it and whether it will still work well after it's been frozen. Thanks in advance, Dan.
Share
Yes and yes.
Just make sure to wrap it securely to prevent moisture getting in.
Thank you and thank you again!
My next question to you, Bob and anybody else with the expertise: I have a sourdough starter that I've maintained for about 7 years now. It will raise the dead! No kidding, it will raise white, rye and whole wheat so fast that I have to find a way to retard it. The only problem is that is isn't as sour as I would like. I think I read that the malt will favor the lactobacilli. So can I add it to my starter (I mean the mother starter, not a pour off) to get a more sour taste? I hate to abandon this starter as we're old friends but I need something more sour. I was thinking that I would buy some San Fran starter from Sourdough International if this won't work. I had their starter many years ago until we were wiped out by a tornado. In fact, I was running about five of his starters at the time. Really liked the Red Sea culture, although it didn't rise as well as others, but it was extremely sour. Thanks in advance, Dan.
I added malt to my starter and baked yesterday. The bread was maybe a little more sour than usual but the overall flavor was MUCH better. I got better browning including some red shades. The loaf volume was also bigger. In terms of flavor, this made a huge impact. I will be adding this to my mother starter from now on. I made a pizza dough with tipo 00 flour and added the malt. The crust was chewier than normal and the flavor was improved. All doughs I make contain only flour salt and yeast or starter. All in all, I am blown away with the results. Thanks for all the info. Dan.
I was given about 3 pounds of the diastatic malt powder about 2 years ago from a local baker who took pity on me when we were talking about bread making at home. He told me to keep it in a glass jar with a screw lid in the pantry or closet so it stays in a dark, dry environment. It is still powdery and works/tastes like the day he gave it to me. It might have a shelf life, but like so many things in our world, the best if used by date do not mean it is spoiled/of no use after that. Freezing it would probably be a good method, but I don't think it is really necessary.
Thanks for the information! Dan.
I have had a similar experience. I have some KA diastatic malt that's at least 3-4 years old, and it's still fine. I did freeze it for a while to get rid of a minor infestion of some buggy pests, and freezing took care of them. But now it's back on the shelf. I keep waiting for it to "go bad" or not work in my bagels, but it shows no sign of either.