DIY malt powder
I was reading that it's not too difficult to make your own malt powder: sprout a cup of barley by soaking in water for 12 or so hours, then drain and rinse with clean water Place the jar in a darkish, warmish, place.
Rinse daily; in 2-3 days they will begin to sprout. When the sprout is as long as the berries themselves, drain and put on paper towels until dry.
For diastatic malt, put the cookie sheet in a 100F oven or dehydrator for an hour or two, up to three. Do not let the temp get above 130F or the enzymes will be destroyed.
For non-diastatic malt, dry above 130F but not warm enough to toast them.
Then grind the dried malted berries into flour.
Has anyone done this? I'm having trouble finding either malt locally; in any case, I wouldn't need too much so I was thinking of giving it a whirl.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/27954/making-red-rye-malt
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Have you checked beer brewing supply stores?
All those near me have closed over the past 10-15 years.
I'm sure you have already sorted this out, but I wanted to chime in. I've done this and it worked well. I had some experience sprouting and have a some simple sprouting equipment. I also had viable grain. I dried it out in the breville on dehydrate, brushed out the tails and ground it in the mill. I ran some cheap grain through the mill afterwards just to dust it out.
I think I had a need for a specific red color also.
You should do it. It's a fun project.