August 26, 2008 - 11:27pm
malt in sourdough bread
Good morning, I'm just re-reading the bba and lots of bread science articles and was wondering - given the fact that sourdough bread relies on the long fermentation - it would make any sense to use malted barley powder ( which I like to add for the flavor it imparts and the extended shelf life it adds to white breads) in sourdough breads. Or wouldn't it matter because they have a longer shelf life ( mine are good for about 5 days and that's for white only, rye is good for about 8 days) and a bolder flavor from the fermentation anyway? Guess I could just try it out but to be honest, I don't have the finest palate and don't make enough bread to be able to really compare the results. So if anyone could give me a hint on this I'd be happy!!
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than me with malt. I've never added it to my knowledge. (I am aware that a lot of flour sold in the US contains small amounts.) But my understanding is that it is preferred in strait doughs to feed commercial yeast. As you mentioned, in a sourdough, the lacto beasties need a chance to develop (long ferment) before the yeasts so that using it with a wild starter may reduce sourdough flavour. I've never experimented with it but..... It wouldn't be hard to compare. I would guess that the dough with the malt would rise and proof faster and be baked long before the one without malt & that the flavours would be different. A blind taste test would be good. Did you know that the taste buds are most sensitive after sleeping?
I have been thinking a lot about two things: One, I have plenty of barley available, some of it even crushed combined with wheat. Two, the comment made by HogieWan on the topic of adding malt to sweeten sourdough. I am beginning to wonder if adding coarse wheat/barley flour soaked hot, would bring out the same effects as using malt to aid yeast in a strait dough.
From his comment, it could be possible to keep the barley flavour by using a cold soak. I've been thinking a lot about this lately so I hope I make sense.
To use malt with a sourdough, or better said, since I have barley and it contains a considerable amount of malt and I might want to use this in a sourdough. I can either use a cold soak (limiting the malt's influence) with the sourdough starter or I can visualize the use of a malted cereal (or mash?) being made of cooked coarse wheat/barley and separately a sourdough starter with maybe 1/2 flour. When the starter has ripened, it is combined with the cereal to feed yeasts speeding up the bulk and final proofs.
Mini O
and thank you for your help. i have yet to read the comment, but you made things clearer for me. i don't really mind adding douh enhancers if they really enhance dough it's just that often i can't see/taste a difference but if so many - proven- opinions are it works i think maybe i'm doing something wrong...concerning your malt thoughts: in the laurels kitchen bread book there is a description on how to make your own malt. it sounds rather fussy to me and i can't promise i'll have the time to post it tomorrow but i will, just might take me some days. it sounds like fun, too, but with the energy costs up somewhere in the clouds for me it's cheaper to just go buy bakers malt than to oven-dry sprouted barley. btw, does anyone have experience with adding brewers malt for flavor? our neightbor is brewmaster in a rather large brewery so i can get that stuff for free. or would be a "anything but the kitchen sink" thing?
goodday from sanni