March 2, 2013 - 6:14pm
Malting and Aging Home Gound Whole Flour
I have heard that you can and should age and malt home ground whole flour. I use about 50% whole grain home ground flours in just about all of my breads but have never malted or aged it after grinding. Does anyone do this and why? What are the advantages?
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I believe that aging flour oxidizes the starches which makes the dough less sticky. I won't bother because wheat gets that bitter rancid flavor so quickly. Adding malted flour puts a lot of amylase enzymes into the mix. The amylase breaks down starches into sugars the yeast can feed on, so you get a better rise.
For a while, I was buying some malted barley from a brewer supply, but I found out that even the lightest malted brewer's grain was dried at a temperature that breaks down the amylase. I recently found a small quantity unhulled barley at a feed store (hulled barley won't germinate) and malted it myself. Quite a process! I haven't ground it up yet to try.
that only white flour should be aged, but whole wheat is at its peak immediately after milling. -Varda