Fermented "Red" Rye Malt

diastatc.  The red rye malt isn't on the recipes for its enzymes since they are all dead but is in there for other reasons.  Flavor and color being the main reasons.

Let's take a look at the phrase "fermented red rye malt" one word at a time, starting with the last and working our way to the front of the line.

Malt - a grain that has been moistened and allowed to sprout until the stem is as long as the kernel (the three white rootlets may be longer).  Once sprouted, the kernels are dried, or kilned, back to their original moisture content of approximately 14%.  Malt can be made from any grain: rye, wheat, barley, rice, etc.  It can be left in its original whole kernel form or ground to a powder or converted to a thick syrup.

Rye - indicates that the malt you seek is made from the seeds of the rye plant.

Red - indicates that the malt (still in kernel form) has been roasted at a high-enough temperature that the color of the kernels shifts from a light greenish-brown shade to a darker reddish-brown color.  The temperature to achieve the color change is also high enough to denature the amylase enzymes in the rye so that they will no longer convert starches into sugars.  In other words, the malt has been converted from a diastatic malt (sometimes referred to as "white" malt) to a non-diastatic malt.  Non-diastatic malts contribute sweetness, color, and flavor to the foods that they are used in.

Fermented - has no real meaning as a descriptor for the malt.  Breads or brews made from the malt will undergo fermentation from the yeasts or bacteria they contain but you want your malt to start out in an unfermented condition.

In some of your other posts, you also used the term "sprouted".  That typically carries a different meaning, although all malts are sprouted.  When you see "sprouted" used as a descriptor for flour, it indicates that the grains were moistened and allowed to sprout just enough to see the tip of the stem begin to emerge from the kernel.  At that point, they are dried to stop further growth and then ground into flour.  The stage of growth where the stem just begins to emerge is sometimes described as "chitted", in case you see that term in some discussions.

As others have said, you can procure rye malt at a local brew shop.  If there aren't any brew shops in your area, another on-line vendor is NYBakers.com.  The owner, Stan Ginsberg, is also a TFL member.

If your local or on-line sources only offer a white rye malt, you can toast the malt in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir the malt or shake the pan frequently so that the malt doesn't burn and in a few minutes you will see it begin to turn color.  You can toast it to whatever darkness you want, remembering that the darker the malt, the deeper the color and the flavor it will impart to your bread.  After the kernels are toasted to a color you like, cool them and then grind them to a powder.  I use a small electric coffee mill to handle small-batch quantities of things like malt or spices and herbs.

I look forward to hearing about your bread and kvaas.

Paul

I buy some whenever I go to Russia. The main impression when you use it is the sour smell, which comes from sitting around in piles for several days. I made rye malt myself, but never fermented. I read Russian books on the topic and the problem is that the outer layers can grow mold, which must be removed, so you only use the inner layers, which also get very warm from the fermentation. I can't do this at home, so I buy it when I'm in Russia (the language is my field and I go there every year or so). A suggested substitute that you can buy at Russian stores worldwide is kvas concentrate in a jar (kontsentrat kvasnogo susla). I saw real fermented malt being sold on Ebay from Ukraine, but the price was ridiculous--$29 for 250 grams! I paid one or two dollars for that in Russia.

the the Scot's make barley malt in long row piles 3' high.  In both cases after a couple of days the internal heat of the piles rises dramatically, sometimes up to nearly 150 F, if they are not turned over and aerated to cool them off but they are routinely 120-130 F.  Fermenting is caused by the yeast and LAB on the grain once it gets wet.  You can make a rye starter and a loaf bread in 4 days and 4-5 days is how long it takes to sprout the rye properly to make malt as Paul explained  - the sprout, not the 3 thin rootlets need to be at least the length of the seed.

Malting at home we can really never mimic a 3-4 high pile of grain but I get mine 4" high and sprout them on a heating pad to 120 - 130 F for 4 days to try get as close as I can.  After 3 days you can really smell the fermentation taking place but if you dry the grain at 104 F and then grind it you have white malt and it is white or a light beige in color.  If you heat it up slowly and roast it to 325 F  after drying then it turns the beautiful shades of brown to chocolate and takes up the taste we love so much in our whiskey, beer and bread. 

In a lecture a few years ago, Peter Reinhart said beer is liquid bread.  Essentially the ingredients: grain, water, yeast, and flavoring.  In the case of beer, the flavor comes from hops and other additives.  In bread, its salt.

I have a supply of a few pounds of red fermented rye malt (красный ферментированный ржаной солод) that I bought in Moscow. The only way I know of to buy it in the USA is Ebay. There are two choices as of this moment--both less than optimal.

A Ukrainian seller has slightly over a half pound for the exorbitant price of $29. A Russian seller has a more reasonably priced product for around $8 per lb.--but the catch is you have to take a bit over 6 pounds, which runs around $50.

It looks like the shipping is the problem. The more you ship, the less it is per item.

I found it on Ebay by searching for "rye malt fermented."