The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Is there any substitute for malt extract?

Megh's picture
Megh

Is there any substitute for malt extract?

A bread recipe calls for it.

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

Think honey might work.

Megh's picture
Megh

will it contain enzymes?

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

content and not just for taste.

It might be easier to post the recipe that you have in mind. Tell us how you're going about it and ask for any advice. Seems to me that by the time you're finished with adding citric acid, lactic acid, malt or honey etc you're making a normal yeasted bread and adding in all these dough enhancers exactly the process of these mass produced store breads. I think you might be overdoing it a tad. By all means one can use honey and perhaps a little dough enhancer here and there but it's difficult to know how to answer if one doesn't get the whole picture.

suave's picture
suave

Typically, malt extracts do not contain active enzymes.  Or put this way, I've never seen a recipe coming from a published source that would call upon malt extract as enzymatic agent.

Megh's picture
Megh

never mind that...corn syrup i guess is closest thing to malt extract cause they have almost equal amount maltose

does corn syrup contain amylase?

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

Raw honey might be your best bet. Both raw honey and corn syrup will contain certain amount of amylase. I like the sound of raw honey better. Taste wise will be better to imho.

 

Megh's picture
Megh

what is imho?

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

In My Humble Opinion

Megh's picture
Megh

thanks a lot bro...

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

Looking forward to this bread you're creating.

suave's picture
suave

I do not where do you live, but here, in the US, corn syrup contains virtually no maltose, whereas in malt extract it is a predominant (95% +) sugar.

Donkey_hot's picture
Donkey_hot

 If a recipe calls for malt syrup, what would be an acceptable substitution?   Thank you.

doughooker's picture
doughooker

People generally use diastatic malt powder as a source of amylase.

Elagins's picture
Elagins

Besides the amylase enzymes, malt's principal contribution is the sugar maltose, which generally isn't present in non-malted doughs. In non-sourdough breads, the malt enhances sweetness and improves crust browning -- malt-boiled bagels being a great example -- but that's true of sugars in general, which is why Montreal bagels, for example, brown equally well after their honey boil..

In sourdoughs, the presence of maltose affects the chemistry. Sourdough lactobacillus (LAB) *love* maltose and quickly metabolize it into glucose. The abundant glucose suppresses the activity of other organisms that compete with the LAB for maltose and allow the LAB to multiply more quickly than they would in a glucose-only environment, which ultimately improves the flavor and intensity of the sourdough.

Honey and non-malt syrups generally contain only glucose and fructose, so can't produce the chemical effects of malt extracts on sourdoughs.

So again, depending on what you're using it for, malt may or may not be substitutable with honey, etc.

Stan Ginsberg
www.nybakers.com

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

in a sauce pan, diluting it with water before it burns.  I think when glucose is caramelized, it become maltose.  You may have to substitute some of the water in the recipe with this mixture to get enough malt flavour.   It's a caramel flavour.

 

gerhard's picture
gerhard

Really difficult to do in small quantities, you seem to go from no colour to a scorched pan in seconds.

Gerhard

suave's picture
suave

I think when glucose is caramelized, it become maltose.

I don't really think that's correct.

 

ciabatta's picture
ciabatta

I remember reading that if you use malt powder in a long fermentation, you risk getting a gummy crumb.  That's exactly what happened to my bread last time i tried to incorporate some malt flavors in it.  i'm sure there's a proper amount and timing of when to incorporate that. just be aware.

doughooker's picture
doughooker

you could try browning sugar

Are you sure about that? Table sugar is sucrose. Glucose turns to maltose when caramelized. You might have better luck with corn syrup.

AlanG's picture
AlanG

made up to two glucose molecules that are bonded together.  If I remember my carbohydrate chemistry correctly you cannot form it from simple heating of sugar as it was noted that table sugar made up of glucose and fructose.  Maltose commonly comes from the enzymatic breakdown of starch.

doughooker's picture
doughooker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltose

It [maltose] is also produced when glucose is caramelized.

Megh's picture
Megh

so can barley flour be used if i want that tiny barley flavor?

Megh's picture
Megh

sorry something's  wrong with my browser...its posting half replies..

Patf's picture
Patf

I use black treacle in wholemeal bread - could be a substitute for malt. A tbsp to 1kg flour. Dissolve in a little boiling water.

It's something like molasses but not bitter. Enriches the flavour and colours slightly.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

:)

Patf's picture
Patf

to Mini Oven