Diastatic Malt Syrup Storage

....at the beer store. 

I transfer it to a covered glass jar and put it in the pantry (dark, dry, room temp.) with the maple syrup and the honey (so I know where to find it).

T'will outlive you if you don't use it.

I checked all over the internets after mrfrost said it's perishable. Now I have no idea how to store it, as the advice is all over the board. I've never had problems with it fermenting, molding, etc. at room temp. It has zero percent moisture, so would be very surprised if anything could grow on it. Also, it's shipped from the manfacturer and stored at places of business at room temperature in giant drums. 

I store mine in the refrigerator. Pretty certain the enzymes will not last indefinitely, even with refrigeration. They(the enzymes) don't keep forever even in the dry diastatic malt powder. Really, even the nondiastatic malt syrup should be refrigerated for long term storage(same for maple syrup*). They are all subject to mold growth also*.

http://www.cooksinfo.com/edible.nsf/pages/barleymaltsyrup

It is not as sweet as honey, and only half as sweet as white sugar (sucrose.)

Some brands may add corn syrup for added sweetness.

The syrup can also be bought in a powdered form.

It can be used in making beer, in baked goods such as dark breads, spice cakes, gingerbread, as a glaze on baked vegetables such as squash and sweet potatoes, in baked beans.

In the prohibition-era ad shown here, no doubt Budweiser was aiming its product at those wishing to make gingerbread in July.

For 1 part white sugar, you can swap in 1 1/3 parts Barley Malt Syrup but reduce liquid in the recipe a bit.

It is mostly composed of maltose.

(Copyright 2011 CooksInfo.com. All rights reserved and enforced.) Read more of this snippet here :"       http://www.cooksinfo.com/barley-malt-syrup#ixzz1WC8IL8sG

 * http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Orderinfo/Handling_Storing_Malt_Extract.htm

 * http://www.mainemaplekitchen.com/maplesyrupstorage.html

Even though I'm doing it wrong, barley mash tastes great.   :-)

It does!

Guess you have all the answers you need at this late date, Glenn, but the post just appeared on my email from TFL.  So, here I go:  I bought Eden brand barley malt syrup a long time ago, maybe half a year, maybe a little more or less.  I have always stored it in the refrigerator; I use it for bagels, now for the boiling bath (used to use it in the dough but since awhile ago, I've been using malt powder from NY Bakers--see below).  It's very viscous, but I just spoon it out (2 TBSP per 4 qts. water works well--to make the color of the water like well-brewed tea per J. Hamelman in Bread) and watch out for the thread that comes off the spoon.  I don't have it in front of me, but there's a "use by" date, and I've still got a long way to go with it.  But, it's time to buy a new jar, since this one's nearly gone.  I've never had mold, bad odors or any other problems with it.  

At this time, I am using "AB Mauri low diastatic malt powder" in the dough, and I dissolve it in the water first (per Ginsberg/Berg in ITJB--I follow the bagel recipe carefully--I think it's about a tsp. per 5 cups high-gluten flour).  Here's the NY Bakers listing of it:  http://nybakers.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6.  With both items, I have always been pleased with the results, and I've not had any problems with deterioration, mold, etc.  Makes great bagels!

Joy

for your method of storage.  Maybe in the cupboard and especially if it's going to be used up in half a year (increased bagel production!) it won't be quite like liquid plastic coming (or not) off the spoon.  Maybe some new uses for it will turn up as well.  Barley, they say, is good for the blood sugar (need the consulting MD's opinion on that).

Joy

Did I miss something?  Is barely malt syrup OK to use in baking in place of diastic syrup?  I have a jar of Eden and the way I use it, it will out live me.

stu 

While "malting" increases the enzyme content of barley, heat drying it or roasting it gets rid of its enzyme activity.  As I understand it, malt syrup is the concentrate that results from dissolving the sugars in malted barley and then extracting a lot of the water (either by boiling or some other means).  Diastatic malt must not be heated above some temperature (I think I read somewhere that it is around 130°F) and it is the enzymes that you want, not the sugars.  When you look at the ingredient's listed on the bag of bread flour it will say malted barley flour, or sometimes "enzymes".   It comes as a dry powder (malted barley flour).  And it doesn't take much, so be cautious when you use it.

and is fermenting.   Freeze the remainder in ice cube trays and later in a bag.  Then you can thaw what you need when you need it.

Honestly I would throw it out. In fact I would have returned it immediately for a full refund of all charges including shipping in the very beginning.

Is there a Whole Foods or similar near you?  You should be able to find barley malt syrup locally unless you are very rural indeed.  Health food stores often have it.