November 17, 2013 - 3:48pm
Enzymes, malt and bread
Can anyone direct me to some scientific or technical sites that explain the effects of diastatic malt and enzymes on the yeast and flour? I'd like to know what the chemical interactions are when you add them to bread.
I'd also like some suggestions for amounts (weight/volume/percentage) of malt to add to a recipe.
Thanks in advance...
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Try Pyler, E. "Baking Science and Technology". 2 volumes, 1600 pages, but it costs lots of money.
Best wishes
Andy
Pyler does discuss enzymes, both malt based and fungal based. Diastatic malt powder contains diastase as well as protease. Diastase is the name of two enzymes (alpha amylase and beta amylase) that act in concert to break down starch into maltose. Protease helps to break down gluten, making dough more relaxed and extensible.
Bread flour always contains diastatic malt, so no additional enzymatic supplementation is called for. Whole wheat flour, on the other hand, usually contains no malt, whole wheat dough should have malt or sugar added to sustain the yeast during fermentation. For whole wheat dough, try using 1% (baker's percentage) of diastatic malt powder in your formula.
Andy, which volume discusses enzymes?
Janet
Janet, there are 2 references in volume 2; one concerning baking and the other in connection with staling. There is a whole chapter on enzymes in Volume 1 [pp.120 - 167 in my copy], plus a couple of mentions of enzymes in wheat and in flour. There are other discussions concerning enzymes in other parts of the text which are not listed in the index, eg. the section on dough fermentation which opens Volume 2.
Best wishes
Andy
ps. the 2 volumes run to 1240 pages, sorry about the previous exageration.