September 10, 2020 - 2:26am
Ragi (finger millett) malt vs rye malt vs Non Diastatic malt
Hi, I'd like to make some of those old fashioned rye recipes, but i'm having real trouble finding rye malt. What I do have is some malt made from ragi (or finger millett) from a local indian food store. Would this work as well? Do bakers call for malt because it has some chemical property, or is it just to enrich the flavor?
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Welcome to TFL !
My understanding is that rye malt is _generally_ non-diastatic. That means it will add flavor, and does not have the active enzymes that break down starch into sugar.
Some formulas (recipes), other than rye, do call for "malt powder", and need to be read carefully to see if they mean diastatic or non-diastatic.
Some recipes are non-specific (because the recipe author either thought it was obvious, or else he/she was just unaware that there are two major kinds of "malt") as to which they meant, and you just have to guess.
To recap: non-diastatic malt does not make sugar, and is for flavor -- diastatic malt needs to be used in moderation because it starts to turn starch into sugar as soon as the ingredients get wet, and the sugar super-charges fermentation.
Here's how to make non-diastatic rye malt: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/27954/making-red-rye-malt
You don't absolutely need a grain mill. After sprouting and baking the berries, you can grind them in a small whirly-gig type coffee grinder, mortar and pestle, or an electric blender.
In the US, you can get 5 pounds of organic rye berries for $4.50 plus shipping, here: https://www.clnf.org/rye-berries-og
Good luck, and bon appétit !
whoa, thank you so much!! i was intimidated by the idea of making my own malt but this doesnt look too complicated. I'll give it a shot and maybe post an update!