I figure that Laury was referring to diastatic malt in her post.
Diastatic malt contains a whole raft of enzymes which are present in
the barley as they germinate (malting process). Most of these enzymes
will be present in wheat flour as well. Addition of diastatic malt
ensures that variations in flour composition will not impact on your
finished loaf quality. Its like an insurance!
We use in here in NZ as our flour is not as strong as in the US.
We can also buy non-diastatic malt for use in wholemeal & grain
breads where enzyme activity is not required. This non enzyme
malt contributes to crumb colour & flavour as the harsher
roasting of the malt gives it a dark coffee colour.
Please contact me if you need further infomation. Selena