Hi All,
I will put my 2 cents in the malt discussion by saying that not all malt is
alike.
The operative word is "diastatic". Malted barley flour or diastatic malt
promotes enzymatic activity that contributes flavor and helps develop crust
color. It may come in a powder or syrup. Most bread flour already has some
malt added so read the ingredients on the label. Many of the (barley) malt
syrups found in natural health food stores are "nondiastatic" as the heat
used in processing cancels out the enzymes. It is used primarily for flavor.
I sent away for the diastatic malt powder from KA when I couldn't find it
locally and the labels on the natural food store syrups didn't tell me if
they were diastatic or not. I forgot about the malt in the fridge until I
had a problem developing crust color with a recipe. I added a small amount
to the recipe the next time and I had a very active dough as a result. The
color of the crust was much improved also.
One caveat.....KA sells a large amount of the malt; I will probably never
use it all in this lifetime ;-)
Ellen aka Gormay