Sprouting and Malting

[Klapton]

So I did an experiment sprouting some of the soft winter wheat I recently bought. (We just started grinding our own grains.) I wanted to try it and see how they tasted. I'm also thinking about trying some sprouted grain breads.

I let them grow until they were about an inch long or so. And the longer they got, the stronger this odd flavor got. It tasted like Nutrasweet (aspartame) of all things. I mean, it was WIERD, and pretty unpleasant.

So then I thought, "hmmm... malt is made from sprouted grains..." and looked up some stuff on making malt. What I discovered was that this strong, nutty-sweet flavor was precisely the flavor that BECAME the malty flavor when roasted! It was a neat little revelation, especially because I absolutely LOVE the taste of malt. (I'm a big fan of good beers and whiskeys.)

Anyway... I just thought I'd post about my experience, and solicit any ideas or recipes people might have that involved sprouted grains or malted grains?

[Shamrock1121]

So I did an experiment sprouting some of the soft winter wheat I recently bought. *(We just started grinding our own grains.) *I wanted to try it and see how they tasted. *I'm also thinking about trying some sprouted grain breads.

I let them grow until they were about an inch long or so. *And the longer they got, the stronger this odd flavor got. *It tasted like Nutrasweet (aspartame) of all things. *I mean, it was WIERD, and pretty unpleasant.

So then I thought, "hmmm... *malt is made from sprouted grains..." and looked up some stuff on making malt. *What I discovered was that this strong, nutty-sweet flavor was precisely the flavor that BECAME the malty flavor when roasted! *It was a neat little revelation, especially because I absolutely LOVE the taste of malt. *(I'm a big fan of good beers and whiskeys.)

Anyway... *I just thought I'd post about my experience, and solicit any ideas or recipes people might have that involved sprouted grains or malted grains?

Malting is a huge pain, somewhere lower than the neck, from my experience... ::) Especially if you make enough to mill into flour for bread. You can get some of the same effects by using a sponge, or soaked flour bread method.

You have to make sure you dry the sprouted grain VERY well or you'll mess up your mill when you go to grind it. It can clog an impact mill, or it will glaze over grinding stones and you'll have to remove them and clean them.

I still make my own diastatic malt for adding to bread recipes. Diastatic malt breaks down the starch in dough to yield sugars on which the yeast can feed. Diastatic malt is especially beneficial for long fermented breads, like sourdough.

Don't add too much diastatic malt. You'll get a slack, sticky dough.

If you use diastatic malt, you can bake yeast bread without other sweeteners.

This recipe will make enough diastatic malt for about 150 loaves of bread.

How to make:

Sprout a cup of wheat (or barley) by covering them with water in a jar for 12 hours of so; dump out the and rinse with clean water. Place the jar in a dark, warm place. rinse the berries every day with clean water and return to the dark, warm place.

In 2-3 days they will begin to sprout. When the sprout is as long as the berries themselves, dump them out on paper towels, dry them off, and set on a cookie sheet. Allow them to dry at room temperature, then place them in a 100°F oven (or dehydrator) to completely dry. DO NOT let the temperature get above 130°F or the enzymes will be destroyed.

Grind the dried malted berries into flour and use it in your favorite recipe at a rate of approx. 1 teaspoon per loaf.

Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator, or better yet in the freezer. It keeps nearly forever...

Non-diastatic malt powder is made from sprouted barley kernels (you can use wheat, as well) which have been roasted (to intensify their natural sweetness). This is then used as a sweetener because it has had a high-heat process that kills the enzymes.

If you add the non-diastatic malt powder to the water bath for bagels, it gives them a shiny crust.

-Karen

[cubcadet]

I have come across a method for creating malt which works well, at least in my case. I use hard red winter wheat, which is high in glutens. Take the wheat berries and put a cup at a time in a Tupperware container (the kind that is 2-3 inches high and 6-7 inches square, with a snap lid). Soak them in filtered water overnight or about 8 hours. Pour the water out and put the lid back on so that some fresh air can get in and put it on your fridge for a day or so, until the berries start sprouting. They`ll show a bit of the root coming through one end (at this point, it becomes a little ticklish. If they are allowed to sprout too long, the glutens apparently are converted and as a result, the flour will not rise.)Immediately pour the berries onto a dinner plate, maybe on a paper towel, and put it back on the fridge to cure. After a while, test by biting into one. If it is crunchy, then they`re ready to grind. This makes great flour for hotcakes or even an extender for ground beef dishes. I have even made pita bread with this. This process is reputed to eliminate harmful phytic acid which is present in freshly ground wheat flour and which may give people an allergic reaction..