February 7, 2016 - 4:47pm
Artisan Breads by Kastel & non-diastatic malted barley
Just about every bread recipe in the Culinary Arts Institute Artisan Breads at Home book by Eric Kastel include using @ .5% malt syrup.
On page 12, Kastel writes: "NON-diastatic malted barley, which contains the enzyme amylase, helps bread down the starches in flour into sugars, making them more available to the yeast.... Diastatic malted barley, without enzymes, won't harm your bread but it also work the same way to improve it."
Based on my understanding, it is DIASTATIC malted barley that contains the enzyme and is available only in powdered form. The non-diastatic malted barley simply adds flavor.
If I am correct, every recipe in the book contains an error regarding malted barley.
Diane
Non diastatic has no active enzymes since it has been heated to the point where they are denatured.