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Re: Wholegrain breads and amylase etc

debunix <debunix@well.com>
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:21:34 -0700
v107.n028.2
>I would now like to go to whole grain and/or organic flours, but 
>none of these have amylase added. How much diastatic malt (amylase) 
>do I need to add to a hard red winter wheat to make it a good bread 
>flour for long rises??? I have some Alberta Red Winter Wheat, and 
>Red Spring Wheat that I would like to try with adding malt to... 
>Does anybody know how much malt to add. Do I need to add gluten??
>
>Is Bob's Red Mill a good source for active diastatic malted barely? 
>I have some of their malt, but am not sure if it has active amylase enzyme

You have packed a lot of questions into one post.

The easy one first:  at bobsredmill.com, they say that "Barley flour, 
malted" is their enzymatically active version of diastatic malt; 
"barley malt extract" is the flavoring-only version.

And there is no need to add dimalt to whole grain flours for long 
rises, although it can be done.  Gluten flour is a matter of personal 
preference.  I do not add it unless I am baking for someone picky (my 
mother complains when my always whole-wheat bread is as sturdy as I prefer it).

If you're looking to move into whole grain breads, Peter Reinhart 
just published an excellent book, with a lot to say about the 
benefits of slow rises especially for whole wheat breads.  Also I'd 
recommend the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, still an excellent 
resource.  Another great resource is the wholegrain-baking group list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wholegrain-baking/

Most white flour recipes can be adapted to wholegrain use by 
increasing the hydration a few percent--whole wheat flours absorb 
more water than white flours--and making a 1:1 substitution for the 
white flour with whole wheat.

--diane in los angeles

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html