A biodynamic Australian barley, malted and roasted by Voyager Craft Malt in Whitton, NSW. Unlike diastatic malt, this roasted malt has no remaining diastatic activity and is used primarily to introduce colour, aroma and roasted flavour to breads and other baked goods.

Supplied as whole grain so you can mill immediately before use.

About the Malt

Malting begins by allowing barley to germinate under carefully controlled conditions. As the grain begins to sprout, it develops enzymes, including alpha-amylase, which prepare the young plant to convert its stored starch into sugars for growth.

Before the young shoot grows too far and begins consuming those starch reserves, the maltster halts germination by drying and kilning the grain. What happens next depends on the type of malt being made.

With a diastatic malt, the grain is kilned gently enough to preserve much of its enzymatic activity. With this malt, Voyager takes the process further by roasting the barley at higher temperatures. The additional heat develops deeper colour, aroma and flavour while deactivating the enzymes developed during germination.

The result is a non-diastatic malt with a diastatic power of 0 WK. Rather than being used for its effect on starch conversion, it is added for the character created during roasting.

Voyager classifies this style as a Chocolate Malt, with tasting notes of cocoa, iced coffee, caramel and burnt toast, accompanied by slight sweetness and a smooth bitterness. These descriptions refer to the characteristics created naturally through roasting. No chocolate or coffee is added.

About Voyager Craft Malt

Our search for Australian malted grains introduced us to Stu and Brad at Voyager Craft Malt in Whitton, NSW.

Voyager works with Australian growers to transform locally grown grains through malting, kilning and roasting. By carefully controlling germination and the application of heat, the maltster can produce very different ingredients from the same basic process, from pale malts that retain substantial enzymatic activity through to deeply roasted malts where colour and flavour become the focus.

This roasted malt is made from biodynamic Australian barley grown by Chris Greenwood at Coleambally, NSW.

Why We Love It

• Australian grown biodynamic barley
• Grown by Chris Greenwood at Coleambally, NSW
• Malted and roasted by Voyager Craft Malt in Whitton, NSW
• Non-diastatic, with a diastatic power of 0 WK
• Supplied as whole grain for milling immediately before use
• Adds colour, aroma and roasted character to baking
• Voyager describes notes of cocoa, iced coffee, caramel and burnt toast, with slight sweetness and smooth bitterness

Milling & Baking

This roasted malt is supplied as whole grain, allowing you to mill only what you need immediately before baking.

Unlike diastatic malt, there is no functional requirement to use a particular amount to achieve enzymatic activity. Instead, the amount you use determines how strongly the roasted malt influences the colour, aroma and flavour of your finished bake.

A small addition can introduce subtle colour and roasted complexity. As the amount increases, the darker toasted and roasted characteristics will become progressively more prominent.

We recommend starting conservatively and adjusting over successive bakes. The right amount will depend on your flour, recipe and the flavour you are trying to create.

So start between 2-5% of total grain content and see how you go. 

We are continuing to experiment with this malt ourselves and will refine our baking guidance as we learn more about how it behaves with different flours and styles of bread.

Additional Product Information

Grain: Barley
Process: Malted and roasted
Malt Style: Voyager Chocolate Malt
Diastatic: Non-Diastatic
Diastatic Power: 0 WK
Maltster: Voyager Craft Malt
Grower: Chris Greenwood
Growing Region: Coleambally, NSW
Certification: Biodynamic
Country of Origin: Australia

Technical values are based on the current batch and may vary between harvests.

FAQs

What is non-diastatic malt?

Non-diastatic malt is malt that no longer has active starch-converting enzymes. In this case, the barley is malted and then roasted at temperatures high enough to deactivate the enzymes developed during germination.

Rather than being used for enzymatic activity, it is used for the colour, aroma and flavour created during roasting.

How is this different from your Diastatic Malted Wheat?

Both products begin with the process of malting, where grain is allowed to germinate and naturally develops enzymes.

The difference comes with heat. Our Diastatic Malted Wheat is gently kilned to preserve enzymatic activity and is used in small quantities for its effect on dough and fermentation.

This malted barley is roasted further. The additional heat deactivates those enzymes while developing much deeper colour and roasted flavours. Its diastatic power is therefore 0 WK.

Why does Voyager call it Chocolate Malt?

Chocolate Malt is a malt style traditionally used to describe deeply roasted malt with dark colour and roasted characteristics.

Voyager describes this malt as having notes of cocoa, iced coffee, caramel and burnt toast, with slight sweetness and smooth bitterness. These are tasting notes rather than added ingredients.

Does it contain chocolate or coffee?

No. It is malted and roasted barley. The cocoa and coffee-like characteristics develop naturally during roasting.

How much should I use?

There is no single correct amount because this malt is being used primarily for flavour, aroma and colour rather than enzymatic activity.

We recommend starting with a small amount and increasing it over successive bakes until you find the balance you prefer. Roasted malt can become quite assertive as the quantity increases.

As we continue baking with this malt ourselves, we'll add more detailed usage guidance based on our experience.

Why is it supplied as whole grain?

Keeping the roasted malt whole allows you to mill only what you need immediately before use, retaining more of the freshly milled aroma and character.

Can I use it for brewing or distilling?

Yes. Roasted malts such as this are traditionally used in brewing and can also have applications in distilling. We offer it as whole grain for home millers and bakers interested in exploring the flavour and colour that malted and roasted Australian grain can bring to baking.