Why is there malted barley flour in all purpose flour?
A friend and I were puzzled to see "malted barley flour" listed as an ingredient in all-purpose flour and bread flour but not cake flour or any sort of whole-wheat flour. This was the case for every flour brand I checked (two "store" brands and three advertised brands - all U.S. brands). My friend said that would never happen in Hungary.
I looked over the detailed discussion on this site of different kinds of flour and protein/gluten percentages, hard wheat vs. soft wheat, etc., but no mention of malted barley flour.
So I am curious:
What exactly is malted barley flour?
What function does it serve?
About how much of it is included? (like 30%? or more like 1%?)
Do any other countries besides U.S. put this in their (wheat) flour?
Best Answer
Note - label on my bag says all purpose flour, not all purpose wheat flour. So you can take that strawman (#4) for a long walk on a short pier. You won't find it in the "100% whole wheat flour"
Purpose (#2) - malted barley is yummy yeast food (or the makings of beer.) So, not surprising that you find in in flour intended to serve the needs of yeast baked products.
What is it? (#1) Barley (a grain) that has been malted (sprouted) which converts starches to sugars by enzymatic action, and is then kilned (dried) to stop the process, then ground into flour.
Percentage (#3) no idea, but likely closer to 1 than 30.
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Quick Answer about "Why is there malted barley flour in all purpose flour?"
Malted barley flour is added to hard wheat flours to assist yeast fermentation. During the dough forming stage, malted barley flour provides specific enzyme activity that converts the starches in the wheat flour into simple sugars.Why does bread flour have barley flour in it?
7.3. Barley flour is used in the manufacture of flat bread, for infant foods and for food specialities. It is also a component of composite flours used for making yeast-raised bread. Pregelatinized barley flour, which has high absorbent properties, provides a good binder and thickener.Is malted barley flour good for you?
A heart-healthy mix, malt contains fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin B6, which together lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of cardiac disease. Its dietary fiber helps reduce insulin activity and increases cholesterol absorption from the gut and encourages cholesterol breakdown.What is malted barley flour used for?
While distatic malted barley flour is taste neutral, the non-distatic kind, sometimes referred to as malt flour, is used for its distinctive flavor. It has many uses, such as malted milk, and in baked goods, to give them a softer crumb, and to supplement the flavor of a malt loaf.Does all flour contain barley?
Flour made from wheat usually contains just the endosperm component, while whole wheat flour contains all parts of the grain. Barley used in cooking generally comes in hulled form, with all parts of the grain intact....Macronutrients.CaloriesWhole wheat flour340Wheat flour361Hulled barley354Pearled barley3524 more columns•Jul 9, 2020What is malt, and why does it make milk, bread and beer taste so good?
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Answer 2
From the Code of Federal Regulations, 21CFR137.105:
(a) Flour, white flour, wheat flour, plain flour, is the food prepared by grinding and bolting cleaned wheat, other than durum wheat and red durum wheat. To compensate for any natural deficiency of enzymes, malted wheat, malted wheat flour, malted barley flour, or any combination of two or more of these, may be used; but the quantity of malted barley flour so used is not more than 0.75 percent.
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