Artisan (malted) Bread Flour

[Qui]

Came across some artisan bread flour that says malted on the packaging. What is the difference between the artisan and the regular bread flour? and what does the malt do? Can I use it as a regular bread flour?

[Beanie]

You don't mention the brand of flour, but King Arthur has an organic bread flour named Artisan and it contains malt. Here's a link from the KA web site with info on the different varieties of organic flours and the recommended uses. Malt is added for flavor and to control enzyme activity; the bread pros around here can provide more technical info. Hope this helps.

[artisanbaker]

malt is almost always added to all flours destined to be fermented to aide the yeasts. it helps the yeasts convert the complex starches into more easily fermentable sugars.

whether or not the flour contains malt has little (if anything) to do with it being artisan. artisan flours' protein content usually weighs in at 11ish%. That combined with a favorable alveograph reading determines whether or not the flour should be marketed for the artisan audience.

what is "favorable" you might ask? favorable meaning a good balance of extensibilty and elasticity after sustaining a "lengthy" fermentation.

regards

[Qui]

malt is almost always added to all flours destined to be fermented to aide the yeasts. it helps the yeasts convert the complex starches into more easily fermentable sugars.

whether or not the flour contains malt has little (if anything) to do with it being artisan. artisan flours' protein content usually weighs in at 11ish%. That combined with a favorable alveograph reading determines whether or not the flour should be marketed for the artisan audience. 

what is "favorable" you might ask? favorable meaning a good balance of extensibilty and elasticity after sustaining a "lengthy" fermentation.

regards

←

Thanks for the explaination. Would it be fair to say that most bread flours contain about the same amount of malt in it? And that the labelling of Artisan (Malted) Bread Flour is just solely for marketing purposes?

[artisanbaker]

Qui:

No, most bread flours do not contain the same amount of malt. They possess a similar enzymatic activity that malt is used to attain in the event of a deficiency. This activity is measured using another machine and the reading is called the falling number. Malt is used to adjust the falling number.

The word artisan is in my opinion one of the most buzziest words that have come of age in the last decade. Marketing depts have taken note.

(as well as bakers using messageboards...)

Happy baking

Edited August 1, 2006 by artisanbaker (log)

[jackal10]

Malt is also used as a flavouring agent for, for example, granary style loaves and bread flours. The malt is in larger amounts, and the non-enzymatic sort.