Could malt used in bread show up as dark brown "grains" in the finished loaf?
I get my daily brown bread from a bread outlet down the street. In the last two weeks I found, more than once, torpedo-shaped dark brown objects, approximately the size of a swollen grain of rice in the bread. I was concerned these might be mouse droppings. When I retuned to the outlet, the shop attendant contacted the baker and they told me that it was from the malt they use to darken the bread. I was really surprised and never expected to hear such a thing.
When I cut the bread open the dark brown grains were as soft as boiled rice, and when I rubbed them between my fingers they looked and felt like paste, and after a day or so left out in the open, they hardened.
Best Answer
Without pictures, it's hard to say for sure, but that doesn't sound like malt. Malt syrup (barley being the standard grain used for malt) is fairly dark (between honey and molasses in color), but it's also transparent and would be dissolved in the dough. Malt powder isn't significantly darker than flour, and should be distributed evenly through the other dry ingredients. Neither are used as a "darkening agent", aside from occasionally being used to darken the crust of bread slightly. As rumtscho points out in the comments, there is a "rye malt" which is used as a darkening agent in some traditional breads. If this is used, it could be a lump that didn't get mixed in? A much more common darkening agent would be caramel color, which is still very unlikely to lead to dark lumps, as it dissolves easily in water.
Depending on the type of bread, it could be a kernel of some type of grain (rye maybe?) or a lump of unhydrated flour. Without more details, there's no way to give a definite answer, but it doesn't sound like malt.
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How does malt affect bread?
Malt has a sweetening effect in bread. It can be used as the sweetening agent so other sugars, honey and molasses can be eliminated from your yeast bread recipes. Diastatic Malt is made from whole wheat berries or whole barley but I have only made and used the malt from wheat.What does malt do in baking?
Malt is the name given to a sweetening agent made primarily from barley. The enzymes from the germ of the seeds become active, changing much of the starch into maltose, a complex sugar. Maltose has a distinct flavour and is used for making yeast products such as bread and rolls.What does malted barley do to bread?
It is a sweet syrup, rich in maltose that can be used directly as yeast food. It also delivers that malty flavour, and by raising sugar levels it ensures bright crust colour because the yeast will not have had time to eat all the sugars present, and plenty will be left to caramelise in the crust.What does Diastatic Malt do for dough?
In essence, diastatic malt powder introduces enzymes to your dough that help bread down starch, which help the yeast feed more efficiently. The lactic acid in your starter also do this, but diastatic malt powder helps this process even more.Soakers Explained | How to use a Soaker in Breadmaking
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Answer 2
Could be; couple different possiblites;
barley malt syrup; adds flavor http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/organic-barley-malt-syrup-16-oz
Diastatic Malt Powder; gives your bread an extra yeast kick; similar to using yeast nutrient.
After re-reading your post; sounds like some form of DMP...
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