Diastatic Malt Powder in Pizza Dough: What It Is, What It Does, and How to Use It for Better Pizza

Diastatic malt powder is one of those mysterious, ‘secret’ ingredients that can greatly improve your pizza. In this article, we’ll explore what malt powder is, the differences between diastatic and non-diastatic malt, how it affects both the dough and the final product, and how to use it for the best results

Introduction to Malt Products

Malt products, whether in powder or syrup form, come from a process called “malting.” This involves germinating grain and then processing it into its final product.

The most commonly used grain for malt production is barley.

The malting process consists of two main steps:

1. The grain is germinated under controlled conditions to promote high enzymatic activity, particularly amylase enzymes, and to increase sugar content, mainly in the form of maltose.
2. Drying the germinated grain with heat treatment (which varies based on the desired type of malt product) followed by processing it into powder or syrup.

During germination, the concentration of alpha-amylase enzymes in the grain increases dramatically, sometimes reaching hundreds of times the pre-germination levels. This surge is essential because the grain is preparing to produce a new plant (a sprout), requiring a large energy supply in the form of simple sugars.

The majority of the grain kernel, particularly the endosperm, consists of starch, a storage form of carbohydrates. To access this energy, the starch must be broken down into simple sugars, much like how amylase enzymes break down starch in yeast-leavened dough. In the case of germination, however, the sugars are consumed by the grain itself rather than yeast.

The significant production of amylase enzymes during germination accelerates starch breakdown into simple sugars, providing the necessary energy for the sprout to grow.

As a result, malt products typically have a high sugar content, up to 90%, depending on the product. Of these sugars, about 65% is maltose (hence the name “malt”), while roughly 30% consists of complex carbohydrates and other sugars.

There are two types of malt products, typically available in powder form:

• Diastatic (enzymatic) malt powder: This contains varying concentrations of active amylase enzymes.
• Non-diastatic malt powder: This undergoes heat treatment, which neutralizes the amylase enzymes, leaving only sugars.

Using malt powder, of any type, adds sugars (primarily maltose) to the dough, creating effects similar to adding any other sugars to the dough. Additionally, malt contributes a distinct malty flavor, often described as caramel-like or nutty.

In pizza-making, diastatic malt powder is commonly used to promote the browning of the crust by adding alpha-amylase enzymes to the dough (more on that later).

The Difference Between Diastatic and Non-Diastatic Malt Powder

Non-Diastatic Malt Powder

Non-diastatic malt powder is treated at relatively high temperatures (around 160°C/320°F) to neutralize the amylase enzymes, which is why it’s referred to as non-diastatic or non-enzymatic. It mainly contains sugars, specifically maltose.

The primary use of non-diastatic malt powder is to enhance the flavor profile of baked goods, giving them a malty, sweet, caramel-like, and nutty taste. If used in syrup form, which is typically very dark and concentrated, it also darkens the crumb.

Non-diastatic malt powder comes in two main varieties: dark and light, with some products in between. The color of the malt depends on the processing. Longer heating and drying result in darker malt, which is more concentrated and intense in flavor.

In general, lighter malt powders add a sweeter, more delicate flavor to dough, while darker powders offer a richer, more intense, concentrated flavor.

Malt’s distinct malty flavor is created during its production, which involves heating and ‘roasting’ the grains. This process triggers the Maillard reaction, which gives malt its characteristic taste. As mentioned earlier, the extent of heating and roasting determines the flavor’s intensity and the color of the malt.

Similar to sugar, non-diastatic malt powder is typically used in amounts ranging from 1% to 5%, based on flour weight in baker’s percentages.

One common use of non-diastatic malt is in New York bagels, where it’s added to both the dough (up to 2% based on flour weight) and the cooking water (typically as malt syrup). This is what gives NY bagels their famous malty flavor.

Diastatic Malt Powder

Diastatic malt powder is similar to non-diastatic malt powder, which also consists mostly of sugars, with one key difference: it does not undergo high-heat treatment to neutralize the amylase enzymes, meaning it retains active amylase enzymes (hence the name diastatic or enzymatic malt).

Because diastatic malt powder contains active amylase enzymes, its use and purpose differ significantly from those of non-diastatic malt powder, resulting in distinct products.

The primary reason for adding diastatic malt to dough is to enhance enzymatic activity, which significantly affects the dough and the final product.

Incorporating diastatic malt into the dough (i.e., adding active a-amylase enzymes) leads to several effects:

• Increased yeast activity and faster fermentation. This occurs due to more available food for the yeast.
• Increased gas production, resulting from enhanced yeast activity. This may create a crumb structure that is more open and airy.
• Accelerated browning of the dough during baking. Higher levels of residual sugar contribute to the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for browning.
• Helps keep the pizza softer and ‘fresher’ for longer, by slowing starch retrogradation and preventing the dough from toughening as it cools.

In pizza-making, diastatic malt powder is primarily used to enhance the browning of the crust.

How Diastatic Malt Affects Browning

There are two processes through which diastatic malt influences the browning of the dough:

1. The dough contains more alpha-amylase enzymes, resulting in a greater breakdown of starch into sugars during fermentation, which leads to higher levels of residual sugar.
2. During baking, the activity of the amylase enzymes peaks, significantly accelerating the breakdown of starch into sugars.

Section 1 is straightforward: more amylase enzymes equal more starch being broken down into sugars, resulting in higher levels of residual sugar.

Section 2 is more complex and has a greater impact on browning in the context of amylase enzymes and the use of diastatic malt.

The activity of amylase enzymes, like that of all enzymes, increases with temperature. During baking (at around 60°C/140°F), the activity of amylases reaches its peak, leading to a breakdown of starch into sugars that can be up to 40 times faster than during fermentation.

In addition to the enhanced activity of amylases due to increased temperature, the starch in the dough begins to undergo gelatinization, making it significantly easier for the amylase enzymes to break it down into sugars.

The result of these two processes is a substantial breakdown of starch into sugars in a very short period during baking. In fact, most of the sugars participating in the Maillard reaction are “created” during baking, rather than during fermentation.

In summary, the more amylase enzymes the flour contains, the more starch will be broken down into sugars (during fermentation and especially during baking), leading to faster browning.

And this is precisely what diastatic malt allows us to achieve: adding more amylase enzymes to the dough.

How Much Malt to Use in Pizza Dough

For non-diastatic malt powder, you can use a similar amount as table sugar (since most of the malt consists of sugars) – typically between 1% and 5% based on the flour weight.

Diastatic malt powder, however, should be used with care and precision.

Generally, the amounts of diastatic malt powder used in pizza dough range from 0.1-1.5% (in baker’s percentages). The exact amount depends on three main factors:

1. The flour used: In flours with high enzymatic activity (which already contain a significant amount of amylase), lower amounts of diastatic malt are preferred.
2. The concentration or ‘strength’ of the malt used: The stronger the malt (meaning it contains more amylase), the less we want to use.
3. Damaged starch in flour: The damaged starch content in the flour (a factor that can be ignored, as we can’t control nor measure it).

The strength of diastatic malt is typically measured using an index called Degree Lintner, which reflects the enzymatic activity of the malt. The Lintner index generally ranges from 20 to 200, usually in increments of 20:

• A Lintner value of 20-40 indicates low enzymatic activity (also known as ‘low diastatic malt powder’, or LDMP), which is commonly used for baking purposes.
• A Lintner value of 60-100 indicates moderate enzymatic activity.
• A Lintner value of 120-200 indicates high enzymatic activity.

The Lintner value of malt is typically indicated on the malt product packaging/description. Alternatively, it may specify whether the malt has low, medium, or high enzymatic activity.

In general, if the flour we use has high enzymatic activity (as is common with most non-Italian and non-French bread flours), we should use a smaller amount of diastatic malt. Conversely, when using flours low in enzymatic activity (such as most Italian flours), we can use larger amounts of diastatic malt.

Accordingly, if our malt has high enzymatic activity (a high Lintner value), we should use less of it, and vice versa.

Here are some VERY general guidelines:

• For flour with medium-high enzymatic activity and malt with medium-high enzymatic activity, use up to 0.5% malt.
• For flour with low to medium enzymatic activity and malt with low to medium enzymatic activity, use up to 1% malt.
• For flour with high enzymatic activity and malt with low enzymatic activity, use up to 1% malt.
• For flour with low enzymatic activity and malt with low to high enzymatic activity, use up to 1.5% malt.

I recommend starting with 0.5% malt and adjusting as needed based on the browning results.

How to Tell if a Malt Product Is Diastatic or Non-Diastatic

Non-diastatic malt powder is typically labeled as ‘malt powder/extract’ (either light or dark), without any additional details. It can vary in color; generally, the darker the malt, the more intense and robust the flavor it will impart to the dough.

In contrast, diastatic malt powder is light in color due to a shorter drying process at lower temperatures, which prevents damage to the enzymes. However, this does not mean that all light malt powders are diastatic – while all diastatic malt powder is light, not all light malt powder is diastatic.

Diastatic malt powder should be explicitly labeled as ‘diastatic’ or ‘enzymatic malt,’ often indicating the level of enzymatic activity (low, medium, or high) or specifying the Lintner value. As noted, diastatic and non-diastatic malt are distinct products; therefore, if a product does not explicitly state that it is diastatic malt, it is highly likely to be non-diastatic.

Where to Buy Malt Powder

Non-diastatic malt powder is widely available in most general stores that sell baking ingredients.

In contrast, diastatic malt powder may be more challenging to find, depending on your location. You can start by checking specialized baking stores or searching online, but make sure that the malt is explicitly labeled as diastatic.

Another option is to look for stores or suppliers that specialize in beer brewing, as the same type of malt used for baking can also be used for brewing beer.