Diastatic Malt Powder: The Top Secret Ingredient Nobody is Using to Make the Best Pizza

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Diastatic Malt Powder

This article discusses what it is diastatic malt powder, how it’s made, how to store it, how to use it in your pizza dough, and how it differs from non-diastatic malt powder.

With a deeper understanding of the chemistry involved, you’ll be on your way to becoming a master pizza baker in no time!

Diastatic Malt Powder in Pizza-Making

When it comes to baking, it’s essential to consider the underlying chemistry in and out of the oven.

Without a proper balance of sugars and enzymes in your dough, your pizza won’t have enough rise, and the texture, flavor, and appearance could be lacking.

This situation is where diastase comes into the picture. Master pizza bakers often praise diastatic malt powder as “the secret ingredient” in any good baking recipe.

But what is it, and how can you incorporate it into making excellent pizza dough? There’s a lot to know about it, but don’t worry; we’ve got you covered!

Benefits of Using Diastatic Malt Powder

The active enzymes contained in Diastatic Malt function as a dough conditioner in yeast-fermented doughs. By using it correctly, you can get the following results in your pizza crust:

• Strong rise while making the dough.
• Better crust structure.
• Increased volume.
• Better flavor as it adds a mild malt taste.
• Best crust browning as it enhances the color of the crust.
• Good for your health as it promotes better digestion. It contains fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin B6, which lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of cardiac disease. *Note that is not meant to be construed as medical advice.

Diastatic Malt Powder vs. Non-Diastatic Malt Powder

The term “diastatic” refers to the presence or absence of diastase, a group of enzymes such as alpha-amylase and beta-amylase that are useful in baking for their role in the fermentation process.

For this reason, diastatic malt is also sometimes referred to as “enzyme active” malt.

Enzymatic content is measured in Degrees Lintner.

To better understand the difference between diastatic malt and non-diastatic malt, it helps first to be familiar with the concepts of germination and fermentation and the malting process itself.

Although fermentation is used in baking, it also occurs naturally in the wild.

Every seed naturally contains a supply of nutrients that it will use to nourish itself as it grows into a new plant; in a process known as germination, the seed sprouts when it senses that conditions are right outside for it to grow and survive.

When this happens, enzymes that are also present begin to break down and store carbohydrates into more readily usable sugars in a process known as fermentation.

After fermentation has begun and the seeds have sprouted, the sugar produced from these carbohydrates is then broken down further by yeast cells, releasing carbon dioxide into their surroundings.

The presence of carbon dioxide in your dough helps it to rise.

The Malting Process

The term “diastase” is derived from the Greek word “diastasis,” meaning “a parting or separation.” This original meaning refers to separating soluble sugars from the rest of the plant material being used.

Germination Process

The grain is soaked in water for several days until it begins sprout. The germination process is then quickly brought to a halt.

The temperature at which it is halted determines whether the finished malt will be diastatic or non-diastatic.

Since fewer enzymes are present in non-diastatic malt, less sugar is produced via fermentation. Since the yeast has less to consume, less carbon dioxide and less rise.

When you add dry diastatic malt powder to your baking recipe, more starches are broken down into sugars, which yeasts may consume as food during the long dough process, resulting in a higher rise.

This extra sugar also aids in caramelizing a golden-brown crust, which would otherwise be absent in a slow-processed dough.

Diastatic malt also promotes browning and improves the flavor and texture of your crust.

After it’s dried or heated, the malt is ground into malt powder. Do be aware that some flour already has malt powder added to it. If you’re unsure whether there’s any malt in the flour already, there probably isn’t, but you should be able to tell by the time you’re done mixing the dough.

What is the Difference Between Diastatic vs. Non-Diastatic Malt Powder?

For baking purposes, diastatic malt powder is sprouted grains used to feed yeast and bread, giving it a stronger rise. Non-diastatic is used as a sweetener and not to feed the yeast.  Since it is sugar, you still will have the browning of the dough, but the structure of the crust may not be as strong.

Remember that less expensive flour usually doesn’t contain any malt. You can also tell by looking at how many air bubbles you see form while your dough is resting. More malt will produce more air bubbles.

How Much Diastatic Malt Powder You Should Use for Pizza

We recommend using 2% of Diastactic Malt for the total flour weight.

For example, if you use 500g of flour, you would have to add 10g of Diastatic Malt. In short, weigh your flour and multiply the result by .02. If you don’t have a scale, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per 3 cups of flour.

Diastatic Malt and Baker’s Percentage Method (Hydration)

An important consideration when you weigh your ingredients and use malt. The malt will add to the total weight of the flour. 

To keep the dough’s hydration at your desired level, you need to account for the malt you added to the flour. 

For example, our base recipe calls for 500g of pizza flour at 65% hydration or 325g of water. But if you add 10g of malt to the mix, you now have 510g of total flour weight. 

So, to calculate the hydration, you must multiply your hydration factor by the total weight of the flour. 

In this case, 510 x .65 = 332 g of water.  

Is it going to make a difference?  Most certainly!

That can make the difference between having a dry or a moist crust.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of weighing your ingredients, you can use ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per 3 cups of flour.

Diastatic Malt Powder in Pizza

With so many pizza styles to choose from, you may be wondering about the best kind to choose when using diastatic malt in pizza making.

We prefer to use it with Chicago-style deep dish pizza or any of its variants.

Also, it gives exceptionally sound results when making a dessert pizza. With more rise in your dough, your pizza will be better able to hold all those delicious layers of meat, cheese, sauce, and veggies!

Also, non-diastatic malt can turn your crust a reddish color or give it a flavor like that of candy, a taste like malted milk balls. And while malted milk balls are good on their own, they’re probably now what you’re looking for unless you’re making a dessert pizza.

Where to Find Diastatic Malt Powder

Diastatic malt is readily available in bakery supplies stores, or you can get it online.  Here are our favorites which you can get on Amazon.

Do You Want to Try Non-Diastatic Malt Powder?

If you are interested in trying out non-diastatic malt powder to see if you find any difference in your baking, here is what we recommend.

How to Store Diastatic Malt Powder

Now that you know how to use diastatic malt powder in baking let’s consider other considerations.

You’ll want to be sure to store your diastatic malt powder at temperatures below 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If possible, you’ll want to refrigerate it since the enzymes can go bad after a while. It should have an expiration date, but its shelf life is generally comparable to flour.

If necessary, you can freeze diastatic malt powder, which will work just as well once it has thawed.

However, it is hygroscopic (meaning it retains moisture well), so if you’ve got a large bag of it, you can freeze it with no problem.

Diastatic Malt Powder Products and Substitutes

If you cannot find any diastatic malt powder in stores in your area, you could try using diastatic malt syrup instead.

This product might also be referred to as diastatic malt extract. It’s a liquid instead of a powder, and not all diastatic malt enzymes are present in diastatic malt extract, but the most thermostable ones are.

Luckily, it’s those thermostable enzymes that are the most important.

Alternatively, you could try ordering some diastatic malt from our link below.

Additional Resources on Dough Enhancers

The Last Slice

We hope this has been an informative experience for you. With this, you should better understand diastatic malt powder and how it can be used in your next baking endeavor.

There are many factors to consider, but the practice is the best way to improve your pizza baking skills.

Knowledge of the ingredients you use and the chemical processes that occur throughout the process is always helpful, even necessary sometimes.

Still, nothing will ultimately replace doing the thing and seeing the results yourself.

And don’t forget to be creative and have fun with it!

Baking pizza may be a science, but it’s also an art.

Ultimately, you should follow your vision and see where it leads you. You may be surprised by how well it turns out.

Thank you for spending your time here with us today.

We’d love to know more about your techniques. What kind of pizza have you made lately, and how did it turn out?

Did you use any unusual ingredients or try anything new?

Let us know in the comments down below!

Enjoy!

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