Malt, Maltose, Barley Malt Syrup – What’s Best for Bagels?

Many bagel recipes (including my own Montreal-style bagels) call for one or another form of malt, but what exactly is malt, and what is the difference between malt extract, diastatic malt, malt syrup, and maltose?

In short:

  • Malt extract: Can come in liquid or powder form. Can be diastatic or non-diastatic.
  • Diastatic malt: Malt with active enzymes, most commonly found in powdered form.
  • Malt syrup: Refers to barley malt syrup, a thick brown syrup made from barley. Barley malt syrup is most often non-diastatic (no active enzymes).
  • Maltose: a type of sugar found in barley malt syrup as well as other syrups such as brown rice syrup, Chinese maltose, and high-maltose corn syrup in varying amounts.

A jar of malt syrup in front of some bagels.

What is malt extract?

Some bagel recipes might call for “malt” or “malt extract” without further specification. What exactly are they referring to?

If the malt goes into the dough, the recipe likely refers to diastatic malt. If the malt is for boiling, it likely refers to malt syrup.

For bagel and bread doughs, diastatic malt is widely considered to be the best kind of “malt” to use. Diastatic malt is made from barley and most often comes in powder form. It can alter the taste and texture of bread.

The difference between diastatic malt and non-diastatic malt is in the way they are processed. Diastatic malt is processed at lower temperatures, which leaves active enzymes intact. These enzymes change starch into sugars, which helps with caramelization and flavor in bread. The enzyme activity also contributes to a faster rise because it creates more sugar (food) for yeast.

To be clear, diastatic malt powder is not the same as malted milk powder.

Where to get malt extract or diastatic malt?

In Canada, reasonably priced diastatic malt is extremely hard to source. You will have to buy diastatic malt from specialty retailers or online.  Take care to read the ingredients list to ensure that the product is indeed diastatic malt (made from barley or wheat) and not malted milk.

If you live in the US, King Arthur sells their own brand of diastatic malt powder.

Malt extract that is non-diastatic can be found online or at brewery supply stores.

Barley malt syrup (also non-diastatic) can be found at health food stores.

What to use instead of diastatic malt for baking?

First, diastatic malt may be omitted altogether from most recipes without terrible consequence. The function of diastatic malt is to provide active enzymes which breaks down carbohydrates into maltose. However, many flours may already contain some degree of these enzymes.

Second, the effect of diastatic malt can be replicated with the addition of maltose. Maltose can be found in various sources, such as barley malt syrup, Chinese maltose or brown rice syrup, and high-maltose corn syrup. A more common pantry ingredient which contains maltose is honey, which consists of 8% maltose.

What is maltose?

Chemically, maltose is a disaccharide composed of two glucose units. Importantly, maltose is a reducing sugar, which means that it aids with browning and caramelization during baking due to the Maillard reaction. (Note that table sugar – sucrose – is not a reducing sugar).

Where to find high concentrations of maltose?

The most accessible syrups with high concentrations of maltose are barley malt syrup, Chinese maltose, and brown rice syrup. (While maltose can be found in higher concentration in pure malt syrup or high-maltose corn syrup, these ingredients are less commonly available at grocery stores.)

  • Barley malt syrup: Barley malt syrup contains 65% maltose and is made from sprouted barley and water. Barley malt syrup is non-diastatic.
  • Chinese maltose (mai ya tang): Although labeled as maltose, is equivalent to malted brown rice syrup. Chinese maltose is made from rice and malt and consists of 65-85% maltose. Since the production of brown rice syrup involves boiling and evaporation, it is also non-diastatic as any active enzymes would be denatured in the production process.

Barley malt syrup and brown rice syrup can be found in health food stores. Chinese maltose (mài yá táng 麦芽糖) and Korean brown rice syrup (jocheong 조청) can be found in Asian supermarkets as well as Chinese and Korean supermarkets.

A jar of barley malt syrup next to a container of Chinese maltose.

The difference between glucose, fructose, and maltose in baking

Different types of sugars

There are so many types of sweeteners that can be used in baking. Most sweeteners are composed of glucose and fructose in varying degrees. For instance, honey is composed of around 40% fructose and 35% glucose.

Glucose and fructose are both monosaccharides. Monosaccharides are also known as simple sugars and are the building blocks for carbohydrates.

(Note on terminology: Glucose is also known as dextrose. Fructose is also known as levulose.)

Maltose is a disaccharide, composing of two glucose molecules linked together. Table sugar, also known as sucrose, is also a disaccharide with one fructose and one glucose molecule.

Moisture, yeast, caramelization

All sugars are hygroscopic, which means that they attract and bond to moisture.

While different types of sugars have varying levels of hygroscopicity, the amount of added maltose or malt in a typical bagel recipe is so low that omitting or replacing the maltose should not have a significant effect on the moisture level of the final bagels.

Unlike glucose and fructose, which is used by yeast early on, maltose is fermented by yeast at a later stage.

Maltose, glucose and fructose are reducing sugars. As noted above, reducing sugars may help with browning. Other syrups such as honey or molasses also contain high amounts of reducing sugars.

What is barley malt syrup?

Barley malt syrup is the most commonly used syrup in place of “malt”. How does it affect bagels and is it actually worth getting?

A close up of a tray of sesame bagels

Barley malt syrup – how does it affect baking?

Since barley malt syrup is non-diastatic, it does not add active enzymes into a dough. Therefore, the only reasons to add barley malt syrup would be for taste (giving a “malty” flavor) and to increase the amount of maltose in a dough.

I tested my bagel recipe with and without barley malt syrup. Barley malt syrup added a very subtle malty taste to the bagels. However, the effect was extremely subtle. I was overall underwhelmed with the addition of barley malt syrup.

If barley malt syrup is added to increase maltose content, that means other syrups with high maltose content can be substituted instead (see above on high-maltose syrups).

Barley malt syrup – is it worth getting?

In my opinion, barley malt syrup is not worth buying. I recommend getting Chinese maltose or Korean brown rice syrup instead.

If you exclusively make bagels, barley malt syrup may be the better option due to flavor. However, Chinese maltose and brown rice syrup are more versatile ingredients for the home cook.

Chinese maltose and brown rice syrup have a more neutral taste and better shelf life than barley malt syrup.

Chinese maltose can be used in various Chinese recipes such as char siu (roast pork) and tang hu lu (candied fruit sticks). Chinese maltose syrup can also be used as a glaze for cookies and bars. Once baked, the maltose hardens into a crunchy layer that binds seeds and nuts very well. Brown rice syrup has similar uses in Korean cuisine (both savory and sweet) and can be used as a common sweetener as well as a glazing agent.

Barley malt syrup versus Chinese maltose/brown rice syrup

Cost: Barley malt syrup is more than double the cost of Chinese maltose.

Chinese maltose is the most economical option. One container of Chinese maltose will be under 5 dollars. While barley malt syrup is easier to source and cheaper than diastatic malt, barley malt syrup is still relatively expensive. One jar of barley malt syrup cost me over 13 dollars (CAD) excluding tax (in 2024).

In general, buying Chinese maltose and Korean brown rice syrup at Asian grocery stores will be cheaper than buying barley malt syrup or brown rice syrup at health food stores or places like Whole Foods.

Taste: Barley malt syrup has a wheaty or malty taste. Chinese maltose and brown rice syrup taste neutral.

Chinese maltose is less sweet than barley malt syrup, which tastes very similar to molasses, but with a “malty” aftertaste. I find the “malty” taste to be absent from Chinese maltose, which is very neutral tasting.

For bagels, Barley malt syrup wins out for “malty” taste.

Maltose content: Chinese maltose can have higher maltose levels.

Barley malt syrup and Chinese maltose have similar maltose content (around 65%). However, in some cases, Chinese maltose can have a much higher maltose content (up to 85%).

Shelf life: Chinese maltose has better shelf life than barley malt syrup.

Barley malt syrup should be stored in the refrigerator once opened.

Chinese maltose should be stored in a cool and dark place. Chinese maltose and brown rice syrup does not need to be stored in the fridge.

Although there may be a best before date on your Chinese maltose container, I can tell you from experience that Chinese maltose, like honey and other sugars, lasts forever.

With age, Chinese maltose may harden and become difficult to scoop. This is easily fixed by microwaving for a short amount and/or dissolving the hardened maltose with hot water.

Once dissolved, this thinned out maltose can be used immediately. Any excess can be kept in a container and stored in the fridge for future use. However, I recommend using thinned out maltose syrup relatively quickly because the shelf life is no longer stable since water and potential contaminants have been introduced.

Other alternatives to malt and barley malt syrup

  • Molasses: Barley malt syrup resembles molasses in both color and taste. Barley malt syrup tastes a lot like molasses but with extra wheat flavor.
  • Honey: Has a high amount of reducing sugars, which help with caramelization
  • Maple syrup/agave/other vegan sweetener: Most naturally derived syrups have good amounts of reducing sugars.

Subscribe to my newsletter

(Sporadic) updates on new posts and recipes sent straight to your inbox.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

×