Using Cotswold Crunch In Elaine's Master Recipe
Elaine "Foodbod" Boddy is back with a detailed explainer for using our famous Cotswold Crunch Flour in her Sourdough Master Recipe! Watch the full video now below, and get the ingredient amounts here too. There's also an explainer on what makes Malted Wheat Flour so special for breadmaking from our inhouse pro baker, Sophie Carey.
Find the steps of Elaine's Master Recipe here.
What Makes Malted Flour So Special For Bread Dough?
Matthew's pro-baking expert, Sophie Carey, explains why malted wheat flours like Cotswold Crunch, are great for baking bread:
"The process of malting a grain gives it a much deeper and more distinctive flavour. This malt grain can be milled into a flour and used in bread baking for a few different purposes, but there are also two main types of malt flour.
"Active malt flour – This is added to most dough improvers for functionality over taste. It makes up for any shortfall in alpha-amylase which is the enzyme activity of the flour, making a more consistent product. This version also helps to boost yeast activity during fermentation (also known as diastatic malt).
"Inactive malt flour – this is what you see added to Cotswold Crunch for it’s flavour and texture benefits. Adds sweetness naturally, and is added at a much higher level than active or diastatic malt. The reason inactive malt flour can make a dough stickier is that it produces a higher level of dextrin which means the dough ‘attracts’ more moisture.
"This gives the end result of a really soft and moist crumb, but it can make a stickier dough to work with. (also known as non-diastatic malt). It’s similar in a way to adding sugar to your doughs – you’d get a stickier end result but a softer crumb."
