Malted-grain rolls

Finally my phoneline has been installed and my broadband is up and running. Not only that, but spring has made a late appearance and I’ve spent considerably less time this last week trying to thaw out my extremities.

I made a batch of rolls with Doves Farm‘s Malthouse flour one evening and really noticed the difference the rise in temperature made, nearly over-proving them. Flour containing flakes of malted wheat was popularised by the milling and baking giant Hovis with their Granary flour-blend. Malting is an age-old process that involves encouraging cereal grains – most often barley, but wheat,  rye and other grains can be used – to start sprouting before halting the development of the seed by drying it. During germination, enzymes in each grain begin to break down the starch content into simpler sugars such as maltose, unlocking the supply of energy that the germ will need to develop into a new plant. By interrupting germination, malting makes these sugars available for use in brewing, baking, dietary supplements and fortified drinks.

Malted grains give Granary flour a nutty sweetness and crunch in bread. The name is misleading though: a granary is a building used to store grain, whereas malting is carried out in a maltings. East Anglia, where I live, is one of the UK’s main malt-producing regions, and the distinctive architecture of the traditional maltings can be seen across the area. Benjamin Britten’s famous concert-hall at Snape on the Suffolk coast is built inside a particularly fine ex-maltings in a dramatic situation on the edge of the River Alde.

Granary is a registered trademark, but many other millers have their own proprietary blends of flour made with malted grains, all of them broadly similar. The Doves Farm blend I used contains rye flour as well as flaked grains of malted wheat and is, like most of their products, organic.

I don’t often used malted-grain flour as I find the flavour can be a bit cloying. Having said that, it’s a great counterpoint to acidic cheeses and pickles. I paired my rolls with a strong smoked Cheddar, but a Caerphilly or Wensleydale would probably be even better.