Friday, April 16, 2010

How do I make my bread taste sweet with out sugar?

Good question don't you think? When you think about it, do you really think the pioneers used sugar as much as we do? If they did, they would have needed 2 or 3 wagons just for sugar for their families!!  We American's eat so much sugar it is sickening.. TRULY!  We should only take in about 5 tsp. of sugar maximum a day. This is just the kind you add, not the naturally occuring sugars in fruits and veggies. So, are you using margarine on your store bought bread you turned into toast? The amount of sugar in your storebought bread and 2 to 4 teaspoons of margarine is enough sugar for 1 1/2 days! Again, margarine is not permitted in our home, we use butter. When out of butter, I know it may seem gross, but I go back to my quaker heritage and use bacon drippings (lard) by browing my bread in that to use as toast.

Ok, so how to make bread with out using a ton of sugar. Honestly, you don't really need to add sugar to your bread. You don't need it to make bread. BUT, our palates have gotten so used to too much sugar, that you wouldn't eat bread with out it in there. So here it is.. ready..

You're in luck because you can do what the Europeans have been doing for years. Sweeten  your bread with diastatic malt -- a malt you can make yourself at home! Diastatic malt adds a little extra flavor that is really appealing, it also helps bread stay fresher longer.
In order to make the malt, place one cup of wheat grains (wheat-berries) in a wide-mouth glass jar with a netting cover (I use old nylons or tights). Rinse the berries twice a day to keep them damp. Leave the jar on your counter or windowsill until the wheat has sprouted to the lenght of the dry berry, or a little longer. It should take about 2 to 3 days. At this point, drain the sprouts well and spread them out evenly in a thin layers on two baking sheets. You can dry them in your oven in about 8 hours at a maximum temperature of 150 degrees F.  OR use your excalibur dehydrator and set it for a low to medium temp like 100 to 125 degrees F.
Using a blender or grain mill, grind the dried sprouts into a fine meal, (one cup at a time in the blender). This will make enough diastatic malt for about 100 to 150 loaves. Use about ONE teaspoon per loaf when making your dough. Store the malt indefinetly in a tightly closed glass jar in the fridge or freezer. Not necessary to warm to room temp to use.
I substitute the sugar or honey with equal amounts water and one-half teaspoon of malt per loaf.  (water is for the honey).

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