Barley malt syrup
Hordeum vulgare · Sweetener
Top 10 pairings
Barley malt syrup — also sold as malt extract or malt syrup — is a thick, dark-amber to near-black sweetener made by sprouting barley, mashing it to convert its starch into sugars, and boiling the sweet wort down to a glossy, slow-pouring syrup. Deeply malty, faintly bitter and only about half as sweet as sugar, it is the classic sweetener and crust-browning agent for bagels, bialys and dark rustic breads, and a staple of macrobiotic and natural-foods cooking.
Picking a good onedrag
Glossy, dark, slow-pouring maltFizzing, fuzzy, beery
Open and in useEveryday bestThe working jar: dark rustic loaves, pretzels and rye. It feeds the yeast, browns the crust and adds malt, all in the one spoonful.
Colour and the pourJust as dark but stiffer - it has to be coaxed off, not poured
Smell at the open jarMalty and sweet but quieter, the roast faded well back
The jar, lid and sealOpen and in use: a dried sticky trickle down the outside
Read the labelMalt syrup, malt extract, barley malt extract - all the same syrup