Name: Malt Extract
Ingredients: 100 parts coarsely powdered malt; 500 parts water

Malt Extract

Ingredients

100 parts coarsely powdered malt
500 parts water

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 131°F (55°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare the mash

Combine 100 parts of coarsely powdered malt with 100 parts of water in a suitable vessel.
Let the mixture macerate for 6 hours.
Add 400 parts of water heated to about 86°F (30°C).

Digest and strain

Digest the mixture for 1 hour at a temperature not exceeding 131°F (55°C).
Strain the mixture with strong pressure.

Concentrate and store

Evaporate the strained liquid rapidly to a thick honey consistency at a temperature not exceeding 131°F (55°C) using a water bath or vacuum apparatus.
Store the product in well-closed vessels in a cool place.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Malt: Supplies enzymes that break starch into sugars, giving the extract its sweetness and body.
Water: Hydrates the malt so its enzymes can work and dissolves the sugars released.

The step that matters

Digest at no more than 131°F (55°C). Malt enzymes that convert starch to sugar work well at moderate temperatures but lose activity when overheated. Keeping the mixture at or below 131°F (55°C) during digestion and evaporation preserves enzyme function and prevents the sugars from scorching or darkening.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.