Window to the Sky Organic Barley Malt - Window to the Sky Vivibio

An exceptional sweetener with an excellent nutritional profile!

La Finestra sul Cielo Vivibio's Organic Barley Malt is a honey-like syrup made by cooking germinated barley flour in water. Cooking initiates a natural process called splitting (digestion), which transforms the starch contained in the grain into simpler, sweeter sugars (primarily dextrins and maltose). The enzymes (amylases) naturally present in the grain are the same ones our body uses to absorb grain starch. Malt is an exceptional sweetener, characterized by an excellent nutritional profile, far superior to that of white sugar. Malt contains proteins, minerals, vitamins, and traces of unsaturated fats (the best ones): the same nutrients that are typically removed from sugar and refined sweeteners. Many seek an alternative sweetener to sugar with identical sweetening power, but it is difficult to replicate the intrinsic characteristics of any sweetener. Malt's sweetening power, compared to sugar, ranges between 55 and 65%. This is due to two reasons: first, it contains about 20% water compared to sugar; second, sucrose is much sweeter than dextrins and maltose (the sugars contained in malt). It's excellent spread on bread, used in desserts and custards, but it can also be used in baked goods to boost yeast activity and improve the flavor, aroma, and color of the crust.