What Is Barley Malt Sweetener?

Barley malt is a natural sweetener that can be used in place of refined sugar, corn syrup or molasses in cooking and baking. The most common type of barley malt sweetener is 60 percent barley and 40 percent corn malt.

Types

The main sugar found in barley malt is maltose. Barley malt sweeteners are sold as pure barley malt or sold in combination with corn malt or rice malt.

Features

Barley malt is made by adding sprouted barley powder to water, and then adding more barley. The mixture is boiled until it becomes syrup. Barely malt is easy to digest because it is made from a whole food source that contains simple sugars.

Function

Slow digestive action causes slow release of the maltose molecules found in the barley malt throughout the body with no side effects.

Considerations

Liquid barley sweetener will decrease the liquid content of recipes by ¼ cup. If there is no liquid in the recipe, add 3 tsp. of flour per ¾ cup.

Warning

Barley malt is a carbohydrate and does have caloric value; diabetics should still use it in moderation and you should not use more to achieve greater sweetness.

References

• True Star Health: Natural Sweeteners

Resources

• Naturo Doc: Natural Sweeteners
• Sweet Savvy: Barley Malt Syrup