A flawless malt loaf, malt ice cream & a milkshake

Malt extract is a product of the brewing industry derived from barley and is for a certain generation always associated with a daily dose cod liver oil. If you can get over that memory then malt extract is a delicious addition to your everyday baking (I used to sneak the odd taste of it when I got the chance). I’m not sure it is as good for you as it was made out to be but it is full of complex sugars and contains small amounts of both vitamin A and riboflavin. Its rich, sweet flavour does makes it a great addition for baked goods and very versatile. It is an under-utilised ingredient so, I asked Vanessa, our in-house baker, to come up with a trio of recipes to show it off: malt loaf, malty milkshake and a malted ice-cream.

I was standing in the supermarket aisle looking for liquid malt extract when I happened to spot another person scouring the shelves. We got chatting, and it turns out we were both looking for liquid malt extract. There wasn’t any, and we were told by the sales assistant it was delisted. I’d already been to two shops with no luck, as had the chap I was chatting to as well. How frustrating we both agreed. You might find it in the chemists he suggested.... so I tried there, and the assistant looked at me as though I was a little mad. In the end I decided it might well be easier to get Patrick to list it here on the BakeryBits site, so here it is and now all I have to do is click and it arrives. No fuss, no drama and no one looking at me as though I am slightly odd, so here is my recipe for flawless malt loaf, a malted milk shake and malt ice-cream - I love this one... I use the bread tin to set the ice-cream in then warm it slightly before taking it out and slicing to serve.

A Flawless Malt Loaf

Introduction: Malting is as old as brewing and bread making. Grains of barley are germinated and then stopped in their tracks by a blast of hot air. Malt extract is a treacly, sweet liquid made from extract of mashed barley grains, which add a unique malty flavour to all sorts of recipes. This moreish extract delivers notes of rye, treacle and hops and is reminiscent of Horlicks and traditionally brewed beers - meaning it’s utterly irresistible and packs a real flavour punch. This particular loaf is easy to make and tastes even better the next day. I like to serve it with plenty of cold, salted butter and I make no apologies for that – it is lovely!

Method:

Stir together the tea, sultanas, malt extract, treacle and sugar in a large bowl. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.

Grease and flour a USA Pan heavy-duty 2lb bread tin and pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

Mix together the flours, baking powder and salt, then stir into the mixture and mix with a wooden spoon to make a soft batter. There’s no need to mix it too much, just enough to bring the mixture together.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for one hour, then test to see if it is baked all the way through by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean then it is ready.

Once removed from the oven, gently warm a tablespoon of malt extract and brush over the top of the loaf, leave to cool in the tin. Store in an airtight container.

Makes: One large loaf

Ingredients:

150g cold black tea 200g sultanas 100g malt extract, plus a tablespoon to glaze 1 large tbsp treacle 50g dark muscavado sugar 125g Stoates plain white flour 125g Stoates wholemeal flour 4 level tsp organic baking powder 4g sea salt Extra butter & a little flour to grease tin with

Equipment:

Large mixing bowls USA Pan Heavy-Duty 2lb Bread tin

Malt Ice cream

Method:

Pop the double cream, milk and egg yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy-based saucepan over a double boiler or bain-marie (glass bowl in a saucepan of water) and stir over a gentle heat do not allow the water to contact with the bowl.

Keep stirring until the custard thickens. This can take 20 – 25 minutes. When the custard easily coats the back of a spoon, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yoghurt. Allow to cool.

If you have one, transfer into an ice-cream maker, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make the ice cream. Otherwise, transfer to a freezable container and pop into the freezer. Remove and stir half-hourly until too thick to stir easily, return to the freezer.

Serves: 8

Makes: Enough to fill a 2lb loaf pan Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

280g double cream 400g full fat milk 5 free range egg yolks 75g caster sugar a pinch of sea salt 200g yoghurt 5 tbsp malt extract

Equipment:

Heavy based saucepan Ice cream maker USA Pan Heavy-Duty 2lb bread tin

Malted Chocolate Milkshake

Method:

Whiz all the ingredients up in a blender. Serve immediately.

Makes: 1 large or 2 small glasses

Ingredients:

4 scoops malted ice-cream or vanilla ice cream 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 – 3 tbsp Malt extract 150g whole milk

Equipment:

Heavy based saucepan Ice cream maker USA Pan Heavy-Duty 2lb bread tin

Malt Extract

An extract of organic barley and organic malted barley containing a complex mix of carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins.

Stoates Flour

Organic, strong, stone ground spelt flour. The miller leaves the husk (hard outer layer) of the grain on right up until the start of the milling process. This keeps vital nutrients locked in and maintains the freshness of the grain which contributes to its delicious flavour.