Good News for Diabetics and Hypoglycemics

Disclaimer: I do not have diabetes or hypoglycemia however, I found this to be a great idea for food storage options! So, read on even if you are extremely healthy...

My friend was asking me the other day if I had ever heard of or tried diastatic malt.

My response? Nope... never have heard of it, let alone tried it! What is it? What do you do with it?

I know, you are asking the same thing, right? Well, let me tell you a little bit about it - what little bit I have learned thus far.

According to a well-known book "Set for Life" by Jane P. Merrill and Karen M. Sunderland, "diastatic malt is barley or other grain soaked in water and spread until it sprouts, then dried and aged. It has a sweet taste."

Diastatic malt is a natural sweetener that completely takes the place of sugar in breads while still accomplishing the same purposes as sugar.

Use 1-2 cups whole wheat
3 cups lukewarm water

Now, these instructions come from Merrill and Sunderland's book "Set for Life." I have heard lots of good things about this book and it would definitely be worth owning. (Sorry for the lack of a picture, but for the whole book - you can get it here):



As I was saying, you sprout your wheat in a quart jar, (soak for 24 hours, drain well and use a sprouter. Cover with a cloth. Rinse and drain your wheat at least 2 times a day until your sprout is just longer than the seed. Should take about 48 hours.

For diabetics, SPROUT SPELT, for a lower glycemic load! According to NutritionData.com, Cooked Spelt has an estimated glycemic load of 21. Which is relatively low compared to wheat which ranges from 63-75 in the whole grains. (You can look up more specific foods on your own.)
I'm sure sprouted spelt is a little different - but still easier on your body to digest.

After sprouting, dry your sprouted grain - either in the food dryer or in the oven (at about 150 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, until thoroughly dry.)

After it is dry, place your dried sprouted wheat in a blender and blend it on high for about 30-45 seconds or until it has a fine meal consistency.

You can store diastatic malt in the fridge or freezer in a tightly closed glass jar. It will keep indefinitely.

You can reduce the amount of sweetener in the recipe or replace the sugar with this diastatic malt using 1 teaspoon of malt for each 2 loaves of bread or every 5 cups of flour. You can also use it as a natural sweetener on cereal or in other baked items.

Good luck! I hope this opens new options for you if you miss eating bread because of diabetes or hypoglycemia. Or if you happen to run out of expensive sugar - you could use this as a backup option.