Glossary entry

What is malt syrup?

Last updated June 13, 2026

A thick, dark, sweet syrup made by sprouting barley grains, then mashing, cooking, and concentrating the resulting sugary liquid. Two forms: diastatic (still contains active enzymes that break down starches, used to boost yeast activity in long-fermented doughs) and non-diastatic (cooked higher to deactivate enzymes — used purely for sweetness and color). In bread baking, malt syrup is mostly associated with NY-style bagels: it's added to both the dough (sweetness, deeper crust color) and the boiling water (gloss, signature flavor). King Arthur and Hodgson Mill are the most common US brands. Honey works as a flavor substitute in a pinch but loses the malty depth; brown sugar gives sweetness without the characteristic flavor.

Used in

1 recipe in the library

NY-Style Bagels

Related terms in the glossary

baking soda bath
A boiling water bath with baking soda dissolved in it, used to give pretzels their signature dark mahogany crust and chewy bite. Standard ratio is ½ cup baking soda per 8 cups water. Briefly simmering shaped pretzels in the alkaline bath (30 seconds per side) gelatinizes the surface starches, which produces the distinctive sheen and chew. The bath's alkalinity is the key — boiling water alone won't give pretzels their character. Boiling the baking soda for a few minutes before adding the pretzels increases the alkalinity (~10× more, as bicarbonate partially converts to sodium carbonate), producing even darker, more flavorful crusts. Commercial pretzel makers use food-grade lye (1-4%), which is much more alkaline still — baking soda is the safe home equivalent.

More baking terms in the full glossary, or browse the bread library to see recipes use these techniques in context.