brianpablo
Well-Known Member
I've tried a few times to malt popcorn and they've all gone terribly wrong, always ending with some dank-smelling mold growing on them. The last time I tried it, I hadn't even gotten through the soaking phase and the stuff already had a cheese like smell to it. I had pasteurized the water I used to soak it, which indicates to me that there's something alive in or on the popcorn. I've tried roasting it at around 150F, but not sure if this is the right temperature. If it's not hot enough, I won't kill off whatever's in there. Too hot and I'll denature the enzymes. I suppose 150 shouldn't be too hot as that's in the strike zone for mashing, but not sure if we're talking about the same enzymes. Is there such a thing as "pasteurizing" popcorn?
Any thoughts? It would be fun to work this out, given that every time I've tried I ended up with dank-smelling shoots that have hair-like follicles growing off them and a pinkish tinge that spreads onto the grain.
Any thoughts? It would be fun to work this out, given that every time I've tried I ended up with dank-smelling shoots that have hair-like follicles growing off them and a pinkish tinge that spreads onto the grain.