Roasting Malt at Home

Ingredients
1

I’m about to embark on very unfamiliar territory. I’m about to roast red wheat malt at home!! Why? Cuz I have a recipe that calls for 10 oz. of “Carawheat (50.0 SRM)” and i searched everywhere using every iteration of the word with zero success.

So i sought help from AI and his is what it provided:

" Timed oven schedule for 12 oz (0.75 lb) — step by step

Prep (0 min)

*** Use malted wheat (whole kernels). Clean and sort.**

Step 1 — Soak / convert (0–120 min)

*** Heat water to 150 °F (65 °C). Soak kernels fully submerged for 90–120 minutes to gelatinize starches and allow internal conversion (this creates crystal/caramel character). Stir occasionally.**

Step 2 — Drain and arrange (120–130 min)

*** Drain well; spread ~2 in (5 cm) depth in a covered roasting pan (lid or foil) to keep moisture for internal caramelization. Preheat oven to 180 °F (82 °C).**

Step 3 — Low‑temp roast (130–220 min)

*** Roast covered at 180 °F for 90 minutes, stirring every 20–30 minutes to even color. This encourages Maillard reactions and internal caramelization without charring.**

Step 4 — Darken gradually (220–280+ min)

*** Increase oven to 220 °F (105 °C) and roast uncovered for 30–60 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes. Check color by cracking a kernel — the interior color is the true guide. If still too light, raise to 250–300 °F for 5–15 minute bursts, watching closely to avoid burnt/astringent notes. Sources warn higher temps shorten the window and risk off‑flavors.**

Step 5 — Cool and cure

Cool quickly on a tray, then store in a paper bag or breathable container for 1–2 weeks to let harsh volatiles mellow. Do not use immediately."

So, If anyone has any experience with roasting malts at home and would like to share info., I’m all ears!

Cheers!

2

I think it would be more complicated than what you proposed. Carawheat is like a crystal or caramel malt. The process used involves starting with malted wheat and steeping the wheat at a temperature to activate enzymes and convert starches to sugar before roasting it.

If you roast unmalted wheat, it will provide some color and flavor, but it would not be very similar to Carawheat.

I would think a 45 degree lovibond crystal malt would taste more like Carawheat than roasted unmalted wheat.

1 Like
3

My apologies, the steps you pulled from ai seem to include everything I said already (I scanned your post too quickly).

4

I have no experience with soaking the malt first, but I have roasted Corn Malt on three separate occasions for a Mexican Lager.

325°F for 30 minutes (2023) - 16oz - 16% of the grain bill
325°F for 40 minutes (2024) - 24oz - 24% of the grain bill
350°F for 45 minutes (2025) - 24oz - 24% of the grain bill

All three occasions, my kitchen smelled just like popcorn!

I didn’t find the extra time or temperature to have much (if any) effect on the finished beer. The toasting did add a smidge of color and some malty depth and certainly removed any corn sweetness from the taste. All three finished beers were different levels of tasty with the biggest difference between them being the yeast I used.
Next time I make that beer, I may give the “soaking” a try. I bet that would really show in the end. Or, maybe I won’t mess with the Corn Malt at all and see what this beer would taste like without any extra effort. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

More notes and pix here: Mexican Street Corn Lager | The Biergarten

Good luck! I will be following along.

5

Cara malts are made with green, unkilned grain.