The process of malting barley involves soaking the grains in water to encourage sprouting. This activates enzymes that break down the starches in the barley, which are then converted into fermentable sugars. These sugars are essential for the brewing process.
- Option (2) "Roasting the grains at high temperature" is incorrect. Roasting is typically done later in the process to develop flavor, not during malting.
- Option (3) "Fermenting the grains with yeast" is incorrect. Fermentation happens after malting, where yeast is used to convert sugars into alcohol.
- Option (4) "Grinding the grains into flour" is incorrect. Grinding is not part of the malting process and occurs later when the malt is used in brewing or baking.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Sprouting the barley grains to activate enzymes" (Option 1).