Types of Wheat and Its Flours

The following types of wheat are classified basedjust to distinguish the bread from those made
primarily on color, hardness of the kernel, andfrom other types of grains.
time of year the wheat is planted.Breads made from whole wheat flour should
- Hard red winternormally have "whole" or "100 percent whole"
- Soft red winterbefore the term "wheat bread".
- Hard red springCompared to whole wheat flour, white flour
- Hard white- Has a longer shelf life
- Soft white- Contains more gluten proteins per weight
- Durum- Is more digestible
Generally, flours that are milled from hard wheatTo produce whole wheat flour, the entire wheat
have high quality gluten and are considered strong.kernels that include the fibrous bran, nutritious and
Due to the difference in quality among manyfatty embryo or germ, and the starchy
types of wheat, millers typically blend flours toendosperm are ground uniformly.
achieve a consistent product time after time.Although whole wheat flour and graham flour are
Readily available to most home bakers, all purposeoften used interchangeably, there is a minor
flour is actually a blend of hard and soft wheatphysical difference. In the milling of graham flour,
flours.the outermost part of the wheat berries(bran) is
Regardless of the type of wheat, milling thenot as finely ground as the germ and endosperm.
endosperm of wheat berries or kernels yieldsFinally, all flours tend to lose moisture during
white flour. This process also removes so muchstorage. Moisture content also varies by brands
natural nutrients and vitamins that subsequentand seasons. Therefore, as home bakers of
enrichment can never completely replace them.breads, cakes, and cookies, we may sometimes
Therefore, enriched white bread is by no meansneed to adjust the amount of flour used in a
nutritionally equal to whole wheat bread.particular recipe. This is to maintain a desirable
In addition, "wheat bread" on the label does notflour to liquid ratio.
mean that it is made from whole wheat flour. It is