Flour

There are six different classes of wheat. They include Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Soft Red Winter, Hard White, Soft White, and Durum. The end products of each are determined by the wheat’s characteristics, especially protein and gluten content. For example, the harder the wheat, the higher the protein content in the flour. Soft, low protein wheat is used in cakes, pastries, cookies, crackers and Oriental noodles, and hard, high protein wheat is used in breads and quick breads. Durum, the hardest wheat, is used in pasta and egg noodles. When the whole kernel is ground together, whole-wheat flour is made. When the bran or outside layer is removed, you have white flour. From 1 bushel of wheat, about 45 lbs. of flour is produced.