Baking & Snack - May 2004 - 113

FLOUR

WHEAT FLOUR FUNDAMENTALS
What could be more basic to baking than wheat and
wheat ﬂour?
Intentional cultivation of cereal grains probably
began in the Middle East. Archeologists, working in
the West Bank region at Jericho, the oldest existing
city in the world, uncovered a grain storage bin dated
to about 6000 B.C. Numerous other ﬁnds of wheat
and barley remains throughout the region range from
prior to that date to the beginning of recorded history.
Some of the earliest tomb murals in Egypt depict
the planting and harvesting of grain, and converting
it into bread. The conversion process includes
isolating the seed from the husks (threshing), grinding it (milling), wetting and mixing to make dough,
allowing some natural fermentation to occur and,
ﬁnally, baking. While each step has been reﬁned
over the centuries, the process still uses the same
starting materials to produce a foodstuff that is widely
consumed and enjoyed.
WHEAT
Wheat, like other cereal grains, is a grass belonging to the family Graminae and comprises the
genus Triticum. A cross between wild einkorn (T.
aegilopoides) and an unknown wild grass produced
cultivated einkorn (T. monococcum). Kernels of both
varieties, carbon-dated to 6700 B.C., were found
in excavations at Jarmo, a settlement located in the
fertile crescent around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Two other species, wild and cultivated emmer (T.
dicoccoides and T. dicoccum, respectively), have
been found in numerous Egyptian burial sites.
Fourteen different species of wheat are recognized
by plant biologists. Of these only three - common
wheat (T. aestivum), durum wheat (T. durum) and
club wheat (T. compactum) - account for more than
95% of all wheat grown in the world today. Common
wheat represents approximately 90% of all wheat
and includes most of the varieties: hard or soft, red or
white, winter or spring. Durum wheat is about 4% to
5% of total wheat crop and is used primarily for the
production of dry pasta goods. Club wheat, which
is very soft, accounts for only 1% to 2% of total
production and grows only in limited areas.
The wheat kernel consists of three parts: endosperm, about 83% of the kernel; bran, about 14.5%;
and germ, about 2.5%.
Endosperm is the source of white ﬂour. It
contains about 90% starch and protein, with the
rest being moisture and small amounts of lipid, ash
and pentosans.
Bran is high in vitamins, minerals and dietary ﬁber.
It is often considered as two separate components,
which occur in about equal parts. The pericarp is the
outer layer, consisting mainly of ﬁbrous materials,
such as tannins and cellulose. The aleurone is a
layer of cells adjacent to the endosperm, containing
roughly 16% ash, 19% protein and 9% lipid, with the
remainder being moisture and ﬁber.
Germ is the embryo part of the kernel and contains
much of the enzymes and lipids of the whole seed. It
contains about 25% protein and 10% lipid.
The difference between hard and soft wheat
resides in the endosperm, the starchy interior part of
the kernel. In soft wheat varieties, the starch granules
are less tightly bound to the protein matrix than in

hard wheats. This is apparently due to friabilin, a
small protein present in soft wheat.
Colored phenolic compounds in the bran coat create the color differences among wheat varieties. These
compounds also give a bitter taste. Whole white
wheat ﬂour has a blander ﬂavor than whole red wheat
ﬂour. This difference beneﬁts various whole-wheat
products such as bread, rolls and mufﬁns, where the
milder taste of the white wheat ﬂour is often more
acceptable to consumers.
Agronomic differences characterize winter and
spring wheat. Winter wheat is sown in the fall and
germinates, then goes dormant during the winter. It revives in spring and grows to maturity by mid-summer.
Spring wheat is planted in the spring and undergoes
the complete growth cycle to maturity during one
growing season. In North America, spring wheat
predominates in the northern tier of states (Minnesota,
the Dakotas and Montana) and in central Canada.
Winter wheat is grown in other parts of the United
States and eastern Canada. White wheat, both winter
and spring types, grows in roughly the same areas as
the corresponding red types.
WHEAT COMPOSITION
Wheat and wheat products comprise six components: moisture, carbohydrates, protein, lipids, ash
and ﬁber. Each is functional in some fashion in
baking. Due to nutritional implications, it is also
important to consider the vitamin content of wheat

and wheat products.
Moisture. Wheat moisture is both an economic
and a handling factor. Trading is done on the basis
of 14% moisture in the kernel. In other words, a
bushel of wheat weighing 60 lb is reckoned as containing 51.6 lb of dry matter. Excess moisture in the
wheat can be a quality detriment and a danger. Wet
wheat can begin to respire, generating heat that can
harm its quality for milling and baking purposes. In
extreme cases, heat generation can cause the grain
to begin burning.
By law, wheat ﬂour may not contain more than
14% moisture. The baker and supplier may, of course,
reach an agreement that ﬂour deliveries will have a

TYPICAL FLOUR SPECS
Flour

Protein

Ash

HRW bakers patent

10.8-11.2

0.50-0.52

HRS bakers patent

12.6-12.8

0.54-0.56

HRS high gluten

13.5-14.0

0.53-0.60

HRS clear

13.5-14.5

0.73-0.83

SRW cookie

8.3-9.0

0.46-0.48

SRW cracker

9.0-10.0

0.46-0.48

7.5-8.0

0.36-0.40

SRW cake

HRW: Hard red winter; HRS: Hard red spring; SRW: Soft red winter

SofTouch® Gravity-Fed Rotary Divider
Vertical path means low stress,
gentle handling for soft and stiff
doughs. Liquid cooled rollers
offer stable dough temperature
and pressure.

Accurist™ Ram & Knife Divider
Sustained, uncompromised accuracy. Can deliver
.09 oz (2.5 g) or better on 2 lb (800 g) loaves
over 10,000 hours.
For detailed information, we invite
you to call us or visit our website. 1.919.735.4570 * apvbaker.com
For more information, see Page 162

May 2004/ BAKERS PRODUCTION MANUAL / 113

http://www.apvbaker.com

Baking & Snack - May 2004

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