Baking&Snack - August 2011 - 44

NEW CROP

more economical, way to solve issues you may have. While you may not end up with a lower bowl cost for your product compared with the past year — thanks to the recent run-up in flour prices — there may be savings opportunities with lower ingredient levels or improved ingredient choices. CONSULT, COLLABORATE. Because the price of soft red winter (SRW) wheat is significantly discounted compared with hard red winter (HRW) wheat, you want to make sure you are getting a hard wheat flour blend and not a hard/ soft wheat blend. Economically, it makes sense — and cents — for grain buyers and blenders to take a hard look at a HRW/SRW blend. Grain-grading standards allow 5% wheat of other classes.

An experienced grain buyer told me that many people cannot tell the difference in a wheat sample until you reach 10% wheat of other classes, so keep an eye on things at the mixer and product quality sides. If mix, absorption and/or processing start to falter, pick up the phone and have a discussion with your flour supplier. Sometimes things happen that millers aren’t aware of until a customer calls. Keep the lines of communication open. One very honest miller described the 2011 crop transition as “seamless, other than pock-

ets of ‘Oh, shoot, how did this happen?’” (Not an exact quote, but the printable version.) Once again, just when you think all you need to worry about is price, there may be surprises along the way. But for the most part, the surprises this year should be on the positive side when it comes to wheat quality. With some i nv e s t i g at i o n , work and collaboration on the part of the R&D, quality, purchasing and operations departments, you should be able to continue to make the consistent, highquality baked goods you and your consumers expect. ◾

New Wheat Crop Shows Strong Baking Qualities
Initial assessments of new crop hard red winter wheat pointed to a crop with very good bread baking qualities. And the quality of the 2011 soft red winter wheat crop — whose flour will be used in the manufacture of cookies, crackers and specialty baked items — was at least as good if not better than that of last year. Each Friday during the harvest season, U.S. Wheat Associates, Arlington, VA, provides a weekly update on wheat quality. In its July 15 harvest report, the company indicated the crop exhibited good quality and above average protein content, based on 259 of an expected 530 samples of new crop hard red winter wheat. The average grade of the hard red winter wheat sampled to date was No. 1. To achieve that grade, test weight of wheat must be at least 60 lb per bu, and this year’s crop to date had an average test weight of 61.3 lb, compared with last year’s crop average test weight of 61 lb. Average protein of this year’s crop was running 13% vs. last year’s average of 11.8%. Typically, one would expect a crop average of around 12% protein. Wheat falling number was averaging 403 seconds, similar to last year’s crop average of 401 seconds. Results of baking tests conducted by millers and bakers pointed to very good baking quality. One miller said he expected his company to be able to source wheat with protein of 12.5 to 12.8% for the entire crop year, which was up a percentage point from last year. Mixing times are very good — not too short, not too long — the miller said. Absorption is better than last year, and loaf volume and texture were comparable with that of a year ago. It should be a third consecutive year of bread flour with exceptionally good quality, he said. Based on 343 of 350 expected samples, U.S. Wheat Associates indicated that new crop soft red winter wheat will average in grade as No. 2, the same as in 2010. Average test weight was 59.4 lb per bu compared with 58.4 lb last year. Average protein at 10.2% was similar to last year’s average of 10.3%. Falling number also was similar to last year at 331 seconds compared with 334 seconds in 2010. One miller commented the quality of this year’s soft red winter wheat crop was better than that of the crop harvested last year. Despite heavy moisture across portions of the Central states for much of the growing season, vomitoxin has not proved to be a significant problem. In years when vomitoxin is a problem, mills reject loads as necessary so only good-quality wheat is milled into flour. A greater supply of quality soft red winter wheat may have pricing ramifications. The spring wheat harvest was yet to begin as of press time, so no quality data for 2011 spring wheat were available. Some observers speculated that spring wheat protein may be lower than recent years because of ample moisture, resulting in less stress to the crop. Typically, a crop that encounters stress, especially from dryness or heat, exhibits higher average protein. — Jay Sjerven, senior editor, markets, Milling & Baking News

BAKING & SNACK / August 2011

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Baking&Snack - August 2011

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