Wheat Flours

Wheat is one of the world’s largest cereal grass crops, second only to rice. Its popularity as a flour is based on its ability to develop gluten when mixed with water or other liquids. This development provides the elasticity which, when worked, will result in the gas bubbles that create the familiar, spongelike texture of breads and cakes.

Wheat berries, the whole kernels of wheat, are composed of three distinct parts: bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran is the hard, protective cover. The germ is the embryo from which a new plant grows. The endosperm is the food source for the germ. Whole-wheat flour is created when all three parts are ground together. White wheat flours are created solely from the endosperm. Both the bran and germ are rich in vitamins and are used as additives or as animal feed.