Wheat Varieties

The characteristics of a flour depend on the variety of wheat from which it is milled, the location in which it is grown, and its growing conditions. The most important thing for the baker to know is that some wheats are hard and some are soft. Hard wheats contain greater quantities of the proteins called glutenin and gliadin, which together form gluten when the flour is moistened and mixed. The subject of gluten is discussed in more detail later in this chapter and in chapter 5.

Gluten development, as you will learn, is one of the baker’s major concerns when mixing doughs and batters. Strong flours—that is, flours from hard wheats with high protein content—are used primarily to make breads and other yeast products. Weak flours—that is, flours from soft wheats with low protein content—are important in the production of cakes, cookies, and pastries.