Types of Wheat

There are three general classifications of wheat that you can use to grind into flour: Red and White, Hard and Soft, and Spring and Winter.

 

Red vs. White
Red wheat tends to have a stronger wheat flavor and produces a heavier denser bread than white wheat. Red wheats are typically the hard varieties and whites are typically soft. However if you prefer the  flavor of one over the other you can find soft red and hard white.

Hard vs. Soft
Hard varieties of wheat are the most common and versatile. Hard wheat has a higher gluten (protein) than soft wheat. It is better for making breads, pastas, pancakes, etc. Soft varieties have lower protein and nutrients but are better for pastries and other items where a light fine flour is required.

Spring vs. Winter
Wheat is categorized by which season it is harvested in (either winter or spring). Winter wheat has a tiny bit less protein than spring wheat. Winter averages about 12% protein while spring wheat is closer to 14%. The winter wheat is a little harder than spring as well. Red winter wheat tends to be better for baking than red spring wheat There isn’t much difference between winter and spring varieties of white wheats. My preference is to use is hard white (either winter or spring).

Types of Flour
Using the right type of flour can make all the difference in the taste and texture of you end product.  The main difference among flour types is in the gluten content, which varies depending on whether the flour is made from hard wheat or soft wheat. Gluten is the protein that helps yeast stretch and rise. To achieve the best baking results, use the type of flour a recipe specifically calls for.

All-purpose flour that you buy in the store is designed for a number of uses, including cookies, quick breads, biscuits, and cakes. A mixture of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, it comes in both bleached and unbleached forms, which can be used interchangeably.
Bread flour is an unbleached, high-gluten blend of mostly hard wheat and is best used in yeast breads.  If you wanted to imitate this flour simply grind a combination of hard and soft wheat starting with 60% hard wheat and 30% soft wheat.  You can adjust the percentages to come up with the flour YOU like best.

Cake flour is made predominantly of soft wheat. Its fine texture and high starch content make it ideal for making tender cakes, cookies, biscuits, and pastries that do not need to stretch and rise much.

Pastry flour is similar to cake flour but has a slightly higher gluten content. This aids the elasticity needed to hold together the buttery layers in flaky doughs such as croissants, puff pastry, and pie crusts.

Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour that has had baking powder and salt added to it. Use it in yeast bread recipes in place of all-purpose flour by omitting salt, and in quick bread recipes by omitting salt and baking powder.

What is Spelt
The question that comes up most often is "What is Spelt?"  The official name of spelt is Triticum aestivum var. spelta and was originally grown in Iran around 5000 to 6000 B.C. Spelt has been grown in Europe for over 300 years, and in North America for just over 100 years typically used as a feed grain for animals. However, it has gained popularity as a dietary grain due to its nutty flavor, high protein and nutrition content.

Spelt vs Wheat
Spelt is similar to wheat in appearance. However, spelt has a tougher husk than wheat, which may help protect the nutrients in spelt. Spelt flour has a somewhat nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour.

Spelt contains more protein than wheat, and the protein in spelt is
easier to digest. This means that some people who are allergic to wheat may be able to tolerate spelt. Spelt has gluten, just like wheat, so spelt is not suitable for a gluten-free diet.

Using Spelt in Your Diet
Spelt flour can replace whole wheat flour or whole grain flour in recipes for breads and pasta.  Some people like to blend spelt flour with wheat flour and is quickly becoming better known as a healthy grain, so spelt products like bread and pasta are easy to find in most health food stores.