Red Wheat vs White Wheat

In a lot of my recipes, I mention using Whole White Wheat flour.  I get many questions about it.   So, I thought I would clarify here.

First, I grind my own wheat flour from the whole white wheat using my Grain Mill.  You can get a Kitchen Mill Grain Mill for under $300 through Shelf Reliance.

I actually get my wheat (red and white) through the LDS cannery.  If you have a cannery near you, it costs less through them b/c they are non-profit.  You can read a bit more about the LDS canneries here.  You can also find a cannery near you.

Hard White Winter Wheat  was only introduced to the US Agricultural system in 1990.  So, there are many people who are unfamiliar with it. If you have only made homemade breads with hard red wheat, I highly  recommend you try the white version.  I absolutely love it.  Hard white wheat and hard red wheat are equal nutritionally.  But they do have some key differences.

Hard Red Wheat

Image from Uncle Dutch Farms

This is what most people think of when they think of wheat.  It is dark brown in color, and very high in protein.  It has a rather bitter taste and works best in rustic, artisian or other hard breads.  Recipes that call for hard red wheat flour typically call for more sugar to help mask the bitter taste.  Finished breads look like what most people think of when they think "wheat bread."

Hard White Wheat
It is golden in color b/c it has had the genes for bran color removed.  It is also very high in protein, though slightly less than the red variety.  Because it is missing the bran color that is found in red wheat it is sweeter and less bitter.  It works best in pan loaves, rolls and other soft breads.  Recipes that call for hard white wheat flour typically call for less sugar.   Finished breads look similar to 100% white bread but still have all the nutritional content of red wheat breads.

I've found it to be easier to use the hard white wheat when baking for my family as the breads made from it turn out more like those made from all-purpose white flour: both in color and in taste.

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References:

Wheat: Red vs White, Spring vs Winter

White Wheat