Wheat Foods Council - Grain Information Center

Baking/Culinary

Baking, the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat, transforms wheat flour into the wheat foods we eat. The dry heat of baking changes the structures of starches in the food and causes its outer surfaces to brown, giving it an attractive appearance and taste, while partially sealing in the food's moisture.

Wheat flour is an ingredient in tens of thousands of food products that are baked and then consumed all over the globe. Breads, pizza crust, pretzels, cereal, muffins, crackers, tortillas, pasta and rolls are all examples of baked items that are made with wheat flour.

Wheat foods can be made with either whole wheat or enriched wheat flour, which is also known as enriched white flour. Whole wheat flour contains all three parts of the original grain – the germ, bran and endosperm – whereas enriched wheat flour is made from the endosperm only.

Wheat Around the World

Though wheat is America’s most-consumed grain, it also plays a prominent role in many international cuisines. U.S. Durum wheat is exported to North Africa where it is used to create a North African cuisine staple, couscous, also known as “little pasta.” Wheat is used in pitas, prevalent in Mediterranean and Arabian cuisines, tortillas, a Mexican cuisine must-have, and pierogi, a popular Polish food.

Wheat by Class

Certain classes and varieties of wheat work better for certain foods. While the differences from class to class are nutritionally insignificant, the protein content and quality makes a difference from a baking perspective. The harder the wheat, the higher the protein content in the flour.

Soft, low protein wheats are used in cakes, pastries, cookies, crackers and Asian noodles. Hard, high protein wheats are used in bread. Durum is used in pasta and egg noodles.

Hard Red Winter: Yeast breads, hard rolls, flat breads and all-purpose flour
Hard Red Spring: Hearth breads, rolls, croissants, bagels and pizza crust
Soft Red Winter: Crackers, cereal, pita and flat breads
Durum: Premium pasta products, couscous and some Mediterranean breads
Hard White: Asian noodles, whole wheat products, pan breads and flat breads
Soft White: Cakes, cookies, pastries and Asian-style noodles and Middle Eastern flatbreads

The Wheat Foods Council has plenty of delicious recipes featuring all of the above wheat foods. Click here to search our recipe library.

To download the full Wheat: From Farm to Fork Baking educational resource, click here.

To go back to the Wheat: From Farm to Fork home page and menu, click here.