Where's the Wheat?

Some of you have asked me where I get my wheat for breadbaking. So far, I have baked three times, using wheat that a generous friend, Naomi, has given me. This week I am finally about to receive wheat I purchased, so I thought I'd share what I've found out in trying to assess where to buy wheat. First, it's important to mention that wheat comes in many varieties:

• Hard wheat is used for bread, as it has the higher protein/gluten content necessary for yeast rising. Hard red wheat is the traditional wheat used for bread around the world. Some families prefer it for it's robust (somewhat nutty) flavor and the more traditional texture. Hard white wheat is newer and produces a whole-wheat bread that is lighter in color, more spongy, and more mildly flavored. Some families like this kind much better. This is considered a better "company bread" also, for those not used to eating whole wheat.
  
  
• Soft white wheat is lower in protein and perfect for cakes, cookies, bisquits, pastries, and quick breads.
  
  
• (Then there is durum wheat, used for pasta, which I'm not getting into right now.)
  
  

Anyway, like any produce, the quality and nutritional content of wheat vary based on soil/weather/growing conditions, as well as chemical treatment, etc. Simmilarly, different years' crops from the same fields vary, based on conditions each season.

Wheat Montana is a well-known wheat provider that is considered reputable by several folks to whom I've talked. Their best known "brands" are Prairie Gold (Montana hard white) and Bronze Chief (Montana hard red). They are not organic, but are purportedly chemical-free in some aspects of their process. Montana is one of the areas of the country that has conditions favorable to producing high protein wheat. Also, this wheat is low moisture and triple-cleaned before you get it, to reduce chance of chaff, bugs, rocks, etc. Unfortunately, I've found no one local who carries Wheat Montana, so the options are to order direct (super high shipping) or drive a couple of hours to pick up wheat from one of their distributors elsewhere in the state. I'm going to try 45 lbs. of their Hard White wheat when my parents "deliver" it to me this weekend.

Our local food co-op carries low-cost bulk red and white wheat that is not identified as to it's source or nutrition content. This makes it hard to evaluate and, possibly, hard to expect consistency from. They do, however, also offer Arrowhead Mills Hard Red Winter Wheat, a high protein wheat out of Texas that is certified USDA Organic. I've ordered 25 lbs. of this to be delivered Wednesday. It would be great if we loved this wheat, as it's cheaper than the Wheat Montana option, even though it is organic. I haven't been able to find out if there is any detriment to Texas wheat over the Montana/Minnesota/Dakotas wheat everyone seems to prize, as long as the protein content is there.

Assuming I like both "flavors" of wheat (which some of my friends do not), I'll have enough wheat for 3+ months of weekly bread baking. Since insect-free wheat stored in a cool, dry place has been known to store for up to 30 years, I don't think I have to worry about it going bad... I was shocked at first when my friend told me she had kept wheat for seven years, until she reminded me of Joseph in the Bible (when he stocked up during the seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine -- and in a hot climate, at that!)

And one thing I learned from wonderfully helpful Denise at The Country Baker: if your bread comes out crumbly, heavy, and low rising (when you're following the same process that has been successful previously), you have a batch of low protein wheat. You can "rescue" this type of wheat by adding Vital Gluten (she sells it) at 1 tablespoon per cup of flour.

A second thing I learned from Denise is that if you throw a couple of bay leaves in your bucket of wheatberries, bugs are more likely to avoid them. (It doesn't affect the taste of your wheat.)

And by the way, for those of you who have asked, things are settling down a bit here. Ryan's business is going forward as originally planned (without merging with the company that had approached us) and he turned in the "big proposal" we've been stressing over. We have possession of my parents' new house and are helping with overseeing some repairs. They probably won't be moving here until May -- there are many things that have to fall into place first. This week will be one of "getting back to basics" and catching up on many things that have been let to slide at home, in the business, etc. We'll have guests this weekend, also.