Grain Basics

Grains are a basic staple for your preparedness pantry - but many people who aren't used to grinding their own grains get confused by the different types and how they are supposed to be used.

Grains when properly stored will last much, much longer than flour that is already ground. But how do you know which type of wheat you want?

The three most common types of wheat that we use in our home are:

Soft White Wheat, Hard White Wheat, and Hard Red Wheat

It's really not that hard to know how to use the different types.

A basic rule of thumb to remember is this:

If your recipe calls for flour and BAKING POWDER - use SOFT WHITE WHEAT. This would be items like cakes, cookies, muffins - most sweets or dessert type items you want to bake that are supposed to be light and fluffy.

If your recipe calls for flour and YEAST - use HARD WHITE WHEAT. This produces a wheat bread (or pizza dough or the like) that is lighter in texture and closer to what most people are used to from the grocery store when they think of wheat bread.

If you want a artisan-type bread that is heavier - you'll use HARD RED WHEAT. Most times that I've made bread using freshly ground hard red wheat, I mix the flour with a hard white wheat flour so the dough will rise properly and will be a little lighter.

If you have recipes for artisan-type breads that are hard and crusty - hard red wheat will usually work really well for you.

In addition to these wheat grains, I sometimes also mix in a little ground spelt or kamut when making bread just to give it a multi-grain texture.

You can experiment to see what you and your family like best and that is part of the fun of working with different grains - finding what you like!

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