Released: May 14, 2002

Interesting Wheat Facts

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas has a reputation as the wheat state, and it produces the bulk of the hard red winter wheat grown in the United States. However, other types of wheat are grown across the nation as well.

The different types are assigned to six classes based on hardness (hard versus soft), color (red versus white), and growth habit (spring versus winter), said Tim Herrman, state leader in grain science with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

The following is information about different classes of wheat and their uses:

* Hard red winter wheat - Primarily grown in the western two-thirds of Kansas and parts of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle. Most often used as a bread wheat, and in tortillas, buns, pizza crust, and some sweet breads.

"Hard" refers to properties in the inside portion of the wheat kernel called the endosperm, which comprises about 83 percent of the wheat kernel. A hard wheat performs differently during the milling process than soft wheat. Since the physical texture is harder, it requires more energy to mill. Hard wheats tend to have more protein than soft wheats.

* Soft red winter wheat - Primarily grown from central Texas, northeastward to the Great Lakes and then east to the Atlantic Coast. Typically used in baked goods such as cakes, cookies, crackers and pastry. In "soft" wheats, a lower protein content is desirable for many applications. However, some soft red winter wheat produced in the southeastern United States is exported to countries that use it as an all-purpose flour where an intermediate level of protein is desirable.

* Hard red spring wheat - Primarily grown in the north central states, such as North Dakota and Minnesota, where the winters are too severe for winter wheat production. These wheats possess a slightly higher protein content and harder texture than hard red winter wheats, and are used for hearth breads, bagels, and to blend with hard red winter wheat to manufacture particular types of breads and buns, Herrman said.

* Durum wheat - Primarily grown in North Dakota, but also in Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota and Arizona. Used for the production of pasta products such as spaghetti and macaroni. Durum contains the highest percentage of protein of any wheat class.

* Soft white wheat - Both winter and spring varieties are primarily grown in the Pacific Northwest, although some is grown in southern Michigan and western New York. Much of the PNW white wheat is exported to Asia. This wheat is primarily used in flours suitable for cookies, cakes, pastries and cereal.

* Hard white wheat - Both winter and spring varieties are grown for this class. The flours from hard white wheat find similar applications as the hard red winters. The absence of the red pigment in the white wheat’s seed coat makes them well suited for including some bran in the finished product.

"This is desirable since most people in the United States need more fiber in their diet," Herrman said.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Mary Lou Peter, Communications Specialist
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News