Wheat Berries – What I use & FAQ’s

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The 5 wheat berry varieties that I keep stocked in my pantry and enjoy using.

Milling wheat berries into flour at home is a rewarding process.  It’s amazing to see the little wheat berries turn into nutritious flour right before my eyes and go directly into what I’m making.

These five wheat berry varieties meet all my flavor and baking needs.

Hard White

Higher protein and gluten content.

Flavor: Mild, subtle, slightly sweet

Uses: Yeast bread, sourdough, bagels, rolls, sandwich bread

Other notes: This is my most frequently used wheat berry.

Soft White

Lower protein and gluten content, more tender crumb and less chewy.

Flavor: Mild, subtle, a little sweet

Uses: Cookies, quick bread, cake, muffins, brownies, pastries, biscuits

Other notes: Soft white has different measurement requirements than the other grains. More to come on that, stay tuned.

Hard Red

Higher protein and gluten content

Flavor: Nuttier and sweeter than hard white

Uses: Sourdough, yeast bread, bagels, pizza crust

Other notes: I use hard red as the exclusive flour for feeding my sourdough starter. I mix hard red and hard white when making sourdough bread, using more hard white than red.

Einkorn

Ancient grain, considered extra soft because of it’s different gluten composition.

Flavor: Unique nutty flavor

Uses: Biscuits, cookies, brownies, cake, muffins.  

Other notes: I use Einkorn in combination with hard or soft white wheat berries for the delicious flavor.

Spelt

Ancient grain, considered hard but is very versatile, has a bit lower gluten content than other hard wheat berries.

Flavor: Nutty, buttery and slightly sweet

Uses: cookies, brownies, muffins, pancakes, bread, rolls, biscuits

Other notes: I like to use in combination with soft and/or hard wheat berries to make an all purpose flour for improved flavor/nutrition. You can usually substitute spelt for all purpose flour 1:1, but slight adjustments may need to be made to the liquid or flour ratios. When using in bread / yeasted recipes, you’ll want to use in combination with hard white because of the gluten structure.

Additional notes:

I like to use hard white on it’s own for yeast bread and rolls, but also mix in einkorn or spelt to enhance the flavor.  The same thing is true for baked goods where I’m using soft white wheat. Einkorn and spelt are often substituted for a smaller portion of the overall flour.  Hard red can be mixed in with hard white to change the flavor of yeast breads, rolls and sourdough.  For an all purpose flour use half hard white and half soft white wheat berries.  For cookies, cakes and pastries I often use soft white on it’s own.

If I could only have two wheat berries it would be hard white and soft white because the flavor is mild and works well in any recipe. Those two would meet all my baking needs on their own. Don’t stress about having a bunch of wheat berry options. Start simple and then decide if you want to add on.

Answers to frequently asked questions:

What are wheat berries?

A wheat berry is the whole wheat kernel that includes the germ, bran and endosperm. By milling the whole wheat kernels into flour at home you are keeping all the nutrients intact from the bran and germ, which are typically removed from store bought flour. The bran and germ contains fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. I encourage you to research all the benefits of fresh milled flour. After you’re done researching, come back here for fresh milled flour recipes!

Do you need to rinse the wheat berries before using?

NO, do not rinse them. They go through a mechanical process that removes debris, rocks, etc. Also, this could introduce moisture into your grain mill, which is not good for the mill.

What do you use for sourdough bread?

Though I feed my starter with hard red, I prefer to use mostly hard white and mix in a little hard red when making sourdough bread. I don’t like the flavor of hard red alone. I usually add mix-ins to my sourdough bread, such as cheese and herbs, which makes the milder flavor of hard white a better choice for me.

How do you clean your grain mill?

I throw a small handful of rice into my mill and grind it. I usually do this at the same time I’m making sourdough bread to use on the exterior of the bread. If I’m making sourdough bread every couple weeks, that’s how often I clean my grain mill with rice.

Do you have fresh milled flour recipes that have already been tested and perfected?

Yes, click here for all the delicious fresh milled flour recipes on this website.