There are many varieties of wheat; hard red spring wheat is high in fiber and protein but low in gluten and can be made into pastry flour. Hard red winter wheat is lower in protein and gluten and can be ground into bread flour. There is also white winter and spring wheat, as well as soft winter and spring wheat. All have different valued attributes and are used in a variety of applications.

Wheat has a pleasant, nutty flavor and is packed with nutrients, such as gluten, which makes baked goods rise. Wheat is used in everything from breads, snacks, cereals, pastas and a variety of prepared foods.

A wheat kernel is made up of three primary parts.

Bran is the outer hull of the kernel and is often removed through further processing; however the bran can also be milled along with the endosperm to produce whole wheat flour. The bran comprises about 14% of the kernel.

Endosperm is the interior of the wheat kernel and makes up about 83% of the whole kernel. The endosperm is used in the production of flour.

Germ is the sprouting section of the seed. It is usually separated from the rest of the kernel because its fat content limits the shelf life of the flour. Overall the germ of a wheat kernel is packed with nutrients.

Wheat is available in the following forms:

Whole Wheat: This product has not had any further processing outside of cleaning of the grain.

Cracked Wheat: Whole wheat kernels that have been cracked to a particular size.

Bulgur: Wheat that has been soaked and baked in order to speed up the cook time of the end product. Available whole and cracked.

Wheat berries: Wheat kernels that have been stripped only of the outer hulls.

Wheat flakes: A wheat kernel that has been steamed, rolled or flaked.

Wheat flours: Flours are used in many different applications depending on the variety of wheat used. There are whole wheat flours, high gluten flours, all purpose flours, and many more, all which can be specifically milled by variety and content for its particular purpose.