Flour

[Tracy K.]

As I am wont to do, I'll continue the horticultural aspect of this discussion. Soil quality, including pH, mineral content, type of bedrock, drainage, and on and on, all have an impact on what is grown in that soil. This is why some wheat grown one farmer's field can be quite different than wheat grown in another farmer's field...or even within the same field. Add in to the mix weather (which varies year to year, month to month, and can have an enormous impact), storage, processing, and the end product can be quite different. Most processors have contracts with farmers to provide their wheat for milling--their attempt to keep the product uniform.

[kitwilliams]

Did you bring any of the Irish Cream back with you?  I'm curious to know how it "works" out of context.

I didn't. I used it in some of my recipes over there and it worked great but, of course, it was in conjunction with great butter, richer cream, happier eggs, etc.

I'll have them ship me a quantity and give it a try. Will let you know the results. Will be a fun experiment!

Also, I remember reading an article, about five years ago, about an ancient form of wheat that was found in an ancient bit of thatch somewhere in England. I believe that they produced it on Prince Charles' estate. But I've heard nothing further. Did anything earth shattering come from it? My 11-greats-grandfather was a baker in Cambridge early in the 17th century and I've always romanticized about baking with the same type of flour as he.

[ozgirl06]

re: Canadian vs. U.S. wheat...

this is a long standing rivalry between the 2 countries mostly based on propaganda. The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), the only exporter of western Canadian wheat (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and parts of B.C.) has as part of its marketing strategy a varietal control system (farmers can only grow certain varieties of wheat, mainly for the spring and durum wheats). This varietal control system results in wheat kernels that more uniform is size and colour. Also, the Canadian grain handling system (farm to elevator to mill) involves more mandatory grain cleaning than the U.S. system. A combination of these 2 factors, plus some others leads the CWB to boast that their wheat is "better" than U.S. wheat. This is a marketing tool and not based on fact.

While U.S. farmers have the right to plant whatever variety of wheat they like and grain cleaning is not mandatory, it does not in any way change or alter the quality of the wheat. The quality of wheat is determined mostly by the weather... drought, disease, etc. which then affect the protein level and grade of wheat.

Factors that affect the quality of flour are 1)how good the crop is to begin with and 2) the skill level of a flour mill to get the best mill grind out of a blend of proteins of wheat.

AP flour is often a combination of Hard Red Winter wheat (grown throught the center and eastern part of the U.S. and in eastern Canada) and Hard Red Spring wheat (grown in the nothern plains states and western Canada). Depending on the crops of each country, a mill might seek out a specific grade/protein of wheat from a particular supplier. This is particularly true for organics.

It all comes down to supply and demand. A flour miller will most likely seek out what he/she needs from wherever they can get it at the best price. Sometimes that means buying Canadian wheat over U.S. wheat, sometimes it doesn't. But, in terms of quality, generally speaking there is nothing inherently better about Canadian wheat vs. U.S. wheat.

As an amateur baker, I know that I am mainly concerned with the protein level and gluten. Large scale bakers or artisanal bakers can get tailored made flours by contacting mills. They may have preferences over which wheats they prefer because they have performance history with a certain blend. However, when I buy a bag a flour off the grocery shelf unless it states specifically where the wheat comes from, I have no idea if it's U.S. or Canadian wheats in the bag, and my baking results can't tell the difference.

I realize this is a long post, but this is a subject that people build their careers on.

Edited March 18, 2004 by ozgirl06 (log)