Wonderful Wheat Wednesday: Wheat Basics

Wonderful Wheat Wednesday:  for the next month or so, I am going to highlight some of the wonders of wheat.  The information I am sharing comes from a wheat handout I’ve put together over the last few years as I’ve taught RS classes on wheat.  I will share bits and pieces at a time.

Today’s bit of wonderful wheat:

Wheat Basics:

Wheat descriptions:  *Wheat berries are the whole wheat kernel.  Bulgur or cracked wheat is wheat kernels that have been course ground into smaller pieces (about 2-4 pieces from one kernel).  These terms are often interchanged, but really bulgur is wheat that has been cooked, dried, cracked and the chaff removed (making it cook faster—think of instant rice compared to rice).  Flour is wheat ground finely.  Gluten is a mixture of proteins in wheat (and other grains).  It is used to help dough rise, it can be used as a vegetarian alternative to meat, and other uses.  Bran is the roughage part of wheat, it is, as the term implies, helpful in digestion and contains the trace minerals our bodies need, it comes from the layers of the kernel.  Germ is from the embryo of the kernel, it contains pretty much all the nutrients as the whole kernel does, when you find it at the store it is toasted because of its higher oil content (toasting it extends shelf life).

*please note:  in recipes that call for wheat berries, be sure to read the directions first, as some recipes refer to the uncooked kernels, while others refer to cooked wheat berries (in any recipe I share, the term wheat berries will refer to cooked wheat and wheat kernels will refer to the uncooked wheat)

Types of Wheat:  the LDS Home Storage Centers sell two kinds:  hard red and hard white.  For long term storage you want to store hard wheat not soft.  Red and white are similar but slightly different too, for one they have different color genes.  Red may have a nuttier taste to it than white and make a denser loaf of bread than white—many people prefer the taste of white wheat flour in bread over red, but it is personal preference.  They both store and cook the same and otherwise have the same uses.  Nutritionally they are similar.  So in terms of long-term storage, store one or the other or both red and white wheat, you can’t go wrong with either one.

Storage Life:  Wheat kernels can be stored 30+ years if stored properly (low moisture, low temperatures, out of sunlight).  If it sprouts, it is still good, (just be aware old wheat may take a little longer to sprout but should still sprout if stored properly).  Cracking and grinding wheat kernels releases the oils, so once cracked or ground to flour, it should be used soon but can be stored 6 months to a year (depending on how/where it is stored (preferably in the fridge or freezer, but can be stored in container on shelf), or 1-5 years if stored in the freezer.  If it smells rancid, it has gone bad.  Cooked cracked wheat can last in the fridge up to a week, or freezes well, both it and cooked wheat berries can be frozen for up to 1 year.  Baked goods using whole wheat flour should be used within a few days or frozen (since generally at home we don’t add preservatives to keep it shelf stable like the store bought goods).

I hope this information has been helpful to you.  

The link for the LDS home storage centers takes you to the providentliving.org website where you can click on the order form link to see current pricing, or click on the locations link at the top to locate a home storage center nearest to you, or otherwise learn about home storage.