Whole-wheat Flour

Whole Wheat Flour From Earth to Our Dinner Plate

Whole wheat flour is a type of flour milled from whole grain wheat and is the most commonly used grain in the United States. This essential grain is the main ingredient in some of our favorite foods, like bread, pancakes, and pastas. But have you ever stopped to think about how whole wheat flour makes its way from the earth to our dinner plates? It’s quite an interesting process that starts with a grain of wheat and has to go through many stages before it’s ready for us to enjoy.

The Journey Begins: Planting and Growing Wheat

The journey starts long before the grain is actually harvested and sent off to a milling facility. Wheat is a plant that needs very specific conditions to grow successfully, such as sunshine, moderate temperatures, and fertile soil. Wheat typically grows in two distinct regions in the United States: the Midwest and the Great Plains. In the United States, wheat is mostly harvested in the summer months, and requires special harvesting equipment. To ensure a successful wheat yield, farmers may have to prepare the soil ahead of time. This includes plowing, fertilizing, and planting the crop. Sometimes, farmers will use special irrigation systems to make sure their wheat is getting the proper amount of water. The growing season lasts anywhere from 125-145 days, depending on the variety of wheat being grown.

Harvesting the Wheat

When the wheat is ripe and ready to be harvested, farmers use special combines to do the job. These combines have numerous spinning blades that cut off the wheat heads and separate the grain from the straw, called threshing.

Once all the wheat is harvested, the grain is spread onto large sheets of cloth and left to dry for a few days before being taken by truck to the closest grain elevator. At the grain elevator, the wheat is placed in large holding bins then sent off for further processing.

Milling Whole Wheat Flour

At the mill, the wheat is sorted, cleaned, and stored in bins. The grain is usually inspected for any foreign objects before it’s ground down into flour. In most mills, the grain is placed between two large rotating stones where is it is crushed and ground down into a powder-like substance. This produces a coarse and gritty flour, which can be further refined by sifting, bolting, or both.

Most commercial whole wheat flour is milled using a roller mill, which uses multiple sets of rollers that crush the grain into different grades of flour. As the wheat passes through the rollers, most bran and germ particles are separated from the starch and protein, producing a finer and lighter wheat flour.

The Finished Product

Once all this is done, the wheat flour is sent off to packing plants where is it stored in bulk bags and labeled with the ingredients and nutrition facts. From there, the product is sent to supermarkets and food stores, where they are stocked and ready to be purchased.

The Whole Wheat Difference

Whole wheat flour is a much healthier option than all-purpose white flour, since it contains the entire grain, including all of its nutritional benefits. It’s high in protein, fiber, and fatty acids, and contains more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than white flour.

Whole wheat flour vs. white flour is an ongoing debate. White flour is made up of only the endosperm of the wheat, which is the innermost layer, and is considered to be a ‘refined’ grain. This means that it is not as nutrient rich and has a higher GI level (glycemic index). A higher GI means that it can cause blood sugar levels to spike suddenly and cause energy crashes. On the other hand, whole wheat flour is made up of all three parts of the grain which gives it more nutrition and a lower GI, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels in the body.

Conclusion

From the very beginning, when the wheat seeds are planted in the soil, to the last step of packaging the wheat flour, it is a long and fascinating journey that requires many steps and processes. Whole wheat flour is an essential grain in many of our favorite dishes, so it is important to understand and appreciate the process of how it reaches our dinner plates.