Healthy Food Database

Wheat

Wheat was the most valuable crop of the ancient world and a staple for the Greeks and Romans. The demise of both empires was largely a result of trade routes being cut from Egypt causing a decline in the supply of wheat. Bread, pastry, pasta, noodles and biscuits are all made from milled wheat and many processed products have starch from wheat added to them for thickeners and fillers. Gluten (a protein) in wheat helps contain gases produced from yeast in bread dough to make well-leavened loaves.
Wheat flour varies in composition and are generally defined by the quality of wheat used prior to milling and by the rate of extraction. The extraction is the percentage of whole, cleaned wheatgrain present in the flour.

There are three basic categories of wheat flour.
They include;
Wholemeal - 100% wheatgrain
Brown - Usually contains about 85% of the original grain with some of the bran and germ removed.
White - usually 75% of the wheatgrain. Most of the bran and wheatgerm have been removed during milling.

Wheat's getting a bad wrap these days with some many people developing, real or imagined, wheat and gluten intolerances/ allergies.

Category: Grain

In Season: all year

To Buy:

There are numerous wheat products available from health food stores and supermarkets. Check the packets for any holes - particularly in the summer. Wheat and flour is a favourite food of weevils. Where possible buy wholewheat flours in preference to the highly milled white flours available. If you have to have white flour buy unbleached. Wheat products include: Wholegrain (wheat berries) cracked wheat (bulgur). Flours : Wholewheat. Wholemeal, Wheatgerm (white or brown flour with added wheatgerm), Malted wheatgrain (Brown or wholemeal flour with added malted grains) Stoneground (Wholemeal flour ground in a traditional way between two stones), Organic (Flour milled from grain that has been grown to organic standards) White, unbleached, plain and self raising.

To Store:

Store flour in airtight containers in a dry cool cupboard or preferably in the fridge.

Tips & Tricks:

If you suspect you have a gluten or wheat intolerance cut out all highly processed cakes, pastries and biscuits made from white bread before cutting it out altogether. Try some wholegrain sourdough bread and burgal (tabouleh) and see if it affects you. If not, make a rule of avoiding all processed and overly milled wheat products in favour of wholegrains.

Cooking Tips:

Plain Flour - (or all purpose flour ) is good for shortcrust pastry, sauces and gravies. Self-raising Flour - cakes, scones and puddings. Soft Flour - sponges, cakes and scones to give a higher rise and finer texture. Strong Flour - for bread - it has a high gluten content providing a high volume and open texture. Durum wheat flour - for pasta.

Find recipes with Wheat

Nutrition per 100 Grams:

Energy (kJ):

1381

Low GI < 55:

Protein (g):

14.0

Amines:

Low

Glutamates:

n/a

Carbohydrates, g:

69.1

Fibre, g:

Fat (g):

2.2

Salicylates:

Low

Benefits the Following Health Conditions:*