Different Types of Wheat Berries and How to Choose

There are so many different types of wheat berries. I am going to break it down into 3 main categories and explore each one in depth. I will guide you as to which wheat berries work best for certain recipes.

The wheat berry is a super nutritious food. It contains 40/44 key nutrients. When you grind the entire wheat kernel for fresh ground flour, you retain all of that nutrition.

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For many years I have been grinding my own grain. I have used so many different wheat berries along the way and have found certain berries work better for certain applications.

In this post, I will break it down and simplify the choices for you so you can feel confident you are buying what you need.

Why mill your own flour?

Nutrition – As stated above, fresh flour has the bran and germ intact. These contain all of the nutrition of the whole grains.

White flour or all purpose flour from the grocery store has been mechanically sifted to remove all of these nutrients making it shelf stable.

Flavor – Fresh Milled Flour has so much flavor! Whole Wheat Flour adds a nutty taste and a heartiness to your bread.

Fiber – Leaving the bran and germ in the fresh flour add a lot of fiber to your bread which aids proper digestion.

Note: 2/3 cup of wheat berries will yield about 1 cup of fresh flour

There are 2 main different varieties of wheat berries

• Hard Wheat
• Soft Wheat

To mill my own flour from whole wheat berries, I use the Nutrimill Impact Grain Mill

Hard Wheat

Hard wheat berries are used for bread products. It makes lofty loaves with great texture. Hard wheat has a higher protein count and has lower moisture than soft wheat.

There are hard white wheat and hard red wheat. Let’s talk about hard red first.

When it comes to hard red wheat, it has so much flavor and makes bread taste amazing! It is also easy to work with. However, hard red is a bit heavy and will make a denser loaf if used alone.

The hard white wheat variety is much lighter than hard red. It’s also very easy to work with. Hard white wheat flour has a milder flavor when compared to hard red wheat flour.

With its high protein count, hard wheat is my go to for most baking in my kitchen.

Note: There are 2 subcategories – Hard Red Winter Wheat and Hard Red Spring Wheat as well as Hard White Winter Wheat and Hard White Spring Wheat

I haven’t noticed a big difference in using these different types.

Heritage and Ancient Grains

Einkorn – The oldest grain available, Einkorn has a lower protein and weaker gluten structure. It is a bit different to work with, but lends an incredible flavor to your baked goods.

Spelt Berries – Spelt is one of the easier ancient grains to use in your baking. It behaves much like hard wheat and has a milder flavor than Einkorn.

Kamut – Kamut grinds into a golden, butter flour that is perfect for pasta. It also makes a wonderful bread with a nutty flavor.

I go more in depth on ancient grains down below

Soft wheat Berries

Soft wheat is best used for pastries and pie crusts and the like. It has a lower protein count which makes for much softer baked goods. It’s not suited for sourdough or yeast breads.

Soft white wheat berries are perfect for biscuits and pastries.

Heritage wheat

Heritage wheat varieties are those that have not been hybridized. Meaning, it’s in it’s original form and hasn’t been changed for growing purposes.

This type of wheat can be easier to digest and often adds tremendous flavor to your baked goods.

The variety of heritage wheat I use in my kitchen is Turkey Red. The flavor profile is absolutely amazing!

You will be amazed at just the smell as it is grinding in the grain mill. It is a heavier wheat and yields a denser product, but, it is well worth it with this one!

Ancient Wheat In Depth

The 3 that I have used in my kitchen are: Einkorn, Kamut, and Spelt.

Einkorn

Einkorn is thought to be the oldest wheat variety known to exist. It is quite different from any other wheat I have used.

It’s gluten structure is completely different from other varieties. This quality makes it easier to digest, but, also makes it harder to work with.

However, once you get the basics on how to work with Einkorn, it is an amazing grain to incorporate in your baked goods!

Spelt is the easiest to work with of all the ancient wheat varieties I have worked with. It adds a nutty flavor to your bread and the rise is very good with Spelt.

I use it the least in my kitchen, not because it’s not a great wheat variety, just that I prefer the other varieties.

Kamut

Kamut is my favorite of the ancient wheat I have worked with. It grinds up into a golden flour and the flavor is unique and lovely.

It’s yields light and lofty loaves of bread. Kamut is a grain I keep quite a bit of on hand because it’s easy to work with and easy to digest if I am not long fermenting the dough.

I love using Kamut for pasta as it always turn out light and tender.

Although it takes a bit longer for gluten to develop, once you have properly kneaded Kamut dough, it makes wonderful bread recipes.

Try my Kamut Sourdough Bread Recipe

Spelt

Spelt is another ancient grain that I use quite a bit in my kitchen. It has a milder flavor than Einkorn and is easier to work with.

This wheat berry makes a whole wheat bread that is hearty and flavorful.

I find Spelt to be the easiest ancient grain to work with. It develops gluten much easier than Einkorn or Kamut.

I have a Simple Spelt Sourdough Bread Recipe that is a go to in my kitchen.

Storing Fresh Wheat Berries

Properly stored wheat berries can last for years!

The 2 main things to keep in mind is humidity and critters.

I store my wheat berries in a 5 or 6 gallon bucket in a dry place with an oxygen absorber.

I use a Gamma Lid because it is easier to take on and off.

My wheat berries come in buckets and mylar bags from the supplier.

If you want to store smaller amounts of berries, make sure to put them in airtight containers away from extreme heat and humidity.