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Chapter 11: Milling of Soft Wheat


Wheat Flour Milling, Second Edition
Pages 353-364
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/1891127403.011
ISBN: 1-891127-40-3






Abstract

Soft wheat flour is used mainly for the manufacture of baked goods not requiring a developed structure during fermentation. Milled products of soft wheat are used for cookies, cakes, angel food cakes, cookies, biscuits, household flours, noodles, pretzels, and cracker sponge or doughnut flours. As shown in Figure 1-13, flour protein can range from 7.0–7.5% for cookies to 10.5% for doughnuts. Soft wheat is milled on designated units, where the flow sheet is designed specifically for that purpose. However, in many other cases, soft wheat is milled in blends with hard wheat at different ratios or on “swing” mills where hard and soft wheat are milled alternately. Swing mills are less efficient in regard to load, extraction of products, and quality. Such combined mills are installed mainly in cases in which relatively small quantities need to be processed from each kind of wheat. Set-off bins are used to divert off-grade flours during wheat change-over and adjustments. This chapter covers characteristics and methods specific to soft wheat milling.