Modern wheat

Hard Red Winter Wheat

Triticum aestivum

11–13.5% protein (typ. 12.2%)10.2% dry gluten · 30% wetStrong gluten

Modern bread wheat (AABBDD genome)

In the atlas

Mennonite families carried 'Turkey Red' berries from Crimea to Kansas in the 1870s. That single immigrant landrace became the backbone of American bread flour. Winter-sown, it tills under snow, then surges in spring — a climate match for the Plains and the reason a Kansas elevator still smells like the world's pantry.

Origin. Eurasian steppe; U.S. Great Plains after 1870s

Flavor. Toasted nut, mild molasses, classic 'wheaty' loaf aroma.

Worth knowing

About 40% of U.S. wheat acres are hard red winter.
The D genome (from goatgrass) is what gives modern wheat its strong, elastic gluten.
Winter habit means the plant needs a cold spell (vernalization) before it will head.
Bran is chestnut-red from phenolic pigments — that's the 'red' in the name, not the flour color.

Flours you can make

Flour	Extraction	Protein	Gluten	Notes
Whole-grain flour	100%	12.2%	10.2%	Everything the berry holds — bran, germ, and endosperm. Mill 1:1 by weight. Use within days, or freeze.
High-extraction (85%)	85%	12%	10.5%	Sift once through a #30–#40 sieve. Keeps most flavor and minerals, slightly stronger dough than 100%.
Bolted bread-flour style	75%	11.7%	10.8%	Second sifting (#50–#60). Lighter crumb, longer shelf life, less fiber. Bran left behind is gold in porridge.

Nutrition / 100 g

Calories: 340 kcal
Protein: 12.2 g
Carbs: 72 g
Fiber: 12.2 g
Fat: 2.5 g
Iron: 3.6 mg
Magnesium: 124 mg
Zinc: 2.6 mg
Thiamin: 0.38 mg
Selenium: 70 µg

Typical whole-grain flour / 100 g.

Sources & USDA links

Buy it retail

Azure Standard
Pleasant Hill Grain
Breadtopia
Palouse Brand
Wheat Montana (Bronze Chief)
Great River Organic Milling
Country Life Foods

Availability rotates by harvest. Search the berry name plus “food grade.”

Bakes well as

SourdoughSandwich loavesCinnamon rollsPizza

Mill Hard Red Winter Wheat now

Miller’s desk

Grain to flour

Whole grainFlour type

Flour you want (g)Blend a second grain

Vital wheat gluten booster

Target protein %Target gluten %VWG protein %

Most bags of vital wheat gluten are 75–80% protein. The booster is added on top of the flour, not swapped in.

Hard Red Winter Wheat

Whole-grain flour · Strong gluten

Whole grain needed: 505 g
Flour you’ll get: 500 g
Bran left behind: 0 g
Protein in that flour: 61 g · 12.2%
Natural gluten: 10.2%
Add VWG: 6.5 g
After VWG: 13% protein · 11% gluten

About 2.7 cups of berries → 4.2 cups of whole-grain flour. Whole-grain milling is essentially 1:1 by weight; sifting is where you lose bran.

How to mill it

Impact mills (NutriMill) run cooler on hard wheat if you don't choke the hopper.

Mockmill / Komo: 1–3 clicks from touch for bread; open a hair for high-extraction.

Tempering: Optional 12-hour rest at 14–15% moisture if berries are bone-dry.

Everything the berry holds — bran, germ, and endosperm. Mill 1:1 by weight. Use within days, or freeze.

Milling 101 →

Next: bake it

Pick a loaf for this flour

13% protein after VWG · Hard Red Winter Wheat whole-grain flour. Sandwich loaf, focaccia, sourdough — the kitchen will scale dough, hydration, and times to this mix.