Wheat in Australia

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Can anyone tell me what kind of wheat grain we have in Australia?  I realise that we grow different varieties, but what is the standard wheat variety sold in health food stores and bulk food suppliers?  I get so confused when American recipes call for different varieties (hard, soft, winter, spring, red etc) and have been trying to research what variety of wheat we have here so I can adapt the recipes. 

[cookie1]

I thought most of our wheat was hard, but I haven't had much to do with farms for a while.  MJ will be able to help you I'm sure.

[Kimberley]

My husband says that he tries to grow hard wheat, but it can be graded as soft wheat if the protein levels aren't high enough.

[faffa_70]

lol think Kimberley just blew all theories out the water 

Know where you are coming from Chelsea, I tried a couple of years ago and gave up (I had heaps of recipes I wanted to use) as I didn't feel I was making much headway on my research 

[achookwoman]

And they can make soft wheat into hard wheat flour by adding gluten to the mix.

[zebraa]

Bakers flour is hard flour -  I use that for everything and it works well. If I want to soften it  I grind some wheat berries or add a bit of spelt or just wholemeal flour or rye or millet/buckwheat etc. I'd do 100g addition to 400g bakers flour.

[faffa_70]

Thanks Zebraa, that is the sort of simplicity my brain needs  I always have wholemeal, millet, spelt & buckwheat in my pantry so I should manage ok  Thanks for the ratio too. I am going to make a note of that somewhere ..... (safe ?? lol)

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

So bakers flour is made from hard wheat and normal flour (plain, self raising etc) is made from soft wheat.  When I buy wheat grain to mill for recipes though is that generally soft wheat? 

[achookwoman]

You don't know what you are buying when you buy grain.   Even the Health food shops don't know.  Bread flour also works well in biscuits.

[Thermomixer]

There are lots of varieties here: VARIETIES

But as Kimberley's hubbie says - it is not just variety that determines protein/hard/soft designation.  A day or two in harvesting/rain etc can make a big difference.  Farming !!!!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I think I will just have to buy and use "wheat" and not worry about the variety specified in the recipe.  Having no choice makes it easy sometimes. 

[Cornish Cream]

There has been a huge crop failure in Russia this year and the  Russian President,Medvedev, has banned all export of wheat.They are predicting that food prices will go up as much as 10%.

[Kimberley]

Here is South Australia our crops are looking fantastic - and as I sit here and write this I can here it raining.
Prices are looking good too for farmers - maybe pushed up by the problems in Russia?
I am looking forward to geting grain straight out of the paddocks this year!

[cookie1]

The area where my family had their farm (WA) is as dry as anything. Still looks like the middle of summer. I see down round Esperance that things are better.
How is is down your way MJ?

[achookwoman]

Kimberly,  sounds good and half your luck to have home grown wheat.   All we grow where I live in central Victoria,  are very healthy Kangaroos,  fat Wombats and a few vegies ,  at this time of year.  We had 4 inches of rain in July.