There are several kinds of wheat. Each kind makes different flours. Ohio grows mostly soft red winter wheat. So we might have extra of one kind and need to import another kind. I copied and pasted the differences. Another reason is transportation issues caused by the Jones act. Jones act requires good shipped between US ports be transported on ships that are US built, owned, crewed and flagged. So if there is a surplus of wheat in the Pacific northwest it might be cheaper to ship it to China that to the Midwest and it might be cheaper to get Canada or European wheat shipped to the Midwest (down the st Lawrence and through the lakes).
The protein content of the wheat is what primarily determines what the wheat will be used for and the greater the protein, the greater the elasticity of the dough will be.
- Hard red winter and hard red spring contain the highest percentages of protein are most often used in goods requiring size, like breads and rolls.
- Hard white and soft white contain the lowest percentages of protein and best suited for baked goods like cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries and muffins.
The color of the wheat plays a part too and as you may have already guessed,
red wheat is darker than white wheat.
Red wheat also has a stronger, more bitter flavor than white. This isn’t a big deal for many of us home bakers, but it is a big deal when you’re a big manufacturer trying to create a product that’s visually appealing to your consumer.
- Soft red winter is often used in blatantly obvious brown crackers and flat breads. These are often marketed as “whole grain” crackers and such.
- Soft white is used in goods when manufactures want the item to look and taste “white,” but be able to claim as healthy with wheat. One example of this are muffins “made with white wheat.”
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