3 ms·

> The varieties of wheat hit hard by the drought and the heat in those states are what are known as soft white, and it’s the only place in the U.S. that grows

> The varieties of wheat hit hard by the drought and the heat in those states are what are known as soft white, and it’s the only place in the U.S. that grows this kind of wheat. Soft white wheat is good for pastries and the like because of its low protein content, which makes it less stretchy than traditional flour. But wheat kernels in the Pacific Northwest are shriveling due to the heat and the drought, upping their protein content—and meaning that a lot of the crop that will be harvested won’t be suitable for the soft wheat market. Super interesting... The heat is changing the types of products we can make from the wheat harvested

NaOH 5y ago
>Super interesting... The heat is changing the types of products we can make from the wheat harvested The opposite is more likely. Pastry/cake flour has low protein content. That's a big contributor to the delicate items made with it. More protein content than that is what Americans call all-purpose flour. Of course it's better for less delicate items, like muffins, where a balance of tenderness and stability are beneficial. More protein than that is bread flour (though it's not produced from soft wheat like pastry flour), and higher still is high-gluten flour. Ultimately, then, if there's less soft white wheat flour available, we're not apt to get new products from the harvested wheat. We may, though, get new products from alternative baking approaches people determine to replace the pastry flour if there's ample shortage and/or excessively high cost for that flour.