ABSTRACT
The terms “soft” and “hard” as applied to wheats are descriptions of the texture of the wheat kernel. Their textures are also appropriate to their wheat class designation. Wheats in the soft wheat class are softer than those of the hard wheat class. Additionally, soft and hard wheats produce flour with very different and easily measurable properties. Flour obtained from soft wheat kernels has a smaller average particle size than does flour from hard wheat kernels. Soft wheats normally have lower protein content than hard wheats. Low-protein (7–10%) flour milled from soft wheat is most suitable for making cakes, cookies, pastries, and breakfast biscuits [1]. The number and types of products made from soft wheat are large compared to hard wheat and are partially listed in Table 1. All of those products have better appearance and eating quality when made from soft rather than hard wheat flour. Soft wheat produces better volume and more tender texture in those products than does hard wheat. Soft wheat products remain very popular worldwide. The U.S. per capita consumption of a number of soft wheat products is shown in Table 2.
