Once it freezes in the fall, winter wheat becomes dormant until the soil warms up in the spring. Then the wheat grows and matures until harvest in the summer. Hard wheats are higher in protein and gluten and are usually used for yeast breads. Soft wheats are primarily used for tender pastries, cakes, cookies, flatbreads, crackers and muffins. Soft and hard wheats are often blended to make all-purpose flour, used in a wide variety of baked products.
Durum wheat is the hardest wheat and is primarily used for making pasta.
Hard Red Winter Wheat - This wheat is high in protein and strong in gluten. It is used for yeast breads and hard rolls. Hard Red Winter Wheat is grown in many states, including Arizona, Washington, California, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Minnesota, Missouri, and the Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Kansas ranks first among the 50 states in wheat production, primarily producing hard red winter wheat. Hard Red Spring Wheat - This wheat is high in protein and used in yeast breads and hard rolls.