Types of Whole Wheat

All the different kinds of wheat is confusing. It took me a while to figure out the difference, so here's a quick primer:

Hard Red Wheat - This is the wheat that most people know as whole wheat. It's great for making whole wheat bread and is high in gluten. Lasts in food storage for a long time.

Hard White Wheat - Lesser known wheat, but commonly found. You can also use this to make whole wheat bread, but it's not as high in gluten as the hard red wheat, so I've found that it helps to add gluten when making yeast bread.

Soft White Wheat - This is what whole wheat pastry flour is made out of. Doesn't last as long in your food storage as other wheat (a year or two.) Great for baking things like cookies, pie crust, quick breads, muffins, pancakes, etc. Not so high in gluten.

Unbleached wheat flour - this is white flour, with the bran removed. Buy the unbleached because it's a step up from bleached flour in nutrition. Often added in whole wheat bread to provide more gluten.

Kamut - Kamut is a relative of wheat. It has a fascinating history! It doesn't have as much gluten as wheat, and many people who have wheat allergies can actually tolerate kamut.

Spelt - Spelt is also a relative of wheat. It has been around for a long time, it too has an interesting history. It has more fiber and protein than wheat. It doesn't have as much gluten, and it doesn't need as much water in recipes as wheat does.