11 Soft wheat quality in production of cookies and

crackers
H. F ARIDI, C. GAINES and P. FINNEY

11.1 Introduction

Of the five principal classes of wheat grown in the United States, soft red
winter, soft white winter and spring, as well as soft white winter club are the
wheats mainly used in production of cookies and crackers (Figure 11.1). The
terms 'hard' and 'soft' as applied to wheats are descriptions of the texture of
the wheat kernel. Flour obtained from a hard wheat kernel has a coarser
particle size than does flour obtained from a soft wheat kernel. The number
of types of products made from soft wheat is large. A partial list is shown in
Table 11.1. All of the listed products have better appearance and eating
quality when made from soft rather than hard wheat flour. Low-protein
(7-10%) flours milled from soft wheats are most suitable for making cakes
and biscuits. 1
Soft wheats differ from hard wheats in kernel hardness, a basic genetic
directly inherited characteristic. When ground or milled, soft wheat

WHEAT
I
Tmicum Compactum Tmicum Aestivum Tmicum Durum

Common Wheat I
I Club Wheat I IDurum Wheatl
7 8

Winter Spring

Soh Hard Soh Hard

I~I I I
~ I White 51 I Red 61 I White J
Figure 11.1 US wheat classes. Major uses: 1,2, 5, 7, cookies, crackers and cakes; 3, 4, 6,
various types of breads; 8, pasta.

W. Bushuk et al. (eds.), Wheat

© Chapman & Hall 1994
 SOFT WHEAT QUALITY 155

Table 11.1 Products made from soft wheat'

Biscuits Pancakes
Cookies Doughnuts
Crackers Oriental noodles
Wafers Thickening agent for soups
and soup mixes
Pretzels Crumbs for coating fish and
meat products
Cakes Breakfast cereals
Pastry products from pie crust
to sweet Danish pastry Flat breads
Waffles Ice cream cones

, From Faridi, ref. 3, with permission.

generally fractures into significantly smaller particles than does hard wheat,
which is reflected by its greater 'break flour yield' upon milling. Break flour
is the portion of the kernel endosperm obtained without crushing or
reduction in the milling operation. Soft wheat cultivars exhibit a wide range
in kernel texture, but historically there has been a distinct difference in
average flour particle size between the hardest soft wheats and softest hard
wheats, such that a relatively simple grinding and sieving test can properly
classify wheat.
To achieve greater baked product uniformity and consistency, specifi-
cations are adopted by millers and bakers which vary between companies as
well as from one baking plant to another. However, such specifications all
have some common features. Modernization and automation of bakeries
has necessitated exact and demanding specifications on incoming flour. The
following are general specifications for soft wheat and its flour, which vary
according to the particular end-product. 2
Wheat:
• High test weight or lOO-kernel weight; uniformity of kernel size,
• Ease of milling and high flour yield,
• Low to medium protein content (8-11 %, on 14% moisture basis),
• Moisture content not exceeding 13 %,
• Kernel softness (particle size index PSI> 55s),
• Low amylase activity; no sprout damage.
Flour:
• Bright and creamy color and relatively low ash content,
• Low to medium protein content (7-10%, on 14% moisture basis),
• Low water absorption,
• Low damaged-starch content,
• Fine flour granulation,
• Medium mixing requirements and satisfactory dough-handling proper-
ties,
• Tender-bite cookies and crackers.