08/11/2026
🌾 Not All Flour Is the Same: 4 Things You Should Know About Wheat
When we talk about sourdough, we spend a lot of time talking about starter, fermentation time, hydration and technique. But one of the biggest influences on your bread is something much more basic: the grain itself.
Here are four things I want you to know:
1. Wheat has varieties.
Just like apples have varieties—Honeycrisp, Gala, Granny Smith—wheat does too. Different varieties can have different flavors, protein levels, gluten characteristics and baking qualities. Heritage and ancient varieties can be very different from modern commodity wheat.
2. Where and how it is grown matters.
Soil, climate and farming practices all influence the grain we ultimately bake with. This is one reason I love introducing you to grains grown by farmers like Guardian Grains who are intentionally caring for their soil and using regenerative practices.
3. Whole grain behaves differently from refined flour.
Whole-grain flour contains the bran, germ and endosperm. Refined white flour is primarily the endosperm. That changes nutrition, flavor, water absorption, gluten development and ultimately how your dough feels and behaves.
4. Fermentation changes it.
Then we introduce sourdough fermentation. Wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria begin transforming the flour, producing acids and flavor compounds and changing components of the dough over time.
🌾 Wheat → Flour → Fermentation → Bread
Each step matters.
Learning sourdough isn’t only about learning how to make a loaf of bread. I want you to understand your ingredients—where they came from, how they were grown, how they’re processed and what happens to them during fermentation.
The more we understand our grain the better bakers we become. ❤️
Drop a comment if you'd be interested in an advanced class this fall or winter utilizing a variety of whole grains.
