Loaf at First Sight

Flour is a much-kneaded ingredient for high-quality and flavorful bread. As the market and consumer demand for artisan breads continues to rise, farmers must grow strong wheat lines that have high yield, good grain density, and genetic resistance to diseases such as Fusarium head blight. 

Over the years, ARS small-grain breeders from the Plant Science Research Unit (PSRU) in Raleigh, NC, have developed varieties of hard wheat, also known as bread wheat, to help farmers, millers, and bakers in North Carolina do their part in bringing toast-fully delicious breads to the table. 

“There is a vibrant baking community in our state,” said Tan Tuong, a plant physiologist at the PSRU’s Small Grains Unit. “Locally grown wheat helps support local economies, and there are many artisan bakeries that want to buy local wheat.  We are continuously developing wheat lines that have good yields, good grain quality, and genetic resistance to diseases.”

Tuong added that hard wheat is necessary when baking bread as its high levels of gluten allow dough to rise. Hard wheat has fiber, vitamins, and high protein.  By contrast, soft wheats – which are widely grown in the eastern U.S. – have lower protein levels and are used for cookies, crackers, and animal feed. 

The researchers have already released commercial bread wheat lines including Appalachian White, Catawba, and NuEast. 

To put these wheat lines through the ultimate test, ARS researchers crumb together with bakers, millers, and plant breeders to assess other important qualities – flavor and baking quality. 

During a bake test held in North Carolina last year, experts had the difficult task of tasting different breads made from flour from ARS wheat lines and evaluating them based on attributes like crust, color, texture, aroma, flavor profile, mouth feel, and crumb appearance. 

The consensus was that these breads had the flour power for baking delicious breads. Talk about some real breadwinners! 

While ARS scientists play a big role with their research, they credited the collaboration with bakers, millers, and plant breeders for making these wheat lines go from “field to flavor.” 

Jennifer Lapidus, founder and general manager of Carolina Ground, a boutique flour mill in western North Carolina, shared the same sentiment from her perspective as a stakeholder in the wheat industry. Lapidus said her company delivers high-quality, flavorful flour, thanks to having access to regionally-adapted hard wheat lines from ARS. 

“We feel incredibly fortunate for the opportunity to collaborate with the ARS scientists in their development of hard wheat lines which perform well in the field as well as in the bakeries that we serve throughout the southeastern United States,” said Lapidus. “Beyond performance though, and what really sets us apart, is the flavor that we are able to deliver with the flours produced from this grain. Tan Tuong’s attention to flavor and nutrients in his selections and crosses has become the very underpinnings of what we do.”  – by Jessica Ryan, ARS Office of Communications 

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