The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Grains in Australia - help!!!

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

Grains in Australia - help!!!

hi everyone

windering if anyone can help me out. I’m milling my own wheat flour and everything I read inline talks about hard and soft wheat.  I have managed to source hard wheat berries but can not seem to track down soft wheat berries anywhere.  I really want the soft wheat berries for pastries and pasta making. I’ve tried using the hard wheat and sifting it through a really fine mesh so as to remove the bran ( from what I’ve read the bran is what’s causing the main problems and the high gluten/protein content in the hard flours)

 

can anyone point me in me in the direction of a seller of soft wheat berries or to some good pastrie cookie and pasta recipes for specifically for  hard wheat.

 

thanks in advance 

 

Dell

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

Dell,  sorry, can't help about suppliers, but for pasta,  I like a mixture of 50% hard white wheat and 50% soft white wheat.   The finer the grind the better.   Hope that helps you stretch the soft white wheat berries a  little further.  

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

Hi

yes that’s  exactly what I was planning to do but the soft wheat is proving very hard to source.  Any suggestions for a substitute grain for soft wheat?  Was wondering if buckwheat or oat flour would be an alternative???

 

ta Dell

David R's picture
David R

For pasta, you can use durum wheat. I've never had any and I don't know how it performs in pastries, but durum is the usual choice for commercial pasta making.

Edit: Durum wheat is physically hard, hence the name, but because of its particular characteristics it "acts soft" for baking purposes.

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

Hi David

thanks. Have you ever made fresh pasta from durum wheat?  I was lead to believe that it is good for commercial pasta which is dried but not for fresh pasta?  I’m willing to give it a go if I can source some.  At lest I have something new to look for lol.  

Its very frustrating,  we live in one of the largest wheat producing countries in the world and yet we don’t seem to have the market availability to home millers.

 

David R's picture
David R

No, I haven't. Your biggest potential mistake would be to trust me, unfortunately. I had no idea that durum wheat might be good only for commercial dried pasta and not fresh.

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

Hi David

lol I love the honesty,  made me giggle thanks for your thoughts anyway.

ValerieC's picture
ValerieC

durum wheat is fine for making fresh egg pasta. I live in Australia and I make my pasta with 100% wholewheat durum, finely milled. I purchase my flour from Suraj flour mill in Melbourne. Phone: 9465 4075. You could use white if you prefer. I hope this helps. Valerie

ValerieC's picture
ValerieC

durum wheat is fine for making fresh egg pasta. I live in Australia and I make my pasta with 100% wholewheat durum, finely milled. I purchase my flour from Suraj flour mill in Melbourne. Phone: 9465 4075. You could use white if you prefer. I hope this helps. Valerie

ValerieC's picture
ValerieC

I forgot to mention that Laucke Flour Mills would also be a possibility. Phone: 1300 133 331. Valerie

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

Hi Valerie 

what a relief to see there is an Aussie on here   I might try you mill.  I did contact Laucke and there response was - they no longer sell grin to private consumers due to time to remove a bag and lack of demand.

have you had any luck sourcing soft wheat berries?

oh my goodness my minds exploding with excitement! I have so many questions for you.  Have you been using homemilled flour long?  I’m  new to it and am struggling to swap over my normal cooking recipes/routines ( but I’m determined) 

what do you use to make pastry and cookies?  Straight hard wheat for breads?  

( Ok Dell breathe!) best I not inundate you all at once it’s just such a relief to find a “local” already milling.  It’s hard when pretty much everything on the net comes from the northern hemisphere.  They have such great Infomation but hard to find resources here.

 

any help or guidance would be most appreciated 

 

Dell

 

 

 

yozzause's picture
yozzause

Hi Dell another Aussie here from Perth the reason that you are finding it hard to obtain soft wheat is because it is a cold climate wheat often sown and in the ground over the cold winters. something that isnt really done here at all,

Here is a link that you may find interesting on Australian wheats and some contact numbers 

where you might be able to find a local source!  

https://www.agtbreeding.com.au/varieties/wheat

 

I recently was able to purchase an Italian flour Caputo  which is a type O flour Manitoba Ora a 5kg bag Some of the big Supermarkets sell the 1kg bags also this is a soft wheat, could be worth trying to see if it has the characteristics you are looking for

   

https://mercato.com.au/products/caputo-manitoba-oro-flour

i used this flour for bread making as i wanted to try something a bit different and it has been a worthwhile experiment used in both s/d and a conventional yeasted dough but deliberately long fermentation period which the flour company says is well suited to.

 

 

i have yet to try it for pasta  but think it will be just fine. good luck on your search for your milling. 

Dell you havent filled in your avatar details so i dont know which state you are in?

Kind regards Derek

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

Hi Derek

thanks for the info.  I’m in the Adelaide hills ( I’ve filled it in now ta for the remind - I was listed as in the states?)

we do have a great store here in Adelaide that sells 0 and 00 flour.  I’m trying to rid the house of all bought flours and only use home milled flour. I’ve sourced Hard wheat, rye, buckwheat and oats so far and now am trying to work out what is best for  cooking what.   cookies and pastry have been my biggest problems so far.  The hard is working ok with the pasta. Kids don’t see a problem with it but I can see/taste the difference and I’m sure an Italian would definatly see it’s not quite right.

the link was interesting couldn’t see any soft wheat there at all though, makes sense why I’m having difficulty but there must be some somewhere if companies are making 100% Australian pastry flour.  

I will continue on my journey to have only milled grains and it might be a matter of dealing with not having light soft fluffy pastry and pasta lol

yozzause's picture
yozzause

Hi Dell here is another link you may find interesting and a possible contact of how and where to obtain grain a good little article to boot 

https://biodynamic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Dayle_and_Terri_Lloyd.pdf

Delldgm's picture
Delldgm

That was a great read,  an I sent an email to the biodynamics people that farm uses to see if they can suggest any where I can get the grain.  

Thanks

David R's picture
David R

"Manitoba Oro" (that is, "Manitoba Gold") is going to be hard red spring wheat, not soft white winter wheat. The high-protein high-gluten hard red wheat (not generally grown in Europe) is the only reason any Italian ever heard of Manitoba. ?

yozzause's picture
yozzause

Hi David the information on the label states that this is Type O  soft flour. and you probably do our Italians FRIENDS  a great injustice to cast doubt their abilities of geographical  recognition.

An interesting link regarding Manitoba Flour from another Italian flour producer

http://www.perteghella.it/en/news/flour-manitoba-use

David R's picture
David R

Thank you - obviously I was wrong about the flour type.

Definitely no aspersions on our (and my personal) Italian friends - and nothing about their recognition capabilities - just a joking recognition of how few other reasons there are for a European to know something about Manitoba. ?

(But there's a big sign pointing at southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba, printed in every language relevant to baking - "Wheat belongs here - let's all make bread" ?)

ValerieC's picture
ValerieC

i'm afraid that I have misled you, Deli. My apologies. I do not own a home mill and purchase flour rather than grains. Regarding pastry and biscuit making, I use Laucke's unbleached plain flour. If you prefer, this flour can also be used to make fresh pasta. I use 100% wholewheat for pasta for the higher nutrient value but it's a matter of personal preference. Good luck with all your baking. Valerie