When you’re a prairie province like we are, you can pretty much guarantee that there’s going to be some wheat being grown. In fact, Alberta grew 10.3 Million tonnes of wheat in 2019. While the majority of our wheat is exported (about 62% of Alberta wheat was exported to other countries in 2019), most of what remains in the province is processed into flours.
Canadian wheat is known around the world for its versatility, strength, milling characteristics and superior end-product. But how do you know which wheat is best for your cooking and baking?
Life’s Simple Ingredient does a great job breaking down the 3 main classes of wheat grown in Canada and shared their favourite ways to use each one based on their individual characteristics:
Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS)
Canadian Western Red Spring wheat is the most widely grown wheat in Western Canada and is known for its high protein content and milling and baking quality. CWRS is often blended with other wheat varieties to improve the quality and protein content of the flour blend. It’s great for a variety of recipes, including noodles, hearth and flatbreads. Try it when you make this simple pizza dough.
Canadian Western Amber Durum (CWAD)
Canada is the leading exporter of durum wheat in the world. CWAD is known for its beautiful bright yellow colour and high protein content and semolina yield, making it an excellent choice for making pasta and couscous. Durum wheat has exceptional cooking quality, firmness and tolerance to overcooking. Want to try making your own pasta with CWAD? Try a simple egg noodle recipe.
Canadian Prairie Spring Red (CPSR)
Canadian Prairie Spring Red wheat is a star when making all types of breads and crackers. It’s known for producing a strong dough with good elasticity and extensibility, which makes for a high-volume loaf of bread and perfect breadcrumbs. CPSR has a medium protein content and there is a low protein loss when the wheat is processed from wheat to flour. CPSR dough is easy to handle when mixing and baking, making it a great choice for bread recipes like this wheat, seed and honey bread recipe.
To learn more about these types of wheats and for more delicious wheat recipes, check out LifesSimpleIngredient.com.