Durum Wheat Semolina – Good or Bad?

QUESTION:

Durum Wheat Semolina – Good or Bad – What is it What is Durum Wheat Semolina?

ANSWER:

There are two most popular forms of wheat – durum wheat and whole wheat.

Durum wheat is a spring wheat that is usually ground into semolina and used to make pasta. It can also be ground finer to make bread or pizza dough. Durum wheat is harder than bread wheat. More grinding is needed to create flour, which damages the starch content. This makes it hard to use for bread as the starch is needed for fermentation so that it can rise.

Whole wheat is wheat that has its bran, germ and endosperm still intact. This makes it nutrient rich in comparison to refined wheat. It is more elastic and lends itself to baking better.

From an additive perspective, generally speaking, it is good.