Wheat flour

Soft flour is comparatively low in gluten and thus results in a loaf with a finer, crumbly texture.

This softens the starchy "endosperm" portion of the wheat kernel, which will be separated out in the milling process to produce what is known to consumers as white flour.

The addition of moisture also stiffens the bran and ultimately reduces the energy input required to shatter the kernel, while at the same time avoiding the shattering of bran and germ particles to be separated out in this milling process by sieving or sifting.

With the invention of the roller milling system in the late 19th century, the bran and the germ were able to be removed, dramatically improving the appeal of baked products to the public.

The moistened grain is first passed through the series of break rollers, then sieved to separate out the fine particles that make up white flour.

[11] In general, a higher W index flour will require a longer rising time for leavened bread products.

[13][14] Since this test has costs associated with it, the Zeleny value may itself be estimated by EM irradiation and spectral analysis of the dry material.

[13][14] Where present, damage by insect pests[15] and fungal diseases[16] are the primary determinants of the sedimentation value, overwhelming the underlying genetic characteristics.

During World War II, the British government promoted National Flour; it was adopted in 1942 as a healthy and economic alternative to importing wheat.