If you are new to milling, the variety of wheat berries available can be overwhelming. From ancient grains to modern hard wheat, every berry has a specific purpose. To clarify which you should use, consider the project you are working on. For my sourdough lovers, let me help you decide which ones will give you the best results, as well as how you will store the grain.
By the end of this blog, you will have a great understanding of which wheat berries to get and what the top grains overall are. It’s important to understand what kind of wheat berries go into our flour, so we can get the health benefits of nutritious freshly milled ancient grains without our dishes falling apart.
Whether your next project is the perfect Honey Whole Wheat Bread, or a delectable protein muffin for breakfast, you will have all the best wheat berries laid out for you.
What You’ll Learn:
The 7 Best Wheat Berries for Bread and Sourdough: We’ll count down the top 7 wheat berries for fermentation, from “finicky” ancient grains to the superstars that make your bread stand tall.
The Secret to Soft Bakes: Why you should stop using bread flour for your muffins and which pastry-style wheat berries will give you that perfect, tender crumb.
Grain Storage 101: My tried-and-true methods for keeping your bulk grains fresh, bug-free, and nutrient-dense for months (or even decades!)
FREE Download and FAQ: A helpful PDF download of all my favorite tools and answers to most asked questions!
Say goodbye to decision fatigue and find your new favorite grains!
The 7 Best Wheat Berries for Bread and Sourdough
I know there are lots of sourdough enthusiasts out there these days. With more people starting their baking journey, it is important to understand which grains are the best for your sourdough. Then you can not only start making this delicious bread, you can start milling your own grain as well.
Milling your own wheat has a significant effect on sourdough, as it behaves differently. Fermentation changes everything!
Some wheat berries can bloom and deepen the flavor of your sourdough; others will give it an overly chewy texture, and some will collapse. But there are a few superstar grains for your sourdough that thrive when given long fermentation.
Today, let’s look at the top 7 grains for sourdough and long fermentation, ranked from worst to best. This will give you a clear view on which nutritious grains to mill when you’re ready to get that sourdough starter going and which ones are better used as other ingredients in the recipe.
If you’ve already started with sourdough, and your fresh-milled flour is making it dense, tight, flat, or too sour, choosing the right grain can solve all your problems. So let’s get started!
#7: Using Emmer Wheat in Sourdough Blends
At number 7, we have Emmer. This grain has a beautiful aroma during fermentation and gives your bread a warm caramel flavor; however, it is still not ideal for sourdough. It has low gluten and a weak structure, which results in an overly sticky dough.
This doesn’t mean you can never use Emmer in your sourdough, but you shouldn’t use over 20-30% in your blends to avoid that chewy texture. This way, you can get the delicious flavor it offers without sacrificing the structure.
Summary: Use these wheat berries sparingly for their caramel relish.
#6: Can You Use Millet in Sourdough Recipes?
Millet comes in at number 6. This gluten-free grain offers a mild, sweet flavor, softens the crumb, and is great for an open texture when blended. Similarly to Emmer, it lacks structure and can create pastry crumb — not ideal when making the perfect sourdough.
It is not recommended to use over 10-20%, but if you are making a porridge-style sourdough, this grain works beautifully. If you end up using this grain as part of a mixture, it pairs well with spelt, white wheat, or red wheat.
Summary: Gluten-free and honeylike grain, but best when used in small doses and mixed with top-tier grains.
#5: Baking Sourdough with Einkorn Ancient Grains
Einkorn has a buttery flavor and is aromatic in sourdough. As a benefit for your gut, this ancient grain is highly digestible because of its levels of starch and protein. Einkorn also makes for a VERY sticky dough and has weak gluten, making it difficult to work with.
Einkorn is best in blends of 30-50%. Expect a 100% Einkorn sourdough to have a dense, tight crumb. Under long fermentation, it almost has a custard texture, but flour from this grain is not the one for an open crumb.
Summary: Einkorn is deliciously buttery and gut-healthy, but difficult to work with; ideal for sandwich-style or enriched sourdough.
#4: Why Rye is Essential for Tangy Sourdough
Rye takes the number 4 spot. Not only does rye ferment beautifully, but it gives the sourdough a deep flavor, mimicking molasses, cocoa, and spice. This grain will stay moist for days, and even better than that, it works with both fast and slow fermentation.
Though these wheat berries are great for your dough, they have a few cons:
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- Little gluten content
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- Gets sticky, can be hard to work with
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- Has high pentosans, which makes it difficult to score
Rye is best at 10-40% for classic, European-style loaves or 100% for the dense German-style options.
Summary: Under sourdough fermentation, rye creates a base that offers a dark, tangy, and aromatic taste, but should be used under specific circumstances.
#3: Spelt Wheat Berries for Faster Fermentation
Spelt is one of the most fermentation-friendly wheat berries out there. If you’re looking to save time, you’re in luck, as it ferments quickly.
This beautifully aromatic grain produces a soft, tender crumb in sourdough and has high-extensibility, meaning it has potential for an open crumb, which is what we like to see!
There are a few difficult aspects to working with this flour. Fermentation can go wrong easily, as it’s prone to over-fermentation and can spread if the hydration levels are high. It is also not as elastic as modern wheat berries.
For the best use in your sourdough, use 50-70% and combine it with 30-50% hard wheat.
Summary: Spelt gives you a sourdough that tastes warmer and more complex, but has struggles with fermentation. Try out this naturally honeyed loaf at least once!
#2: Hard Red Wheat for Traditional Artisan Crusts
As we near the end of this list, these last two options are the ones you will really want to pay attention to, as they are the absolute best options for sourdough. In the number 2 spot is Hard Red Wheat, a.k.a. Hard Red Winter Wheat, and it definitely earns it, being a wheat that absolutely loves long fermentation.
This wheat has very strong gluten and excellent structure. It rises strong and tall, and it gives your sourdough a deep, nutty, and complex sour spin.
Hard Red Wheat is also the perfect grain to pair with wild yeast.
But a warning—if you don’t care for your sourdough to be overly sour, take care not to ferment Hard Red Wheat too long, or it can become overly sour. Also make sure you give that dough some extra hydration. The high bran content makes it so that this grain requires a little more water for the perfect loaf. But as bran is where a lot of the B vitamins that make our wheat hearty come from, I’m happy to add a little extra water!
You should use this grain as 50-100% of your dough, and don’t be shy to use it for the whole thing! However, if you’re looking for more flavor complexity, mix it with spelt or rye, which pair amazingly with the nuttiness of Hard Red Wheat.
Summary: It is perfect for rustic boules, batards, and artisan loaves, but can become overly sour. Red Wheat sourdough tastes like real bakery bread—hearty, tangy, nutty, and bold.
#1: Hard White Wheat—The Ultimate Sourdough Grain for Fresh-Milled Flour
And finally, at number 1, our absolute best all-around grain for sourdough and that long fermentation we all enjoy: Hard White Wheat.
This grain has very strong gluten, giving it the best structure. Unlike Hard Red Wheat, Hard White Wheat has a milder flavor, meaning you don’t have to look out for it getting too sour during the fermentation process. It is also less bitter than Red Wheat.
When you use this grain, you will end up with a soft, creamy crumb that is perfect for the whole family. And it is extremely versatile, so you can use this grain in a multitude of different projects and it will still work well.
The only real drawback with this flour is that when it is all on its lonesome, it has less flavor complexity, but there are still plenty of options to mix-and-match grains and flavor palates. Try new mixes (following the suggestions in this list, of course) and find your favorite!
Here are some further suggestions to get you started mixing and baking.
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- 100% Hard White Wheat – results in a beautiful sourdough
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- Add 10-20% Rye for a slight tang
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- Add 20-40% Spelt for extra softness
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- Add 20-30% Kamut for nice, buttery notes of flavor
Summary: All in all, Hard White Wheat creates a creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy dough, which bakes into a perfect, everyday sourdough loaf. Grab some HERE to get started milling and baking!
For a further breakdown of the best organic wheat berries for your sourdough, check out this video, where I go further into all seven of the best wheat berries listed.
Best Wheat Berry Blends for Sourdough
If you want sourdough that’s tall, open-crumbed, flavorful, and aromatic, blends are where the magic happens. And we all want sourdough that’s the full package!
This list will give you the best blend ratios depending on what you’re looking for in your loaf, even if it is the complete package you’re seeking.
Best Everyday Sourdough Blend with Freshly Milled Grains
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- 70% Hard White Wheat
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- 20% Spelt
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- 10% Rye
Best Flavor-Forward Blend
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- 60% Hard Red Wheat
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- 30% Spelt
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- 10% Rye
Best Soft and Custardy Sourdough
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- 50% Einkorn
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- 50% Hard White Wheat
Best Rustic Ancient Grain Sourdough
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- 50% Spelt
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- 30% Emmer
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- 20% Hard Red Wheat
Best Beginner-Friendly Fresh-Milled Bread
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- 80% Hard White Wheat
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- 20% Spelt
And there you have it! The best blends for your bread. I hope you’ll choose at least one to try next time you’re ready for some fresh sourdough. Get out of your comfort zone and start milling! Trust me, the amazing bread that will pop out of your oven, waiting for a nice slab of butter to melt onto it, will be well worth it.
If you’re feeling inspired but want a little hand-holding to get that perfect rise, my Breadmaking Course is designed to turn any beginner into a confident home baker.
Top 4 Best Ancient Grains for Soft Bakes such as Muffins & Cookies
When it comes to ancient grains, you want to use them for tenderness in your baked goods. I know I love a soft, fluffy muffin, and I’m sure you do too.
If you’ve been using the same grains for your muffins, biscuits, pancakes, and cookies that you use for bread, you are missing out on so much flavor and tenderness.
Not to worry, because this ranking will give you plenty of direction on what you should use. You may notice familiar names from the list of the best ancient grains for bread. Some of the ancient grains that were lower in ranking there do amazingly on this list!
While Hard Wheat berries were the superstars of sourdough, your baked goods would not appreciate their use. Soft wheat berries are the ones that shine here, being the best to bring out for those baking recipes we all want to try.
Let’s count down the top four wheat berries you should use for your soft bakes. #1 is the absolute best wheat berry to use!
#4: Using Einkorn for Flavorful, Nutty Cookies and Pancakes
Einkorn is one of the most flavorful ancient grains you should use in your baked goods. Compared to other grains, it is tender, soft, and has a delicious honey flavor.
While it can get dense due to the high-protein content, its robust flavor is best used in cooking these treats:
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- Pancakes
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- Cookies
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- Tender Muffins
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- Shortbread
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- Soft Biscuits
#3: Spelt Wheat Berries for Digestive Health and Tender Muffins
Spelt is one of the most versatile ancient grains for soft baking. It has a nutty taste and is easy to digest. But be warned; it creates more delicate doughs, and over-mixing can lead to spreading.
The spelt wheat berry offers a tender crumb and is perfect for a 50/50 blend with soft wheat flour. Its warm, nutty taste is perfect in:
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- Cookies
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- Scones
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- Biscuits
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- Muffins
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- Pancakes
#2: Why Emmer Wheat Shines in Golden, Soft-Baked Goods
This ancient grain may struggle in bread, but it SHINES in soft bakes. Though it has a sticky dough and remains low-rise, it gives soft, tender results with a gorgeous golden color. It’s perfect when mixed 50/50 with spelt or 70/30 with soft wheat flour.
Emmer’s golden shade and its heavenly flavor are perfect for many baked goods, including:
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- Muffins
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- Pancakes
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- Cookies
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- Shortcakes
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- Soft Scones
#1: Soft White Wheat: The Ultimate “Pastry Wheat” for Fluffy Biscuits and Cakes
Unlike the hard wheat varieties that thrive in bread, soft wheat berries are the perfect choice for soft baked goods. These wheat berries are so good in this kind of bake that it is known as pastry wheat.
Soft White Wheat is perfect for:
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- Muffins
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- Cookies
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- Biscuits
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- Pancakes
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- Waffles
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- Cakes
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- Pastries
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- Scones
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- Shortbread
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- Pie Crust
Soft white wheat is amazing for these baked goods! Due to its very low glycemic index, this whole wheat has maximum tenderness — perfect for biting into those fluffy waffles for breakfast. This wheat is the ideal option (though definitely not for your bread) with its sweet, mild flavor, beautiful color, ability to mix easily, and amazing texture. Soft white wheat berries are the complete package.
If you’re ready to whip up that batch of perfectly chewy cookies like I know I am, grab that grain mill and pull those wheat berries out of your grain storage, making sure those perfect pastry wheat berry options are up to bat!
If you’re looking for a roadmap to put all these wheat berries to use, my book Satisfied is the perfect companion. It’s packed with delicious, whole-grain recipes, helping you create nutritious baked goods your family will actually love.
Grain Storage Guide: The Best Ways to Keep Your Wheat Berries Fresh
Now that you have all these wheat berry blends and ideas for recipes swirling in your head, it’s important to know how to store those ancient grains. Once you stock up on bulk grains, proper grain storage is essential to keep them fresh and keep you eating healthier flour.
Whole wheat berries can last for 25 or more years if you maintain the correct grain storage. I will break down the best grain storage for everyday and long-term options, giving you the best way to keep your wheat berries bug-proof, moisture-proof, and tasting amazing. while preserving their nutritional value. You can be confident when you buy wheat berries in bulk, because you will know the best ways to store them!
Short-Term Grain Storage for Everyday Baking: 0-3 Months
If you are an every-day baker or someone who pulls out that grain mill weekly, these grain storage methods will be the best for you, and can be used with any wheat berries.
While the goal is fresh wheat kernels, they will also need to be accessible and easy to grab when it’s time to grind up that wheat flour and pre-heat the oven.
The best options for everyday grain storage are:
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- Glass Jars
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- Sturdy, Food-Grade Plastic Containers
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- Tight-Seal Lids: Gamma Lids
Once you pop those wheat berries into one of these storage containers, make sure you place them in a cool, dry place, such as your pantry or a cabinet that is away from the oven to stay away from humidity. Even with all these safeguards, it’s always best to check your wheat berries for a musty smell before cooking with them.
Storing Bulk Grains for 6–12 Months: Buckets and Gamma Lids
This method is best for when you’re buying wheat berries in bulk. Buying 25-50 pound bags of wheat berries at a time or even more, you’ll need to plan to store them as you will most likely not need all the wheat flour at one time.
When storing ancient grains beyond a few months, it’s vital to protect against humidity, which can easily creep in and ruin your stash of wheat berries.
For a 6-12 month storage period, the best way to do this is with a 5-Gallon Food-Grade Bucket and Gamma twist lids. You can get this with or without Mylar inside. Oxygen absorbers are optional for a 6-12 month storage period, but can be helpful for your wheat berries.
I use a bucket to store my bulk spelt, white wheat, red wheat, and rye. This method keeps bugs, light, and moisture out while providing an excellent seal and protection from being crushed.
Long-Term Grain Storage: Using Mylar Bags and Oxygen Absorbers for 1-10 Years
To store your wheat berries for 1-10 years, you will need another bucket, this time with a Mylar bag. This method is best for homesteads, prepping, or when buying 100 pounds of bulk grains. This method offers stability and nutrient preservation, so that your flour is still perfect for your favorite recipes years later.
Get a Mylar bag, 5 mil or thicker, for this set-up and a 1-5 gallon food-grade bucket. The bucket will go outside the Mylar to protect it from any sneaky rodents, and inside, you will need oxygen absorbers. These should range from 300-2000 cc depending on the size of your bag and bucket.
With a Mylar bag and a Food-Grade bucket, your ancient grains will have a 100% oxygen barrier, 100% light barrier, and protection from bugs that give it decades-long freshness. Even when you’re ready to grind up some whole wheat flour years later, your wheat berries will smell freshly harvested.
How to Prevent Pantry Pests and Bugs in Your Wheat Berries
Preventing bugs from invading your stash of wheat berries is one of the most important aspects of storing them. All of these ancient grain storage methods prioritize keeping the freshness in and the creepy-crawlies out.
If you’ve ever battled pantry moths or weevils, you know how heartbreaking it is, but wheat berries are easy to defend if you know how to do it right. Here are five tips to keep them away from your wheat berries so that you don’t find any extra protein in your dishes.
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- Freeze your wheat berries for 72 hours to kill any existing eggs
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- Store only in sealed containers (stay away from paper bags, cloth bags, open bins, and thin plastic)
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- Store wheat berries in a clean and dry area
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- Add bay leaves, which can deter bugs
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- Use oxygen absorbers for long-term storage
Use these methods with the above storage methods for your bulk ancient grains. You will also want to keep your wheat berries in a temperature range of 45-70°F. Keeping bulk grains cool keeps them from losing their freshness and nutrients. The closer to the bottom of this range, the better.
Welcome to Ancient Grain Mastery
Congratulations! By this point in the blog, you have discovered the mysteries of hard white wheat berries, soft wheat and other whole grains (and how they turn your flour into a dish that’s nutritious and tastes amazing!) as well as figured out the best way to store them.
So get ready to grind up that flour and cook those recipes. Remember, for the freshest, fluffiest loaves, break out those hard wheat berries and mix them according to the options above to get the bread your heart desires.
The right wheat berries can make the difference between a disaster and a dish your family will beg you to make over and over again.
If you’re still looking for the perfect mill, check out these Top Home Grain Mills, where I list the best options and provide which online retailers to get them from.
With these amazing options, you can enjoy all your flour-based recipes and get all the vitamins and health benefits from freshly milled grains. Not only that, but knowing how to store them will keep your flour in stock and full of nutrients for years to come.
Happy baking!
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Frequently Asked Questions about Wheat Berries and Ancient Grains
1. What’s the difference between hard and soft wheat berries? Think of it like this: hard wheat berries (both red and white) are the athletes of the grain world—they have the muscle (protein) to stretch and hold up a big, beautiful loaf of bread. Soft wheat berries are much more delicate. They have less protein and more starch, which is exactly what you want when you’re chasing that melt-in-your-mouth texture for a tray of biscuits or a batch of chewy cookies.
2. Are ancient grains easier to digest than modern wheat? Ancient grains like Einkorn and Spelt haven’t been tinkered with by modern science, so their gluten structure is much simpler and more fragile. While they aren’t gluten-free, they are often much gentler on the digestive system. If modern flour leaves you feeling sluggish or bloated, these heritage grains might just be your new best friend.
3. Why is my fresh-milled sourdough coming out so dense and heavy? Don’t get discouraged—we’ve all had a few “sourdough bricks” in our time! When you mill your own wheat berries, you’re getting 100% of the bran. Those tiny bits of bran can act like little scissors, snipping through your gluten bubbles as the bread rises. Try using a higher percentage of hard white wheat for strength, and don’t be afraid to add a splash more water. That bran is thirsty!
4. How long can I actually keep my wheat berries in grain storage? The beauty of the whole berry is that it’s a little “time capsule” of nutrition. If you just keep them in a jar in your pantry, they’ll stay fresh for about 6 to 12 months. But if you get serious about your grain storage—I’m talking Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers—these berries can stay fresh and nutrient-dense for a decade or more! It’s the ultimate way to food-prep for your family.
5. Can I use Red Wheat and White Wheat interchangeably? You sure can, but your taste buds will notice! Hard white wheat is the “friendly” grain—it’s mild, sweet, and hides well in recipes for picky eaters. Hard red wheat is much more “in your face” with a bold, nutty, and slightly bitter flavor. If you want that classic artisan bakery taste, go red. If you want a soft, creamy loaf the kids will love for sandwiches, stick with the white.
