Durum Berries

Grain Profile

Species: Triticum durum

Flavor: Mild, sweet, nutty

Fun fact: The Latin word “durum” literally means “hard”, a fitting name for the hardest of all wheats.

Accounting for appx 5-8% of global wheat production, durum is a distant second to common wheat, but absolutely vital in pantries and restaurants across the world. Aptly nicknamed “macaroni wheat” durum’s very hard kernels and high protein content make it the gold standard in noodle-making. Related to both emmer and KAMUT/khorasan wheats, the vivid yellow endosperm of durum kernels creates the iconic color of quality pasta.

Our semolina flour is made from stone milling whole durum wheat berries into a coarse, whole grain flour similar in texture to KAMUT and emmer. While pasta is clearly a forte, semolina flour can also be used in a variety of other bakes, like cakes, cookies, and delicious Moroccan khobz. Despite being a very hard wheat, it is not as ideally suited to traditional bread as the more common hard wheats. This is because the gluten in durum is very strong (good for holding a shape in pasta) but not very elastic (good for bread rising). However, it can add a dimension of texture and flavor to bread when used as a percentage.