Hard red spring wheat is grown principally in North and South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and the Prairie Provinces of Canada, where the winters are too severe to grow winter wheat.
It may be grown in other areas to replace winter wheat that has failed due to winter killing, drought or other causes.
The principle hard red spring wheat districts have a fairly deep black soil and dry, hot summers, both important factors in the production of a high grade wheat suitable for milling as bread flour.
Hard red spring wheat is divided into three subclasses according to its content of dark, hard, and vitreous kernels. These subclasses are:
*Dark northern spring wheat – hard red spring wheat with 745% or more of dark, hard and vitreous kernels
*Northern spring wheat- hard red spring wheat with 25% or more but less 75% dark, hard and vitreous kernels
*Red spring wheat – hard red spring wheat with less 25% of dark, hard and vitreous kernels.
Overall, hard red spring accounts for about 20% of the total wheat acreage in the United States.
This class of wheat is typically used for making pan, hearth bread and rolls. The highest quality breads are made from hard red spring wheat. This due to it has highest amount of gluten of the commonly grown wheats.
Hard Red Spring Wheat
