Turkey Red Wheat comes from wheat that was brought to this country by a group of Mennonites who came from Turkey, he explains. "It became very popular. It's what made America into a wheat-producing country." It was planted in the fall and then grew in the spring.

"Today, it's sometimes called hard red winter wheat, but it's still the primary wheat we use." The gluten and protein content, as well as the flavor, make it ideal for baking, he says.

The history of wheat

In Greek mythology, the gift of wheat is attributed to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. The Romans thought it was their goddess Ceres (where the name cereal comes from) who brought wheat to the world. The Egyptians believed that the goddess Isis found wheat growing wild in Phoenicia. The Chinese also believed wheat was a gift of divine origin.

While its origins remain mysterious, archaeologists have found grains of wheat preserved in Stone Age dwelling in England, prehistoric lake dwellings in Switzerland and the tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt. It has been found in ruins in Turkey that date back to 4000 B.C., and researchers have discovered evidence that it may have been cultivated in China as early as 3000 B.C.

Scientists estimate that it was actually being used as a food source as early as 10,000 B.C.

It probably came to the New World with Columbus, but it was not until the 17th century that colonists in Massachusetts and Virginia began wide-scale production.

Source: Lehi Roller Mills

How wheat becomes flour

Here's how the process works:

"Milling is all about reduction and separation," says Sherman Robinson, owner and operator of Lehi Roller Mills. It's about separating the usable parts from a kernel of raw wheat and turning them into viable products.

When raw wheat is delivered to Lehi Roller Mills, it is analyzed as to protein and moisture content to determine quality level.

Wheat begins its journey to the bakers through a series of separators, which remove dust, any metal and other unwanted particles.

Wheat is graded according to length in the indent cylinder, which further removes any impurities and foreign matter.

Clean wheat is weighed into units of 600 pounds and stored in bins until needed.

When its time comes, the wheat is sent to a tempering conveyor, where it is mixed with water and sent to bins where it will sit for a period of time while a curing process toughens the bran coat.

It then goes to the roller mills, where it begins the process of reduction to flour and other products.

A purifier furthers separates the flour by texture and weight.