Products made using pastry flour include, cookies, cakes, pie crust, donuts, layered pastries, wafers, cones, batters, pancakes, waffles, soup thickeners, muffins, and biscuits. In general, the desirable data ranges for pastry flour represent soft kernel texture, no field sprouting, high milling qualities, medium protein content, low alkaline water retention, high test weight and grain condition, medium protein strength, and baking qualities that are typical of soft wheats having those characteristics. The specific attributes are defined in the tables. These characteristics should be target goals for soft wheat breeders developing pastry quality soft wheats for the eastern United States.

Products made using cracker/export flour include chemically leavened crackers, fermented dough crackers, pretzels, and various international pan and flat breads. In general, the desirable data ranges for cracker/export flour represent medium kernel texture, no field sprouting, high milling qualities, high protein content, medium alkaline water retention, high test weight and grain condition, strong protein strength, and baking qualities that are typical of soft wheats having those characteristics. The specific attributes are defined in the table. These characteristics should be target goals for soft wheat breeders developing cracker/export quality soft wheats for the eastern United States.

Some characteristics, especially protein content, influence other quality characteristics. The various ranges in the table are based on the presumption that all characteristics, especially protein content, are within the desirable range. The specific ranges are for typical wheats grown under typical growing conditions that meet the U.S. #2 grade or better. Test samples that do not meet that standard will usually appear atypical and inferior in many test results. They also are very difficult to evaluate for quality without comparison with a known standard wheat grown at the same location under optimum conditions. Cultivars should be subjected to similar and typical agronomic production practices. They also should be planted and harvested at optimum dates for their location.

The quality goals for soft wheat depend upon the desired end use. A pastry flour has different requirements than a flour that is milled for crackers or export. Both types require a wheat with high test weight, no sprouting, and high flour yield, but the pastry flour requires a wheat with soft kernel texture, with medium protein content and strength, and low A.W.R.C. Wheat grown for export or cracker production should have medium kernel texture, with high protein that is stronger than the pastry flour, and with medium A.W.R.C.

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