Durum Wheat

One of the three main types of wheat and the hardest variety grown. The other two main types or classifications are soft wheat and hard wheat. Durum wheat is used almost exclusively for making pasta and is most often ground into a granular flour with a light yellow color known as semolina, which has the ideal properties for making the best pasta. (Italian pasta makers never refer to semolina as flour – they refer to it as grain.) Durum is high in protein and gluten, which are necessary for making good pasta. It is occasionally used for baked goods (especially risen breads), but it is not used as often as soft and hard wheat for this purpose.