29/03/2026
Last week I was involved in a great project!
A local farmer had the brilliant idea to trial heritage wheat using modern farming methods. He tested 14 different varieties, starting with Australia’s first bred wheat—Federation from 1901—right through to the wheat we grow today 🌾
The results were fascinating…
As yields increased from the heritage varieties to modern wheat, protein levels steadily declined.
As part of this project, I was asked to mill all 14 grains and turn them into bread for the SEPWA AGM and presentation.
It was such a hands-on way to really see (and feel) the differences between each variety.
Out of the 14, only one didn’t love becoming bread—Tincurrin. It’s a much softer wheat, making it better suited to cakes and biscuits.
All of the others performed quite well, but one really stood out.
Spear wheat, first released in the late 1980s, was by far the nicest to work with as a dough.
With a protein content of 13.6%, it had great structure, strength, and handling.
It’s incredibly interesting to see how these differences show up not just in the paddock—but in the kitchen too.
