Milling Wheat

White flour is made entirely from the endosperm or protein/starchy part of the grain, leaving behind the germ and the bran or fiber part. In addition to marketing the bran and germ as products in their own right, middlings include shorts (making up approximately 12% of the original grain, consisting of fractions of endosperm, bran, and germ with an average particle size of 500-900 microns) and red dog (actually a low-grade flour, making up approximately 3% of the original grain, consisting of fractions of endosperm and bran, with an average particle size of 100-300 microns). The middlings include those portions of the wheat kernel that are richest in proteins, vitamins, lipids and minerals. For example, highly refined patent flour may contain only 10 to 12% of the total thiamine and niacin, 20% of the phosphorus, and 50% of the calcium of the parent grain