Wheat Flour (Atta)

Introduction Of Wheat
Wheat (Triticum species) is a crop of global significance. It is grown in diversified environments. It is a staple food of millions of people. Approximately one-sixth of the total arable land in the world is cultivated with wheat. Wheat has a distinct place among the food grain crops. Carbohydrate and protein are two main constituents of wheat. On an average, wheat contains 11-12% protein.

Considering the quality wheat has been divided into two categories (1) soft wheat, (2) hard wheat. Triticum aestivum (bread wheat) is known as soft wheat and Triticum durum is known as hard wheat.

Hard wheats, used to make atta, have a high gluten content, which provides elasticity, so doughs made out of atta flour are strong and can be rolled out very thin. Atta was traditionally ground in the home on a stone chakki mill. Because this stone milling technique is still used (now typically at industrial scale), atta has more damaged starch than roller milled wheat flours, making the dough more sticky. This is useful when using a tandoor, where the flatbread is stuck to the inside of the oven, and also makes chapatis softer as the dough absorbs more water.

Quality Of Wheat
There are various kinds of quality of wheat depending upon its genes. The most popular and the best one is the Sharbati (also known as Sujata, 306 in different parts of the country). Sharbati is usually grown near Sehore district hence it is also sometimes called Sehori Sharbati.

Apart from Sharbati, there is Lokwan which although is bit larger in size than the Sharbati but its chapati (roti) gets hard within 4–5 hours however roti of Sharbati wheat flour is always smooth and tastes great. Nowadays, Annapurna wheat is also increasing its share. It is often termed as Nakli Sharbati (Fake Sharbati) . Its Roti also gets hard within 4–5 hours but due to its size and colour, it is better than the Lokwan. Some other popular varieties are Harshita, 1544, 1504, 302, Nandini & Malvaraj.

Quality wise, Sharbati wheat is far superior then other varieties. Roti/Chapati made of Sharbati wheat atta are much softer in comparison to others. When you prepare dough from Sharbati aata, it consume more water without becoming liquidise. Roti/Chapati/Naan, made of wheat atta, which consume more water than other varieties, are generally softer and good in taste. Even if you keep them for a long time, they will not become hard as seen with other varieties.

Identification Of Sharbati Wheat
When seen through sunlight the wheat grain of Punjab/Haryana/UP has milky texture, which makes it not fully mature and dull flavor while eating. While the wheat grain of Sehore MP will have more transparency giving mature look, which adds to its nutty flavour. The wheat grain of Sharbati is also little larger than wheat grain of northern Indian counterparts.

Chakki Fresh Atta / Whole Wheat Flour
Atta or chakki atta is a wholemeal wheat flour, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used to make flatbreads such as chapati, roti, naan, paratha and puri.

Chapati is a favorite dish in the Northern Part of India but today South Indians are also in love with this Indian flat bread. But soft and fluffy chapattis can be made only from the best Chakki Atta. Chakki Fresh Atta is 100 percent whole wheat grain, rich in nutrients, vitamins, and dietary fibre that is important for a healthy digestive system. It also helps to lower blood cholesterol and helps you get more fit.

There are majorly two ways of grinding the wheat to make the wheat flour. One is Stone Grinding Method also known as Atta Chakki which is actually a traditional conventional way for wheat grinding and the other one is grinding the wheat using commercial stainless steel roller mills. There exists a huge difference between the quality of wheat flour grinding in traditional Atta Chakkis & the modern Hi-tech roller flour mills.

Natural Whole Wheat Chakki fresh Atta is stone ground and processed from selected premium wheat grains. Freshly milled whole wheat flour gives even moisture to make chapattis soft & fresh for a long time. The best Chakki Atta is prepared through the traditional grinding process. There are several advantages to stone – ground wheat flour. Only whole grain stone-ground flour is sure to contain the grain components – endosperm, bran, and germ remain in their natural, original proportions. When the stones grind slowly, the wheat germ is not exposed to excessive temperatures, germ oil is evenly distributed and as a result, rancidity does not develop as quickly as it would be it ground by steel roller-mills. Stone-ground flour is preferred by many because of its texture, its sweet nutty flavour, and its nutritionally superior nature. Whole Wheat Chakki Atta has many health benefits: It contains Vitamin B, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, and prevents weight gain. Adding Whole Wheat Chakki Atta as simple substitutions in your eating routine helps you receive the healthful reward without giving up the nourishment.

On the contrary, roller mills grind wheat on a very high temperature resulting into burning of vital nutrients of wheat that are good for our health. We can’t also be 100 % sure of the nutritional quality of packaged atta (grinded at commercial roller mills) as there is a malpractice of skimming precious fibre through fractionation during wheat milling and selling this pure fibre at a very high price while packing rest of the fibre less wheat flour and selling it under the disguise of whole wheat flour or atta which it is actually not. This fibreless packaged atta on long term consumption is indirectly giving rise to type-2 diabetes and gluten intolerance to innocent consumers.

Comparison of Commercial roller mills vs. Stone Grinding of Wheat
• Chakki fresh Atta is milled with a stone ground process that grinds slowly and stays cool. The high speed rolling and hammering flour mills generates excess heat that “kills” the nutrients of flour.
• Industrial flour mills break and separate the bran, wheat germ, produce white flour and then add them back to produce whole wheat flour. This process does not allow the mingling of the endosperm and wheat germ oil.
• Whole wheat flour produced by commercial milling of wheat kernel is also referred as berries. The process involves the breaking of bran that locks and protects all the nutrients of kernel. Then the middling is removed and finally, most essential wheat germ is removed.
• Wheat germ and wheat germ oil is highly nutritious and composes 90% of nutritional value in a wheat berry. The wheat germ oil has no shelf life and it quickly turns rancid. The wheat germ oil is removed from all commercial flours available in the market as per government regulations.
• Milling temperatures of 60⁰C and above completely destroy vitamins in the flour. Typically, roller-based flour mills reach temperatures of up to 90⁰C while processing flour compared to 40-60⁰C in a stone ground chakki.
• Stone ground fresh flour is always the first choice owing to its lovely flavor and fibrous texture. When compared to roller-milled flour, especially when from hard wheat, Stone-milled flour is relatively high in thiamine.