Durum wheat or macaroni wheat (also spelled Durhum;[a] Triticum
durum or Triticum turgidum durum[1]) is the only tetraploid species
of wheat of commercial importance that is widely cultivated
today.[2] It was developed by artificial selection of the
domesticated emmer wheat (like emmer, durum wheat is awned) strains
formerly grown in Central Europe and the Near East around ***0 BC,
which developed a naked, free-threshing form.[3] Durum in Latin
means "hard", and the species is the hardest of all wheats. Its
high protein content, as well as its strength, make durum good for
special uses, the most well-known being pasta which in Italy is
exclusively made from durum wheat.[4] Durum wheat is used
extensively in breadmaking. However, it is unusual in that, despite
very high protein content, it is low in desirable gluten needed to
form a glutinous web necessary for bread to rise. As a result,
although **0 percent durum wheat breads do exist, such as pagnotte
di Enna from Sicily, as well as others, in most instances bread
doughs contain only a portion of durum wheat and are supplemented
substantially with commercial white flours, often those higher in
gluten necessary to offset the poor gluten contribution of durum
flour. When durum flour is used as the sole flour in bread,
substantial additions of isolated wheat gluten are necessary to
effect rising. Without it, **0 percent durum wheat breads are often
heavy, with very close grain, and will split easily when risen for
baking.
