Rye Flour: export from Canada to ASEAN

Rye flour behaves nothing like wheat flour and should not be substituted into a wheat process. Rye has limited gluten function; structure comes from pentosans and starch instead, which means the dough is stickier, the process differs and the formulation has to be built for it.

The specification is extraction rate, ash, falling number and colour. Extraction determines whether you have light, medium or dark rye flour, and those are different products with different applications: light for blended breads, dark for traditional sour and pumpernickel styles.

Sourdough is not optional for most rye breads; the acidity is what controls the starch behaviour. A buyer new to rye should plan the process alongside the ingredient.

Canadian milling runs off the domestic rye crop. Ask for falling number specifically, since it varies by crop year and governs bakery performance more than any other single number.

Rye flour classifies separately from rye grain. A bakery switching from importing grain to importing flour should re-check the duty position rather than carry the old assumption across, and we will confirm both lines with their sources.