Basic Grain berry anatomy

What we consider grains, either eaten whole or milled into flour, are the seeds of a plant in the grass family. As eaters, we typically refer to these seeds as whole grains or grain berries. Each grain berry is made up of the endosperm, the germ, and the bran. Whole grains and whole grain flours keep all three of these parts in the same proportion as they’re found in nature. Flours can be refined by removing some or all of the germ and bran for different uses in baking, but the nutritional value of the germ and bran are also lost.

Thank you to Justin Young of Design Chef for this illustration!