What is Bulgur Wheat?
If you’ve never (or rarely) used bulgur wheat (burghul), you may be mistaken into thinking this is a type of grain/wheat. In fact, bulgur wheat is simply wheat berries (this can be from several types of wheat species but mostly durum wheat, which is also used for pasta and couscous) that are par-boiled until the wheat berries are about to crack open, and then “cracked”/ground down in several grind types (including fine, medium, coarse, and extra coarse). The resulting ingredient is very popular in Mediterranean and Middle East cuisine. While it’s often confused with “cracked wheat,” the two aren’t the same since bulgur wheat is par-booked and cracked wheat is not. For that reason, bulgur wheat doesn’t actually require any further cooking; soaking is enough (as is done for tabbouleh). However, you can also cook it further, too – for example as a pilaf or with sauces, etc. While bulgur wheat isn’t hard to find in grocery stores here in the UK, that isn’t the case everywhere, though. So I thought I’d take you through how to make bulgur wheat from wheat berries. For more simple DIYs you might enjoy, feel free to check out my posts for homemade crispy onions, harissa paste, homemade bouillon cubes (and powder), homemade herb salt, date syrup, and pomegranate molasses!
The Ingredients/Materials
Wheat: there are several types of wheat you can use. However, I recommend durum wheat. Grinding tool: you have several options for grinding the wheat, including a blender, grain mill, spice grinder, or even a ziplock bag and a rolling pin. Strainers: to easily sift the ground bulgur wheat into different categories (fine, medium, coarse), you’ll need at least two strainers. You’ll need one fine-mesh sieve and one medium. You could even use one slightly larger one too (to separate the coarse and extra coarse pieces).
How to Make Bulgur Wheat
Step 1: Soak the wheat
First, transfer the wheat to a large bowl with enough cold water to cover it by 2-inches. Then leave it to soak overnight. Quick soak method: alternatively, you can use boiling water and leave it to soak for around 2-3 hours.
Step 2: Cook the wheat
Next, we need to cook the wheat berries until al dente. To do this, combine the wheat and enough water to cover them with at least an inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer for between 60-80 minutes. The wheat is ready when it breaks down easily when pressed between your finger and thumb.
Step 3: Leave it to dry
There are three ways to leave the wheat to dry: air-drying, in the oven, or using a dehydrator. To air-dry, spread the wheat in a single layer across a large tray (or multiple trays if needed). Then leave until fully dry. This method is best done in warm/dry climates and can take up to 2 days to fully dry. Alternatively, you can spread them across dehydrator trays or oven trays and dehydrate at 100ºF/40ºC (if your oven goes that low) until fully dried – which should only take several hours. Lastly, you could spread them across baking trays in the oven at 200ºF/95ºC until they are dried enough to “crack” easily – this is usually between 1-2 hours.
Step 4: Grind the wheat
You can either use a blender, grain mill, spice grinder, or even a ziplock bag and a rolling pin to crack the wheat. The amount you grind them for will impact their coarseness. I recommend doing this in small batches so you don’t over-blend/process the grains closest to the blade. When using a spice grinder, I recommend using it for 20-30 seconds, shaking a little. For a high-speed blender, pulse and shake the jug to more evenly grind the wheat. Lastly, it’s time to sift/sieve the mixture to separate the different coarseness of the bulgur wheat. First, use a fine-mesh sieve to first strain the “floury” consistency (this can be used as superfine/fine bulgur for puddings, etc.). Then use a sieve with slightly larger holes to sift once more. The sifted bulgur will be a “medium” coarseness bulgur. The remaining unsifted bulgur wheat will be a combination of coarse/extra-coarse.
How to Store
Store the bulgur wheat in an airtight container in a cool, dry location for up to 6 months (it should last more than 12 months, but I try to use each batch within 6). You can also freeze it for several years!
How to Use Bulgur Wheat
Bulgur wheat is a whole grain and can be used in many ways that other grains can. Here are just a few ways you can use bulgur wheat:
Use in salads – like Lebanese tabbouleh salad or Kamounit Banadoura (bulgur wheat salad). As part of Mujadara Hamra (Lentils & Bulgur) Use to make a pilaf dish (pilav/pilau). Turn into a porridge (fine bulgur) or puddings. Use in place of brown rice or couscous in recipes. Add to soups and stews. Mix into meatloaf. You can add it to falafels. Use it to stuff veggies – like stuffed peppers or stuffed tomatoes. Add it to baked goods like bread and muffins.
Method Top Tips
Be careful not to overprocess the wheat: otherwise, you’ll end up with a ton of very fine particles and not enough medium/coarse ones. Grind in batches: this is important for avoiding over-griding and making the grinding process easier to control. Don’t skip sieving: if you don’t, you’ll find that the very fineparticles will become a paste-consistency in the time it takes to cook the largest pieces (which won’t cook fully with the soak method).
Related Recipes & DIYs
How to make chickpea flour How to make rye flour (pumpernickel flour) Homemade lentil flour How to make oat flour How to perfectly cook quinoa Perfectly fluffy brown rice Homemade powdered milk How to Make Baking Powder – also check my detailed post on Baking Soda vs Baking Powder
If you try this method on how to make bulgur wheat at home, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
