From a given batch of 100 pounds of grain, only 72 pounds of straight flour result. A straight flour is one in which all the various of flours are combined. Of the remaining 28 pounds, the separated bran or germ may be added back in varying percentages to make ‘Whole Wheat’ flour. The final shorts – a mixture of bran bits, plus some pulverized endosperm and germ – is sold as animal feed. The 72 percent extraction rate, meaning there is little or no bran or germ in the finished flour. European flours generally have a slightly higher extraction rate – between 75 and 78 percent. The inclusion of more bran and French bread flour has about 2 percent less protein than American bread flour. Many artisan bread bakers making hearth breads prefer a higher extraction flour (one with more residual bran and germ) for its flavor and baking quality. Home bakers can achieve roughly the same substance by adding a small percentage of sifted whole wheat to their bread flour.