AbstractBackground and ObjectivesPreharvest sprouting (PHSing) of wheat induces more heterogeneous germination in the field than in a controlled laboratory setting, but the former phenomenon has not been studied extensively to date. In the present study, the impacts of field‐weathering (FWing)/PHSing in soft wheats on resulting flour quality and baking performance, for soft wheat‐based baked products, were explored for twelve soft wheat cultivars.FindingsFWing/PHSing in soft wheats significantly affected test weight, break flour yield, falling number, α‐amylase activity, and solvent retention capacity. Starch‐pasting profiles for flour samples with different wheat harvest times appeared to potentially show four groups of behavior. However, the impacts of FWing/PHSing in the wheats studied were negligible on the resulting baking performance of pancakes, cookies, and crackers, but were dramatic for Japanese‐type sponge cake.ConclusionsEffects of FWing/PHSing in soft wheats on resulting wheat and flour quality, milling performance, and baking performance were confirmed. The set of tested flours in the study, milled from field‐weathered (FWed)/PH sprouted (Sed) soft wheat grains, exhibited four groups of behavior in starch‐pasting profiles, which varied significantly with wheat genotype.Significance and NoveltyA comprehensive study of FWed/PHSed soft wheats, conducted to cover different wheat genotypes and different types of baked products, is reported here for the first time.