If you want to make the best pizza at home, you need to start with the basics. Great ingredients are key. And when we break it down to the basics, quality flour is absolutely essential! You will want to use the best flour for your home pizza dough.
It doesn’t matter if you’re using a wood-fired oven, a gas fired oven, or your standard kitchen oven, your best results will be achieved if you start with the proper flour.
So, what is the best flour to use for your home-made pizza dough? To answer this we need to discuss the different types of flour and their relative strength (gluten/protein).
Types of Wheat Flour
Flour is made by processing Wheat. It is refined and sifted, and the more processing it goes through, the finer the flour. However, with more refining, the flour loses its nutrients (fibre, vitamin, protein, fats and enzymes).
The finest processed flour is “00”, gradually increasing (less processed/refined) up to Whole Wheat as it contains all parts of the milled grain. There are many grades in between.
FLOUR “00”
“00” flour (Tipo 00) is the most refined of all flour. It is commonly referred to as Italian-style flour. Due to it’s very fine texture, it is great for making thin dough base without breaking – perfect for Neapolitan style pizzas.
Because it is so refined, almost all of its nutrient value is lost. It is left as a very fine white flour,
Although it has poor nutritional content, it is used the most in pizza dough as it is considered so pure and easily digestible.
FLOUR “0”, “1” and “2”
These flours are gradually less refined than Tipo 00, with “2” maintaining the most nutrient value.
WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
Whole wheat flour has the highest nutritional value of the flour range. As it is not refined like the other flour, it is a little harder to work with. The grain size is considerably larger, making is more difficult for the gluten to form and bind. It is not as efficient in the rising stage as the other flour, and does not hold as well as Tipo 00 flour.
Plain flour/All-purpose flour
Plain flour is generally the flour that most people will have in their kitchen cupboard, because as its name suggests, it is a satisfactory product for most baked items. Its protein content is a little low, so it is not the best for making pizza dough (although it can still, absolutely be used and create nice tasting pizza).
Strong white bread flour
As this name suggests, it will be used more to bake bread. This flour has a higher protein/gluten content, making it more elastic. This may cause it to be a little more difficult to stretch, without shrinking. It is best worked at room temperature.
What Characteristics Should Pizza Flour Have?
Each type of flour has its good and bad characteristics. Each is more suited to certain baked products than the other. It is good to learn the differences, and even trial different flour to see how the pizza dough works out for you.
Read the packaging and look for information on protein, gluten and strength.
Gluten in pizza flour
Gluten is a type of protein. When mixed with water it creates gluten strands that bind together, trapping gasses produced by the yeast, allowing for a good rise and creating an elastic dough. It creates a chewy, springy dough, and therefore the more gluten in the flour, the chewier the pizza will be.
Ranging from 9 to 15% protein content, different pizza styles require different flour. High protein content flour will produce a firmer and stronger dough. Lower protein content flours will produce a softer dough.
W: Strength of the Flour
The ‘Strength’ of the flour is an important factor when selecting which to use. It is indicated with the letter W. It is an indication of the percentage of proteins which make up gluten.
WEAK FLOUR – has a ‘W’ value up to 170. It absorbs 50% of water by its weight and is commonly used to bake waffles, breadsticks and cookies. It has a protein range of around 8 to 10%.
MEDIUM FLOUR – has a ‘W’ value between 180 and 260. It absorbs between 55 and 65% of water by its weight. It is suitable to use for baking bread, and for certain types of pizza dough that rise in a short time. It has a protein range of around 10 to 12%.
STRONG FLOUR – has a ‘W’ value between 280 and 350. It absorbs up to/over 75% of its weight in water and is ideal for long rising pizza dough. It has a protein range of around 12 to 15%.
Unfortunately, it is not common for this value to be written on dough packaging. Generally, the higher the protein percentage, the higher the ‘W’ value.
Is Protein Percentage Important in Pizza Dough?
Yes! Baked products that don’t use yeast or only rise during baking, such as cakes and cookies, use weak flours which are low in proteins.
Higher protein/gluten is important for a dough to rise. So, if you want flour to use in a long rising-time pizza dough, you should use a higher percentage protein flour. A good pizza dough will use flour that has around 12% protein.
Baked goods that are high in fats and/or eggs, will generally require the highest protein content flour.
What is the Best Flour for Homemade Pizza Dough?
There are many to choose from. And all flour will produce a pizza dough. But you will need to decide what consistency you want in a final cooked product.
The most commonly used flour for making pizza dough is Type “00” flour (Tipo 00), with a medium/high “W” strength (protein content around 11-12%) – This is our recommendation for the best flour for your home pizza dough.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when it comes to making the best homemade pizza dough, using the right flour is essential. The most commonly recommended flour is Type “00” flour, with a medium/high “W” strength and a protein content of around 11-12%. This flour is known for creating a thin and crispy crust, perfect for Neapolitan-style pizzas. However, it’s important to consider your personal preferences and the desired end result when choosing flour for your homemade pizza dough.
