Pizza flour is the most important ingredient when it comes to making a perfect pizza dough and delicious pizza crust. That’s why it’s crucial that pizza-makers find the best pizza flour for their pizzas, ensuring it’s the right type of flour that is most suitable for their type of pizza.
For example; many pizza types use 00 or 000 flour as these are high-quality flours made from Italian durum wheat, while other pizza types, such as Chicago-Style Pizza, require flour with higher amounts of protein in it (preferably 13-15%), such as all-purpose flour.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing the best pizza flour for your pizza dough:
1. Gluten and Protein Content
Pizza flour typically has a high protein content, which is important for developing gluten in the pizza dough. Gluten then gives the dough its elasticity and flexible structure, allowing it to stretch and rise properly during the baking stage.
The ideal protein content of pizza flour for most pizzas (such as Neapolitan) is around 12-13%. This amount provides a balance between strength and flexibility, helping your pizza dough form and bake into the perfect crust.
Many pizzas, like our Margherita and Plain Bases use all-natural, premium Italian 00 or 000 flours, ensuring top quality and authentic taste.
2. Texture
Believe it or not, the texture of your pizza flour matters! The fine milling of most pizza flours helps create a smooth texture to your dough, resulting in a light and chewy crust, rather than a thick and heavy base.
Pizza dough made with the correct flour has a more delicate crumb structure, making it easier to slice, bite into and digest, and providing a more enjoyable pizza experience for everyone involved.
3. Stretchability
Pizza flour’s gluten formation is what makes the dough flexible and pliable, allowing it to be shaped and stretched into the desired shape, size and thickness without tearing.
Using a pizza flour with enough protein and gluten content is particularly important when hand-tossing or stretching the pizza dough, especially if making a thin pizza crust, like a Roman base.
4. Rising Capability
The rising capability (or ‘oven spring’) of your pizza base will depend mostly on the high protein content of your pizza flour.
When your pizza is placed in the oven, the yeast in the dough produces carbon dioxide, causing the dough to expand and create air pockets. With a higher rising capability (a.k.a enough protein in your pizza flour), you’ll end up with a lighter, more airy and softer crust, like the traditional Neapolitan (Napoli) pizzas.
Our Margherita Napoli Bases and Plain Napoli Bases both feature premium Italian flours that, along with the authentic Neapolitan pizza techniques, help create a softer, more chewy base.
The correct pizza flour will help achieve a crispy and slightly charred crust via the high protein content and gluten development in the dough. This will help enhance the flavour and create that classic golden-brown finish.
Whether you’re making a deep dish Chicago-Style Pizza or the classic Neapolitan-Style Pizza, your choice of pizza flour matters! From protein content to stretchability to flour texture, there are a few crucial things to consider when choosing your pizza flour that will help create a delicious and authentic pizza dough.
