Anyone who’s ever made pizza will list the benefits of using the best 00 flour. Pizza dough needs to be elastic without easily tearing, and finer flour guarantees this quality because of gluten formation. It is important to note that quality pizza flour should have a higher gluten content, usually made of hard wheat like durum.
This article will explore the different types of 00 flour and better understand why it’s preferred as the best Italian flour.
What Is 00 Flour?
00 flour, also known as doppio zero, is the most finely refined Italian flour popular for pizza dough and making pasta. In Italian and other parts of Europe, grind sizes vary from 2 to 00, with 2 being the coarsest flour and 00 being the finest milled flour. You can use both hard and soft wheat to make this high-quality flour, and it boasts the least amount of wheat and brand middlings. The gluten content usually varies depending on the wheat your choice flour is made from.
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For 00-type flour, the refined grains must have their rough-textured bran and germ removed completely. The fine consistency of the 00 flour is very similar to baby powder. There are different types of 00 flour, depending on the gluten content. For example, 00 flour for pasta has lower gluten and is usually labeled as ’00 pasta flour; whereas 00 flour for pizza has a higher gluten content and comes labeled as ’00 pizza flour’.
Why use 00 flour?
When it comes to making pizza, quality flour is required. Therefore, the protein content in the flour and texture will make all the difference. Thus, worldwide 00 flour types are the best option for making pizza dough. In addition, the 00 flour type has a strong gluten network, which gives us the crispy crust we all love.
Therefore, to make the perfect pizza, go for finely ground 00 flour that promises better flavor. The ideal time for Neapolitan pizza to ferment is 8-24 hours; double zero flour's fermentation time falls within the recommended time.
What is the best 00 flour?
When choosing the best 00 flour, you must choose a reputable brand that produces high-quality pizza flour. Most pizzaiolo in Naples will tell you without hesitation that Caputo Tipo 00 is the best double zero flour in the market. Antimo Caputo is a popular producer of high-quality Italian 00 flour. Caputo is perfect for making pizza and Italian pasta!
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This brand has an unmatched reputation amongst local pizzaiolos in Naples and great pizza chefs globally. The company uses mostly locally produced wheat flour to produce the 00 flour. In addition, Antimo Caputo boasts of being an “approved supplier” by the True Neapolitan Pizza Association. Therefore, whether it’s home baking or professional, the Caputo Tipo 00 is the best pizza flour.
Different Types Of Caputo 00 Flours
Antimo Caputo, a family-owned company, has gained a reputation for producing the best 00 flour. All of Caputo 00 flour is of a gold standard and makes great pizza dough. Nonetheless, there are small differences in their uses; let’s look!
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1. Caputo Pizzeria Tipo 00 Pizza Flour: Best for Wood Fired Pizza Oven
Caputo Pizzeria, also called Caputo Blue, is part of Antimo Caputo’s 00 flour meant for professional pizza baking. This flour was made with pizzerias and professional pizza chefs as part of the professional series meant for baking in wood-fired ovens.
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This flour is made of high-quality wheat with a strength of W260-270. It’s praise to do great with the traditional rise-time of a perfect Neapolitan pizza. And it’s important to note that though it is marketed as flour for professional use, it’s an excellent choice for homemade pizza baked on pizza steel or pizza stone.
2. Caputo Chef’s Flour: Best for Long Fermentation
Caputo Chef’s flour, or Caputo Red, is suitable for long fermentation. This pizza flour has impressively strong gluten development due to its high gluten content of 13% and a W300-320 flour strength. The pizza dough can retain its shape for 48 hours or more with Caputo flour.
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This Caputo Red is highly recommended for a home pizza oven; it’s ideal for a cooking temperature of 500-600 degree F. Caputo chef’s flour is highly recommended for a long, slow fermentation process, and the resulting flavor is delicious.
3. Caputo Nuvola: Best Flour for Airy Pizza Crust
Caputo Nuvola has a gluten content of 12.5% and is designed for making lighter pizza crusts. Unlike other Caputo flours, Nuvola guarantees a more stretched gluten network which results in conspicuous air bubbles during baking. This flour is a great choice for homemade pizza because, despite the use of pizza steel, the crust puffs up with large air bubbles.
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4. Caputo 00 Americana
Antimo Caputo didn’t stop making only the two types of 00 flour that are popular among pizza lovers. The Caputo 00 Americana is another one of their pizza flours made especially for artisanal American pizza baking. It has the highest protein content of 14.5%, making it a very good pizza flour for home and professional use. So, if you’ve heard about any domino crust you must try once in your life, then probably it’s made with Caputo 00 Americana.
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5. Caputo Pizza A Metro
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The Caputo 00 flour series don’t end there! Though not easily found in the market, like Caputo chef’s flour and Caputo pizzeria, this Tipo 00 flour is made perfect for Roma-style pizza. The Pizza a Metro, which stands for “pizza by the meter,” is intended for making the long pizzas popularly sold by the slice in Rome.
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6. Caputo Semola
Antimo Caputo is a thoughtful producer of pizza flour. Other than the 00 flour type Caputo also boasts of other superior Caputo flours like the Semola. This flour is useful for dusting when making pizza professionally and at home. Semola is finely ground or, as it is widely known, a re-milled durum wheat Semolina.
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Semola vs Semolina Flour
A wide misconception is that Semola and Semolina are the same. While they are both made from durum wheat, their texture is one huge difference. Semolina has a high gluten content with a coarse texture, while Semola is very fine flour with a texture more like corn flour.
When buying, you’ll notice that on Semola’s package, there is often writing that reads “Semola di Grano Duro Rimacinata” meaning re-milled durum wheat. Some chefs use semolina to dust their pizza pans. While it helps against sticky dough, it adds an extra crispy texture to the crust that is very welcomed by many.
Protein Content in Caputo 00 Flour
When you knead pizza dough, the protein gluten begins to develop gluten strands. The gluten strands grow as you knead to give you stretchy pizza dough. The amount of protein in a particular flour determines its quality level. Gluten development results in a crispy crust that those who love pizza covet.
To better understand why Caputo 00 flour is preferred by many Neapolitan pizzerias, here is a breakdown of the protein content in the three most popular Caputo 00 flours.
- Caputo Classica - 11.5% protein, with a strength of W 220-240 and a 4- 24 hours fermentation time.
- Caputo Pizzeria - 12.5% protein, boasts a strength of W260-270, with a 12- 36 hours fermentation time.
- Caputo Chef’s Flour - 13% protein, W 300-320 strength and fermentation time of between 24-48 hours.
Best Alternative to the Caputo 00
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Cento Anna Napoletana Tipo 00 is an extra fine Italian flour ideal for thin-crust pizzas. If you are looking for an airy, light pizza-quality consistency, then the Cento Anna flour is an awesome choice.
Most Neapolitan pizzerias will tell you that if you’re not reaching for the Caputo 00 flour, then the next best thing is the Cento Anna Napoletana Tipo 00 Extra Fine Flour.
Types of Flour As Compared to Italian 00 Flour
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All Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour has a lower protein content, and the dough is not as elastic as double-zero flour. The 00 flour is also finer than most flour types, and its dough is easier to work with due to its elastic nature.
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All-purpose flour can either be bleached or unbleached and has a protein content of between 8-11%. The bleached version of this flour is ideal for making bread, pancakes, pie crusts, and waffles. The unbleached all-purpose flour is more of a pastry flour ideal for making puff pastry, Danish pastry, lairs, cream puffs, and yeast-proofed bread.
Bread Flour Type
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This flour is made from hard wheat that has high protein content. Bread flour is usually white flour that contains more gluten than all-purpose flour. It is unbleached and has 12-14% protein content; it is ideal for making yeast products.
Cake Flour
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Cake flour is soft wheat flour with high-starch content and a finer texture. It has the lowest protein content of 8-10% compared to other wheat flour. Due to its sugar content, it is a preferred choice when making baked goods that contain a lot of sugar, like cookies, bread, and muffins.
Whole Wheat Flour
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Whole wheat flour is made from the whole kernel of wheat. It is also known as graham flour; it contains extra dietary fiber and is more nutritious than white flour. However, gluten content in whole wheat flour is very low, and sometimes there is a need to mix it with either bread flour or all-purpose flour.
How to Cook With 00 Flour
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Using Caputo 00 flour in a standard kitchen oven might be difficult if you don’t know how to handle it. If you are a pizza-making enthusiast, you probably have a pizza oven and won’t have much to worry about. But in case you need some tips on how to use the Caputo 00 flour, here are some pointers:
Water
Water is part and parcel of the pizza-making process. If you decide to use Caputo 00 flour in your pizza recipe, you must also adjust the other ingredients. The reason for adjustments is that these 00 flours have a lower absorption rate, so you might have to use a smaller amount of water than indicated in your recipe.
The best guideline, the hydration level should be 65%, which means for every 100g of 00 flour, use 65ml of water. It is also beneficial to find out how much dough per pizza you may need.
Heat
Traditionally pizza is cooked for only 60 seconds and at a high temperature of at least 800 degrees. However, since your standard kitchen oven will not achieve temperatures that high, proof your pizza dough sufficiently and cook it at around 450 degrees. Deep pan pizzas are not the traditional authentic pizza crust you might want from a 00 flour. So, turn up the heat in your oven to the max and enjoy real pizza!
Conclusion
That wraps up everything you need to know about the best 00 flour. Without a doubt, Caputo is a gold standard pizza flour for Neapolitan pizza. It is not only recommended and loved by pizza chefs in Naples, Italy but also in other parts of the world. So, whether you want o make good pizza or enjoy delicious pasta, Antimo Caputo has ensured you have quality options.
If you’ve ever asked yourself about the history of authentic Neapolitan pizza and what makes it unique, then now you know! The Italian 00 flour is an exceptional choice when making pizza in the authentic style.
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