Type "00" flour is finely milled wheat flour, often used for making dough for traditional Neapolitan pizza. When baked at high temperatures in a wood-fired oven, it creates a crispy crust with moderate elasticity.
Quick Facts:
Unlike North America, where wheat flour is categorized by its protein content, in Europe, flour is categorized by how finely it is milled. The scale is numbered from 2 to 00, with 2 being the coarsest grind and 00 being the finest, with a consistency almost like baby powder. The finer the flour, the smoother and silkier the dough will be, which in turn leads to a softer baked product.<br><br>Type '00' flour is typically used for making pizza dough, especially traditional Neapolitan pizzas that are baked in wood-fired ovens. There are different types of type '00' flour with gluten levels ranging from a minimum of 7% to 14%. There is even a version of type '00' flour made from durum wheat, intended for making pasta.<br><br>Type '00' flour originates from flours milled centuries ago in Italy. The dough made from these flours does not cool and ferments at room temperature. The finer milling of type '00' flour allows for longer fermentation while creating a light, airy, and crispy crust (rather than chewy). This also means that the flour absorbs less water, which is crucial for pizza dough that cooks very quickly in wood-fired ovens.<br><br>High hydration or a higher water-to-flour ratio, i.e., a more liquid dough, softens the gluten, allowing for larger air pockets to form, so the dough has a more risen appearance and results in a more open, light, and airy pizza crust.
There are five main types of type '00' flour, and while all are milled to the same 00 specification, they use different types of wheat to produce varying protein levels.<br><br>Pizza flour can have a protein content of 11.5%, which is close to all-purpose flour and is best suited for short fermentation and quick cooking.<br><br>Other types have different protein contents and absorption levels, allowing for varying fermentation times.
<br>Cooking with type '00' flour requires balancing three main factors: dough hydration, fermentation time, and cooking temperature. Different types of type '00' flour are intended for different cooking styles.<br><br>- Pizza flour: This type of flour typically has a protein content of 11.5% and absorbs about 55% water. It is best used for super hot ovens, where pizza is baked for 70-90 seconds. This extremely short cooking time means that the water in the dough has less time to evaporate, hence the lower hydration.<br><br>- The relationship between temperature and hydration: The hotter the oven, the lower the hydration of the dough should be. Therefore, for traditional Neapolitan pizza, the best flour is one that absorbs the least water - pizzeria flour with 11.5% protein. But if you are baking your pizza in a home oven, it is better to use type '00' flour with a higher protein content.<br><br>- Higher protein flour: This type of flour absorbs more water, allowing for longer fermentation and leading to a richer flavor. It is suitable for lower cooking temperatures and longer baking times, such as in gas or electric ovens.
Foods made from type '00' flour derive their flavor from the other ingredients, yeast, sugar, salt, and fats with which they are combined, as well as from the fermentation of the dough and ultimately from the caramelization of the starches that occurs during the baking of the dough.<br><br>Longer fermentation usually leads to a more tangy flavor, approaching that of sourdough. And as noted earlier, wood-fired oven dough requires less yeast, so it will have less yeast flavor.
Unless you are making pizza in a wood-fired oven, it is not strictly necessary to use type '00' flour. So if you see a recipe that calls for type '00' flour and you don't have it, you can use all-purpose flour.<br><br>However, you may need to adjust the amount of water in the recipe, as type '00' pizza dough has an absorption level of around 55%, while all-purpose flour may be 61 to 65%.
While type '00' flour is primarily used for pizza dough, there is also a version for making pasta. You can also use high-protein type '00' flour in other bread recipes.
Storing type '00' flour is no different from storing all-purpose flour. Keep it tightly sealed in a cool place, where it will last for 6 to 8 months.
