basics of pizza flour
Is the flour used in pizzamaking special? Many pizza makers feel the foundation of a good pizza is the dough. So yes, pizza flour is special. A dizzying array of terms can be encountered when deciding on the correct pizza flour. For example: high gluten, low gluten, no gluten, protein percentage, bromated, bleached, unbleached, 00 flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour, winter wheat,spring wheat, hard wheat, soft wheat, red wheat, white wheat and much more. However, it quickly comes together when we know a few basics about the flour used for pizza.
Where to start? The subject of pizza flour (what should I use ?) can be a complicated endeavor if you allow it to be. Many variables go into making a good pizza dough and if your process is faulty, the best flour in the world won’t help. A knowledgeable pizza maker can probably come up with a decent pie with almost any kind of flour. Of course certain flours are obviously better than others for making pizza and should be used. In this post I will try to isolate the most important things to look for in choosing a flour for your pizza dough.
The following is a bare bones simplification of what constitutes a good flour for baking traditional American pizza. It is in no way all encompassing. However, for our purposes, I feel it is more than sufficient.
In general, winter wheat is planted in the fall and harvested in late spring and early summer. Spring wheat is planted in the spring and harvested in late summer and early fall. However, what concerns us is not so much when the wheat was planted and harvested. More important is whether the wheat is hard wheat or soft wheat, red wheat or white wheat.
Red wheat is higher in protein than white wheat. It is a heartier wheat with a slightly stronger wheat taste. White wheat has less protein than red, is not as hardy and has a milder flavor.
Hard wheat has more protein and gluten (protein found in wheat) than soft wheat. It characteristically has a chewy texture and holds its shape well. It is used mostly in baked goods that require a strong gluten structure like bread and pizza. Soft wheat on the other hand has less protein and gluten. It is more delicate with a softer texture and is used in products like cookies, cakes etc.and fresh pasta.
Some examples of popular flours used in making American pizza are Gold Medal Full Strength which is labeled as a blend of hard red spring wheat. King Arthur Bread Flour which is simply labeled as hard red wheat and All-Trumps High Gluten which is labeled as hard red spring wheat. All the preceding are categorized as bread flour (higher protein percentage), flour that is conducive to making traditional American pizza. Think bread flour.
What do the terms bromated, bleached and malted have in common? Basically they are chemistry’s answer to speeding up the aging process of flour. When you add the oxidizing agent potassium bromate to flour it is said to improve the elasticity and rise of the dough and make the dough fluffier. When you bleach dough using either benzoyl peroxide or chlorine dioxide you’re trying to make dough soft and more water absorbent and of course whiter in color. Diastatic malt contains enzymes (among other things) that will speed up the breakdown of starches, assist in browning the crust, and increase oven spring and tenderness. Again this is a broad simplification. Books are written about the subject, but I think most of us just want enough information to make pizza.
When flour is enriched with vitamins, minerals etc., it is an attempt to put back what has been nutritionally lost due to the refining process. I have read that approximately 20 vitamins and minerals are lost in refining the flour and approximately 5 vitamins and minerals are put back. Personally I have the feeling that what is put back aids in enhancing certain favorable characteristics(softness,rise, tenderness, etc.) rather than an attempt at giving us something healthier. Maybe it serves some marketing purpose. Don’t know. Anyway no negligible difference is found in the finished dough one way or the other.
Bromated flour might be on the way out. The European countries, China, Brazil and many more have banned the use of potassium bromate in flour products. It is thought to be a human carcinogen(cancer causing) and is not needed to make good bread products anyhow.
I have noticed that All-Trumps High Gluten and Gold Medal Full Strength offer their flour in unbromated and unbleached versions. My take on this is that the demand for unbromated and unbleached flour is increasing and the company is anticipating future demand.
The legendary 00 (double zero) flour has evolved into the go to flour, perhaps in the world, for pizza Neapolitan baked in 700° to 900° wood burning ovens. I think it might take some creative adjustments to duplicate a true Neapolitan pizza with any other kind of flour. 00 flour can probably be used in making almost any kind of pizza style and produce acceptable results.
In regards to all-purpose flour, it comes with a lower protein percentage than bread flour and it’s exactly what its name says it is, all-purpose, for everything. Can you make pizza with it?, of course and some people do. Chicago deep dish, I’m told, favors all-purpose type flours. However, that being so, I love the saying ”the right tool for the right job” and a high quality American made bread flour for your (New York, New Haven, Detroit, Grandma, etc.) pie is that tool.
By now you are probably noticing a few things that you want in a good pizza flour. Namley, a higher protein percentage, no potassium bromate and be unbleached. Enriched or not makes little difference. I would rather have no dietary supplements added to my flour. Also, a hard red wheat or a mix of hard and soft wheat gets the job done. .
I’ve read that seventy five percent of pizzerias in the U.S. use some brand of Gold Medal flour for their pizza. Maybe so. Gold medal Full strength (12.6 % protein, 50 lb bag) and Gold Medal All-Trumps High Gluten(14.2 % protein, 50 lb bag). Pretty sure Gold Medal Full Strength is still popular in New Haven and All Trumps is favored for New York style pizza. However these brands, especially All Trumps, are built for speed and high output pizzerias. There is a difference between mixing 340 grams of flour at home for two pizzas and using a 60 quart Hobart mixer filled with All Trumps. Most New York style pizza is made with an addition of sugar and oil to the flour. New Haven apizza is generally oil and sugar free. Not sure if this correlates with toning down the stronger(All-Trumps) flour or it is just purely a matter of choice. Anyway I don’t feel one style is any better than the other. It’s all about what you’re used to, what you like, and what is available. Both are fantastic in their own way and variety is a good thing.
I like and use King Arthur Bread Flour that comes in the blue and white bag for home pizza. It has a 12.7% protein percentage, is unbleached and unbromated and made from hard red wheat. It is readily available everywhere, and comes in light and convenient 5 lb. bags. The contents of a 5 lb bag is used up quickly and never at risk of becoming stale. Also, I use it for all my bread, focaccia, rolls etc. No need to purchase other flour. It produces excellent results with all kinds of pizza styles.
I have never used gluten free flour. However some pizzerias offer a gluten free option and maybe you want to use gluten free flour at home..Gluten free flour can be made from a multitude of plant based products(white rice flour, tapioca from the cassava plant to name a few) that replace the traditional wheat. Ingredients like baking powder, xanthan gum, buttermilk, and nonfat dry milk are routinely added to the flour to aid in the process of making the dough respond and taste like traditional wheat flour. All I want to say here is, if you want to go gluten free, obtain a high quality gluten free flour and follow a good recipe then start making pies until you get it right. The King Arthur website is a good start.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post
better pizzamaking
Jimmy
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