Which flour to choose to prepare a good pizza? On the web you can read everything and more, but in reality there are many conflicting opinions. The choice of flour for pizza is an important factor and as such should not be overlooked.
Each preparation requires a specific flour if you want to obtain an excellent result. Unfortunately, there are many who complain about not obtaining a good dough due to fermentation, the oven or yeast, in reality in the vast majority of cases the problem lies in the flour.
Pizza flour, which one to use?
As we know, there are different types: type 00 flour, type 0 flour, type 1 flour, type 2 flour, wholemeal flour.
Type 00 flour is the most commonly used to make pizza at home because it is very easy to work with but the disadvantage is that it does not provide any nutrients to the body because during the grinding process the fibres, vitamins and mineral salts are eliminated. In addition to this, it is rich in sugars which makes it harmful to health.
Type 0 flour, on the other hand, is less refined than type 00 flour, but due to its characteristics it is not suitable for making pizza, but since it contains a good quantity of gluten it is excellent for making good bread.
Type 1 flour is very rich in substances useful for the body and is used to prepare pizzas, cakes, bread and baked goods.
Type 2 flour is a semi-wholemeal flour. It is much easier to work with than wholemeal flour and its leavening rate is much slower than the other types mentioned above. It is widely used in pizzerias and pastry shops to make some desserts.
And what about whole wheat flour? It is used very little but it is the best because all the nutrients remain intact. If you decide to opt for this variant then, it is better to choose stone-ground whole wheat flour, the result will be more than satisfactory.
However, other parameters must also be considered when choosing this ingredient, such as the equipment to be used and the type of fermentation to be dedicated to the product.
If the intention is to prepare a pan of pizza or a pizza with a short leavening time then it will be necessary to prefer a weak flour (W 180-220), if instead the aim is to obtain a more mature dough then it will be necessary to choose a medium strength flour (W 250-280) where the fermentation times are longer.
If, however, the volumes are large, in this case it will be necessary to opt for a strong flour (W 300-350).
As can be seen, each type of dough must follow a logical thread.
How do you store flour?
Flour must be properly stored in a dry and ventilated place, away from heat sources and direct light. The temperature where it will be placed must not exceed 25° to avoid compromising its quality.
A small clarification is necessary: the bags of flour must be placed on wooden platforms and not on the ground and 10 cm from the wall.
