Pizza flour: W, P/L, ash content and types 00 to 2

The short answer

For Neapolitan pizza I use a white soft wheat flour, Italian type 00 or 0 (T45 or T55 in France). I then choose it on three indicators: its W strength, its P/L and its ash content. Strength decides almost everything: aim for W 250 to 290 for traditional Neapolitan, W 270 to 330 for contemporary, and above 300 for a preferment.

Why soft wheat

Soft wheat is the grain whose viscoelastic properties best suit a dough that has to stretch without tearing. It contains two families of proteins, gliadins and glutenins. With water and the energy of kneading, they form gluten, the network that carries the whole structure of the dough.

That network behaves like a rubber band, with two properties to balance: strength (its resistance to being deformed) and extensibility (its ability to stretch without resisting). Flour is the first lever on that balance; I go into it on the gluten page.

Ash content: what the flour type tells you

A wheat kernel is made of three parts, including the outer layers of bran. Ash content measures how much of those outer layers ends up in the flour. That is what the type printed on the bag expresses: the higher the number, the closer the flour is to wholemeal.

As ash content rises, the dough shifts in three directions:

• a heavier, less extensible structure;
• a more pronounced flavour;
• better water absorption.

Italy and France classify their flours differently. These are the equivalences I work with:

00 and 0 build the strongest gluten network, which is why they form the base of my doughs. A white flour gives the best balance between strength and extensibility; the flavour comes from fermentation and baking. You can replace part of the flour with a coarser one, for example 70 % 00 and 30 % wholemeal for a more rustic, bread-like taste. Bear in mind that on a thin pizza baked in about 90 seconds, that extra flavour is hard to notice.

W strength: the indicator that matters most

W measures a flour's ability to build a strong, elastic gluten network. It comes from the alveograph: a sheet of dough is inflated with air until it bursts, and the more it resists, the higher the W.

The stronger the flour:

• the more water it can absorb;
• the better it holds the gas produced by fermentation;
• the more elastic, resistant and strong the structure.

Two rules follow. The more strength your pizza needs, the higher the W. And the longer the rest, especially the final proof, the stronger the flour must be for the network to last.

As a rule of thumb, W 270 to 300 counts as medium strength and anything above 300 as strong.

Protein: a rough estimate

The W is rarely printed on the bag. Protein content always is, and since gluten comes from proteins, it gives an idea of strength:

It is an approximation. Whenever you can get the mill's data sheet, go by the measured W.

P/L: the strength–extensibility balance

P/L is the ratio between the tenacity (P) and the extensibility (L) of the gluten, also given on the data sheet. The closer it is to 1, the stronger and tighter the flour; the closer to 0, the more extensible.

For a balanced flour I look for a P/L of 0.55 to 0.65. For contemporary Neapolitan, which must open quickly yet still develop its cornicione, I aim for 0.5 to 0.6.

Which flour for which pizza

Traditional Neapolitan. A 00 or 0 (or T45, T55, even T65) at W 250 to 290. The dough needs no more strength than that: it rests around 24 hours at 60 % hydration.

Contemporary Neapolitan. A white flour of medium strength, W 270 to 330, to give a good level of strength to a bigger cornicione, with a P/L of 0.5 to 0.6. The differences between the two styles are covered in traditional or contemporary.

Preferments. A biga or a poolish is made with a flour above W 300. In a 50 % biga dough, for instance, I use W 300 to 330 for the biga and W 260 to 280 for the final mix.

Schedule length. For a same-day dough of about 6 hours, a weak flour is enough. Once the rest stretches to 24 hours and beyond, move to a stronger flour.

Absorption: how much water the flour will take

Every flour has its own absorption capacity, which the mill states on the data sheet as a recommended rate. That figure is not a ceiling: by actively building the gluten network you can get a flour to take more water than stated.

A simple benchmark: any 00 flour absorbs 60 % water straight away. For a 70 % dough, I pour 600 g of water at once for 1 kg of flour, then add the remaining 100 g a little at a time. A stronger flour, or one with more ash, absorbs more. To work out your quantities, use the dough calculator; for the role of water itself, see salt, water, malt and oil.

For stretching: semolina, not flour

I never open my dough balls in flour. On a floor above 400 °C (752 °F), flour burns and turns bitter; it acts as fuel. I use finely re-milled durum wheat semolina:

• it stands up to heat better and does not burn the way flour does;
• it helps the pizza slide off the peel;
• it gives the base a slight crispness;
• it stops a high-hydration dough from sticking to your fingers.

Whatever is left over can be kept for next time. If you cannot find it, rice flour is a good fallback: it slides well, and any excess that burns is far less bitter than wheat flour.