What Is 00 Flour — Pizza and Pasta Flour (2024)

Emma Christensen

Emma Christensen

Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories

updated Sep 17, 2022

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What Is 00 Flour — Pizza and Pasta Flour (1)

My favorite pizza dough recipe calls for two speciality flours — bread flour, which is easy to find, and 00 flour, which I have to special order. Also called doppio zero flour, this finely ground Italian flour is essential to recipes like pizza dough and fresh pasta. Most home cooks don’t keep this speciality flour on hand, noting its slightly higher price and the inability to find it in stores. Here’s everything you need to know about 00 flour and why it is absolutely worth keeping it stocked in your pantry.

What Is 00 Flour?

Considered the gold standard for pasta and pizza dough, 00 flour is a finely ground Italian flour. Here in the U.S., we categorize flours by how much protein they contain, which directly affects the gluten formation in whatever we’re making. They do it a little differently in Italy and other parts of Europe by categorizing flours based on how finely the flour has been ground. Coarsely ground type “2” flour is at one end of the spectrum, with powder-fine “00” flour at the other.

What gets confusing for some of us non-Europeans is that we assume finely ground “00” flour is probably low-protein (like our finely ground cake and pastry flour). In fact, the protein content of “00” flour can range quite a bit depending on what kind of wheat it’s ground from. Most “00” flour that we see in the United States is ground from durum wheat and has a mid-range protein content of about 11 to 12%, similar to all-purpose white flour.

Why Use 00 Flour?

Besides the level of the grind, the other big difference between “00” flour and all-purpose flour is how the gluten in each flour behaves. The gluten from durum wheat flour tends to be strong but not very elastic, while the gluten in red wheat flour is both strong and elastic. This means that with durum wheat, we’ll get a nice bite on our breads and pasta, but not as much chew. That’s why when combined with bread flour in pizza dough, 00 flour results in a chewy, crispy crust — the perfect duo!

All this said, it’s generally fine to substitute all-purpose flour for “00” flour. You’ll notice a texture difference if you grew up in Europe or are very familiar with with products made from “00” flour, but all your recipes will still come out just fine.

What Is 00 Flour — Pizza and Pasta Flour (2024)

FAQs

What Is 00 Flour — Pizza and Pasta Flour? ›

00 flour is simply flour that's been very finely milled. You'll also see 00 flour labeled as doppio zero flour or pizza flour. In Italy, where this type of flour is most common, flours are categorized by how coarse or fine the wheat is ground.

What is the difference between 00 pizza flour and pasta flour? ›

There are different types of 00 flour, depending on whether you want to use it for making pasta or pizza dough. The main difference between these flours is gluten content, as pasta-making requires a slightly lower gluten flour than pizza. They will usually be clearly labelled as '00 pasta flour' or '00 pizza flour'.

What can I substitute for 00 pizza flour? ›

That's why when combined with bread flour in pizza dough, 00 flour results in a chewy, crispy crust — the perfect duo! All this said, it's generally fine to substitute all-purpose flour for “00” flour.

What is 00 pizza flour? ›

Double zero flour, also known as doppio zero or 00 flour, is a finely ground Italian flour commonly used to make pasta and pizza dough. In Italy and other parts of Europe, grind sizes vary from double zero to two. Double zero is the finest grind, and two is the coarsest.

Can you use 00 pizza flour to make pasta? ›

In Italy, flour is graded by a number system from tipo 2 (brown flour with bran removed) to '000' (superfine white flour the texture of cornflour). The popular '00' flour is roughly in the middle of these grades, and is typically used for pizza bases and homemade pastas.

Can I use all 00 flour for pizza dough? ›

It is generally fine to use type 00 in the same way that you use all-purpose flour.

What is the best flour for pasta and pizza? ›

Durum Flour: Ground from extra-hard wheat (durum comes from the Latin word for hard), this strong flour is high in protein and finely textured. Its strength means you can use it for shaped pastas, like orecchiette, as well as extruded pasta, such as spaghetti.

What is the American equivalent of 00 flour? ›

If you can't find 00 flour but you really want to make homemade pizza crust or another recipe that calls for this ingredient, it's absolutely fine to use all-purpose flour. Use the same amount of all-purpose flour as 00 flour in the recipe.

What is the closest to 00 flour? ›

Flour Closest in Flavor to Tipo 00 Flour: All-Purpose Flour

Both Tipo 00 and all-purpose flour taste pretty much exactly the same and are very neutral in flavor, but all-purpose flour will produce a slightly more dense baked good. All-purpose flour also wins in the most neutral flavored category!

Can I make 00 flour at home? ›

Replicating the texture and fine consistency of commercial Tipo 00 flour can be challenging. However, you can create a comparable (not exactly the same) version by combining equal parts of all-purpose flour and cake flour and sifting multiple times to achieve a smooth, refined texture.

What are the disadvantages of 00 flour? ›

However, 00 flour is not without its drawbacks. The cost, accessibility issues, and the need for a wood-fired oven to reach its full potential, make it less practical for some pizza aficionados. Additionally, the final crust preference is subjective and some might favor the denser chew that bread flour provides.

What flour is best for pizza? ›

The best flour for making Deep-Dish Pizza Dough is all-purpose flour. In bakeries and pizzerias, Pizza Flour is often used because it is a high-protein flour that produces a light and airy crust. However, all-purpose flour will also work well for Deep-Dish Pizza Dough.

What flour do Italians use? ›

Grano duro is slightly yellow, more granular, and more commonly used for pasta and some breads in the south of Italy. It's also knows as durum wheat flour. Grano tenero is generally what we think of as white flour, and is more broadly used in bread, pizza, and pastry, and northern pasta doughs.

Are pizza dough and pasta dough the same? ›

Pasta is generally made from semolina flour, whereas all-purpose flour is used to make pizza dough. This is because pasta dough requires a lower gluten content than pizza. In addition, pizza dough contains yeast because it must be leavened, whereas pasta dough does not.

Is semolina or 00 flour better for pasta? ›

The semolina flour adds a bit more structure to the dough, which is helpful for shapes like garganelli or farfalle where you want the pasta to “stand up.” You could replace the semolina flour with equal parts 00 flour for a more tender and soft dough, which could be good for something like tagliatelle.

What kind of flour is gold medal pizza flour? ›

Ingredients. BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN (A B VITAMIN), IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), ENZYMES, FOLIC ACID (A B VITAMIN). Contains Wheat Ingredients.

Can I use Caputo pizza flour for pasta? ›

Caputo, milled in Naples, is famed as a pizza and pasta maker's flour, formulated for maximum extensibility and milled to a talcum-powder fineness.

Is 00 pizza flour the same as semolina? ›

Semola (the Italian word for semolina) rimacinata is basically the semolina flour equivalent of type 00 flour.

Does pizza flour make a difference? ›

Pizza flour, on the other hand, is made from soft wheat. This gives it a lower gluten content, which makes it better suited for thin-crust pizzas. So while bread flour and pizza flour may be made from wheat, they are quite different.

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