Types of flour

Types of flour

There are different types of flour. Each of it has particular characteristics that make it suitable for one or another type of preparation.

So let’s see the different types of wheat flour, the differences, the strength (W) or the protein, all things that allow you to make the right choice when buying the best flour and preparing the pizza.

Generally for pizza it is not so important to choose a 00 flour or a “0” (numbers that indicate the level of refinement, the differences of which are minimal), as to buy a product with good strength or suitable for this use.

Flour type: 00

00 flour is the most common flour, it is obtained by processing the innermost part of the soft wheat seed.
Of course, 00 flour is easy to work with, but beyond that it does not bring any nutrients to our body, indeed many say that it hurts, that it is difficult to digest and very rich in sugars.

Flour type: 0

0 flour is slightly less refined than 00 flour. This flour is widely used and therefore more suitable for making bread because it contains a lot of gluten.

Flour type: 1

The high content of bran and wheat germ make type 1 flour very rich in substances useful for our body. Widely used for the production of bread, pizza, sweets and baked goods.

Flour type: 2

Type 2 flour is a semi-wholemeal flour, very fibrous and more coarsely ground. It is much easier to work with than whole wheat flour.
This type of flour is used in bakery, pizzeria and pastry making for some types of desserts.

Wholemeal Flour

The unrefined grinding gives this type of flour a grainy texture to the touch. It contains the highest number of nutrients since the whole grain of wheat is ground.

Manitoba Flour

Manitoba flour, in fact, is defined as “strong” (350 W) because its gluten content (a wheat protein) is decidedly higher than that of normal flours. Therefore, Manitoba flour can be safely mixed with other less strong flours.

Pros and cons

Excluding the taste, which is subjective, these are the strengths and weaknesses of Canadian flour in terms of texture and flavor.

Having a very strong gluten mesh (about 350 W), the dough with Manitoba is able to withstand longer maturation times than an average flour of 250 W.

Another merit. In the case of summer ripening with high temperatures, 25 degrees for example, Manitoba is recommended because it becomes less sticky.

Let’s move on to the defects. Manitoba is not the most suitable flour for making pizza in less than 24 hours. It would result in doughs that are too hard to chew, which most people don’t like.

So we can say that Manitoba has the defect of requiring longer leavening times and large cold rooms instead of the home fridge for maturation.

The strength of flour

Flour is also classified according to its strength (W). The strength of the flour (gliadin + glutenin) is the ability to absorb liquids during mixing and the ability to retain carbon dioxide during rising.

A strong flour can be used to bake long-leavening products such as bread, pizza, Christmas panettone and Easter cheese cakes. A weak flour is more suitable for productions that do not require long leavening, such as shortcrust pastry, shortcrust pastry, etc.

By law, the unit of measurement, that is, the strength of the flour is W and the manufacturer is obliged to write it on the packages. The strength scale ranges from a weak 130W to the strongest 500W.

Here’s how they are used:

WEAK FLOURS UP TO 170 W

These flours absorb about 50% of liquids and are ideal flours for leavened products such as biscuits.

MEDIUM FLOURS FROM 180 W TO 260 W

They absorb liquids in the mixing phase that can reach 65% of their weight and are used for products that contain an average amount of liquids such as sandwiches.

STRONG FLOURS FROM 270 W TO 350 W

They absorb 65 to 70% of liquids and are ideal for pizza. For a good pizza, a mixture containing Manitoba flour is often prepared. This Canadian flour is often used to increase the strength of weak flours, it has its own strength of about 350 W and can absorb up to 90% of liquid.

STRONG FLOURS OVER 350 W

These flours can absorb up to 90% of liquid. They are often used by pastry chefs to prepare panettone and pandoro.

Protein in Flour

What is protein in flour?
Protein content and quality of baking flours are vital functional. They determine whether a given flour is suitable for either:

• Yeast-leavened bakery products that require higher levels of protein in flour (bread, buns, hearth breads)
• Chemically-leavened products that need lower protein levels (cookies, cakes and biscuits)

Cake & Pastry Flour: 7 – 9 % protein
All-Purpose Flour: 10 – 12% protein
Bread Flour: 12 – 16% protein
Whole-Wheat Flour: 16% protein

To determine the exact protein content of flour, look at the nutritional facts on the package. For example, if the nutritional information displays 12 grams of protein per 100 grams of flour, the protein content is 12%.

However, if the nutritional information is displayed in something other than “per 100” grams, you need to do some math.
If there is 4 grams of protein per 30 grams of flour, you need to multiply 4 by the number 100 and then divide by 30 (see below).

4 g protein per 30 g flour
4 × 100 = 400
400 / 30 = 13.33

This flour has a protein content of 13.33%.