How each type of flour affects dough, handling, and the final true neapolitan pizza.
Flour is the primary ingredient of Neapolitan pizza, yet not all flours are suitable for dough preparation. “Flour” refers to a food product obtained by grinding seeds, dried fruits, and various plants such as corn, barley, spelt, rice, oats, wheat, rye, chestnuts, chickpeas, almonds, and buckwheat.
For Neapolitan pizza dough, soft wheat flour is used. Depending on its composition, it ensures the best possible outcome, but not all flours are the same.
In Italy, soft wheat flour is classified based on its degree of refinement and ash content, as well as its extraction rate—that is, the amount of flour obtained from milling 100 grams of grain. The more parts of the grain are retained, the higher the extraction rate (e.g., whole wheat flour reaches 100%).
More specifically, the classification includes Type 00 flour, the most refined, with ash content up to 0.50%, and Type 0 flour, slightly less refined, up to 0.65%. Both produce a well-structured dough, with an aromatic profile that varies depending on the wheat cultivar.
Type 1 flour, with ash content up to 0.80%, is less refined and richer in fiber and micronutrients. It absorbs more water during dough preparation and requires greater care in handling.
Type 2 flour, up to 0.95% ash, contains more bran, protein, and fiber, making it suitable for bread-making and specialty whole-grain products. Whole wheat flour, with an ash content between 1.40% and 1.60%, includes the entire grain; however, the presence of bran can slow gluten development, resulting in a denser dough.
Each type of flour affects dough workability and the final result in different ways.
According to the Verace Pizza Napoletana International Regulation, dough can be prepared using either Type 00 or Type 0 soft wheat flour. The addition of small percentages (from 5% to a maximum of 10%) of Type 1 flour is also permitted.
The choice of flour has a decisive impact on both the structure and aromatic profile of the pizza. This depends on its chemical characteristics—especially flour strength (W), a parameter directly related to protein content, which influences fermentation time.
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Weak flours (180–200 W) are suitable for low-rising doughs such as pastries, shortcrust dough, wafers, and breadsticks.
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Medium-strength flours (200–280 W) are used for pizza, batters, oil-based rolls, and generally for moderately leavened products.
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Strong flours (280–350 W) are ideal for more tenacious, elastic, and gluten-rich doughs, commonly used for baked goods that require long fermentation.
According to the Verace Pizza Napoletana International Regulation, the use of medium-strength flour is recommended, as its properties facilitate handling and respond optimally to the fermentation times required by the production process.
By Dr. Aurora Napolitano
