April 19, 2014 - 8:08am
How to convert a regular AP flour to 00 flour?
Good morning Everyone:
I have a "Huge lust" after a New York style Pizza after reading an article about pizza in the New York time!
Alas, I lived in a small "food dessert "town in VA and will never get to eat anything decent. I read the recipe and the heavenly crust is made with 00 flour which I know is an Italian flour. I also know that I can purchase the flour from King Arthur for $7.95 for 3 lb. bag plus shipping. That is when the dream stop!
I know that many of my baker friends on this site are genius when it come to invention . Please help make my dream comes true and tell me how to mix what flour to what to make it into the 00 flour so perhaps I can get to eat this "heavenly" pizza too?
Please, please, help.
Thank you,
Thaichef.
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The closest would be pastry flour, but even though it has about the same protein content as Italian 00 (8-9%), it isn't quite the same. AP has 10-12% protein, and some brands, like King Arthur or Hodgson Mills even can be exchanged for bread flour.
I am lucky, I can get Italian 00 (Caputo) in bulk from an Italian grocery store, but if I were you, I would mail order it.
Here is my European/American flour "translation".
Happy Easter!
The "00" in italian flour refers to the grind and I believe ash content (how white the flour is basically). Many people regard Caputo "00" flour to be the gold standard for pizza, which has a protein content of 12.5%, slightly higher than King Arthur all-purpose flour. If pressed I'd say the 00 makes a better crust, but the KA all purpose flour makes a perfectly good crust as well, still better than I can get in any pizza joint near me at least.
Now, unfortunately, the KA "00" style flour they put out inexplicably has a protein content of 8.5%. I haven't tried it, but the Serious Eats Pizza Lab reports it to be a poor pizza flour.
Thank you very much for both of your responses. It is a great help!
Right after Easter, I will put all my effort into making good pizza. I already bought a can of San Mazarno tomatoes. The heck with restaurant pizza.
Thaichef.
Home made pizza is about as good as it gets, Odd one person said that 00 is 8-9 % and pastry flour would be close and one said its 12 5 % protein and KA AP would be close. My recollection is that 12 5 % is the real deal. I just add enough VWG to AP to get to 12% and call it close enough. The dough once rested in the fridge for 24 hours is silky, smooth and extensible yet strong It doesn't know that no Caputo 00 was used? I've also used 105 to 11 5% protein flour and they worked well too .
I will have to try baguette flour at a low protein and see if we like it better Canlt make a bad pizza at home anyway!
Pizza making may not get the Thaichef to give up teaching Thai Food but it certainly is a great thing anyway:-)
Happy Pizza baking
Good Afternoon: Wow! another expert advices and this time from Dabrownman!! My lucky day. All three of you are the persons whom I admired greatly while lurking on the Fresh loaf, I always read it. Today is our family Easter since my daughter worked on Easter Sunday so we are doing our today. So the pizza making is moving on the other day.
Frankly, dabrownman, I rather be baking breads than cooking Thai any day. My bread baking skills is so rusty it is unbelievable.
Talking about baking breads , I will be making breads to feed 100 people at my local church. It is Earth day celebration. Probably, making the old stand by yeast breads(yike) and some sourdough breads. ( They pay me some money so it is o.k.)
Too bad that hanseata is too far away or I will just run and buy it from her.
Thaichef
An old Italian man once told me to substitute 50/50 cake flour and all purpose flour to produce a flour which is similar to type 00. I followed his advice when making pizza and it worked!
He also recommended adding a bit (cannot recall exactly how much) of warm milk to the water when preparing the yeast.