W rating of 00’ flours

with more science than you may ever want to know 

Gluten in Pizza Flour

To understand why you want high-protein flour for pizza, you must understand how gluten works. Gluten is a group of proteins found in wheat. When you mix flour with water and start kneading the dough, gluten strands start to form. As you keep stretching and kneading the dough, the strands get longer and stronger. The result is stretchy and elastic pizza dough.

During kneading, small pockets will form in the dough. When the yeast produces gas during fermentation, the gases are trapped in these pockets. This process is what we call rising.

The more you knead the dough, the more the gluten develops. More gluten development means that the dough will have a crispier texture during baking because the gluten proteins harden when they are heated.

Strength of the Flour and the W Index

The strength of the dough is an important factor when baking pizza. The strength of the flour is determined by the protein’s ability to develop.

The W Index

The strength of the flour is usually measured in the unit “W,” using a Chopin Alveograph. A Chopin Alveograph is a tool for measuring dough quality, developed by Marcel Chopin in 1920.

The W index is proportional to the amount of gluten in the dough. A high W value means more gluten, and a lower W value means less. With more gluten, the dough will retain more CO2. The reason is that the stronger gluten walls trap the gas produced during fermentation.

A higher W value means the dough requires a longer fermentation time. It also means the dough will keep its shape and structure for longer. Stronger flour is a better choice for slow fermentation. It’s, therefore, ideal for Neapolitan pizza, which is typically left to rise for 8-24 hours.

The W factor is a laboratory measurement representing the force it takes to deform a dough bubble to the point where it ruptures. A typical range deemed appropriate for bread baking is above 200 and as high as 400. Because flour with a high protein/gluten level usually has a high W value, a dough made from such flour will also usually tolerate a long fermentation time and a higher absorption (hydration) rate. 

Other specs you may see on a packet of flour include: 

The P/L value is believed to be a reliable measure of the balance between elasticity and plasticity (extensibility) of a dough. The "P" and "L" parts have specific technical meanings relative to laboratory farinograph charts, but for most purposes, the ratio is the most useful. The higher the ratio, the greater the elasticity; the lower the ratio, the greater the extensibility. The range of values for P/L deemed appropriate for bread making is around 0.40-0.70.  

The falling number is a measure of amylase activity. Once fermentation of a dough starts, certain enzymes in the flour, mainly the alpha-amylase, start the process by which sugar is extracted from damaged starch to feed the yeast in the dough. Some flours have higher amylase activity than others, and some millers (and occasionally bakers) will add additional amylase activity in the form of diastatic malt (or fungal amylase). The falling number is established through a laboratory test in which measured amounts of water and flour are put in a tube and stirred with a plunger while the tube is heated to the point where the flour and water gelatinize. The plunger is then put on top of the mixture, and the time it takes for the tube to fall to the bottom is noted. The plunger will drop faster for a higher amylase flour than a lower amylase flour. A high-amylase flour will have a low number, and a low-amylase flour will have a high number. 

The absorption figure is a laboratory figure representing the capacity of flour to absorb water. It is not identical to the hydration ratio that is frequently discussed, but it is reasonably close. 

The stability measurement is purely technical and based on chart analysis. In a more practical sense, it is based on the amount of force it takes to move a couple of mixing arms in a mixing chamber in which a sample of dough of a specified hydration is placed. A dough made from a low-protein/gluten flour will offer less resistance to the force, and a dough made from a high-protein/gluten flour will offer greater resistance. 

How Strong Flour Is Ideal for Pizza Baking?

The ideal strength for pizza flour depends on how long you want to rise the dough. If you want a fast fermentation, you want a low W flour; for long, slow fermentation, you want a higher W flour.

Preferments: Improve flavor and structure

Hydration:  You have to adjust the water content in the final dough to compensate for the hydration in the preferment.  Biga and Poolish can be used interchangeably. Poolish:  100% hydration / Biga:  40-50% hydration

Autolyse: This process absorbs water and flour. It can be done before other ingredients are added to jump-start the formation of gluten. Autolyse creates enzymes called amylases, which begin breaking down the starch molecules into simpler sugars and the protein into gluten strands.

Flour: ( a starch) consists of Proteins – mainly gliadin and glutenin.  When combined with water they form gluten.  Molecules - amylose and amylopectin, which are made up of glucose rings. Amylopectin is insoluble; Amylose is soluble in warm water. 

Sugars: Glucose results from the breakdown of amylose molecules in flour   Flavor comes from the flour. When these are added, the flavor comes from the enhancement and it speeds up fermentation (because of the existence of glucose). Sucrose – table sugar / Fructose – the sugar in honey /Lactose – the sugar in milk

Yeast: Feeds on simple sugars.  Metabolizes sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol (ethanol). Ethanol evaporates during baking. Carbon dioxide leavens or rises the dough.

Use only as much yeast to get the job done. Too much yeast speeds up leavening but also exhausts the available sugars and can produce an alcoholic aftertaste.  As yeast starves for sugar, it produces a by-product, glutathione, which weakens the gluten bonds  (over-proofing). Too warm with lots of CO2 but less alcohol, the bread won’t taste as good.  Yeast will inflate faster than the gluten structure can handle, and bubbles will over-inflate and pop.  At over 40 C, yeast is slowly killed. Low (cool) temp (retarding) yeast fermentation is slow and steady.  It provides more time for complex flavor development, and flour has more time to absorb water. Bacteria (lactobacilli) activity increases, lowering the pH and breaking down the gluten structure. The optimum fermentation temperature is 25C or  75-80F.

Fermentation vs. Proving (Proofing)  Used interchangeably, both are fermentation, but from a technical perspective, the 2nd fermentation is called proofing. 1st fermentation:  bulk – the yeast does the majority of its work during this stage and, therefore, produces the most flavor. 2nd fermentation: (proofing)  the final rise after balling/shaping

Kneading is working a mixture into a smooth, cohesive mass. Types of kneading include the basic fold, which involves pressing the dough with the heels of your hand and folding it over; the claw method, which involves mixing dough right in the bowl, stretching, and folding using a dough scraper, and the French fold, which involves bringing the dough toward you with both hands and folding it over away from you. Regardless of which method you use, kneading is essential.  It stretches the protein molecules and promotes gluten formation.   Gluten is critical for rise. Its structure traps air bubbles and allows them to grow. The stronger it is, the more gas it can hold. High protein/strong flour will result in strong gluten development.

Hydration: Affects the properties of the dough, such as elasticity, stickiness, and rise. Calculated as the amount of water in relation to the amount of flour. Higher hydration will make the dough rise faster and more; the extra water lets the yeast move more freely. High hydration softens the gluten strands, allowing larger air pockets to form, therefore giving more rise. Higher hydration will give you a bubblier, crunchier crust. At high-temperature baking, there isn’t much time for the moisture to evaporate from the dough. When baking at oven temperatures, a higher hydration (65-70%) works because the pizza stays in the oven longer. If your hydration is too low, the crust will dry out, making it hard. Note—different hydration requires different types of flour because different flours have different abilities to absorb moisture. Even Tipo 00 flours can differ when it comes to water absorption. Google is your friend here!

Baker’s Percentage: Flour weight is always expressed as 100%, and each ingredient in a formula is expressed as a percentage of the flour weight. Bakers normally measure in grams because quantities are easier to calculate using grams vs. cups/tablespoons/teaspoons.