Flour is the largest ingredient by weight and the one most people give the least thought to. The differences between types are real and they interact with oven temperature more than with technique.
What Distinguishes Them
Two variables matter: protein content, which determines how much gluten can develop, and grind, which affects how the flour absorbs water and how the crust browns.
Higher protein means stronger gluten, more chew and better structure. Lower protein means a softer, more tender result.
The Common Options
- Italian 00: very finely milled, moderate protein, the traditional Neapolitan choice
- Bread flour: high protein, strong gluten, chewy New York style crust
- All-purpose: middling protein, workable and less distinctive
- Semolina: coarse, not for the dough itself but excellent for dusting the peel
- Wholemeal: adds flavour, absorbs more water, weakens structure in quantity
The 00 Question
The number refers to the fineness of the grind rather than the protein content, which is a common misunderstanding. Italian 00 flours vary in strength, and the one sold for pizza is different from the one sold for pasta.
Very fine flour also browns differently. At the very high temperatures of a wood oven this produces the classic Neapolitan result; at a domestic 480°F it can stay pale.
This is why 00 flour disappoints people in a home oven and performs at 800°F. Ovens reaching that range, of the kind at piezano.net, are where the flour behaves as intended.
Match the Flour to the Heat
High-temperature short bakes suit finer, moderately strong flour. Lower-temperature longer bakes suit bread flour, which browns more readily and tolerates the longer time.
This is a more useful rule than any brand recommendation, and it explains most of the contradictory advice on the subject.
Absorption
Different flours take different amounts of water at the same hydration percentage. A strong bread flour absorbs more than a soft all-purpose, so the same recipe feels different.
Hold back a little of the water, mix, and add the rest only if needed. Rescuing a too-wet dough is considerably harder than adding water to a stiff one.
Freshness
Flour is not indefinitely stable. White flour keeps around a year; wholemeal considerably less, because the oils in the bran go rancid within a few months.
Rancid flour has a faint smell of old paint and it carries into the finished crust. Anyone with an unexplained off note in their baking has usually met it.
Storage
Airtight, cool, dark and dry. Flour absorbs moisture from the air, which changes its effective hydration between a humid summer and a dry winter.
Weighing rather than measuring by volume neutralises most of that variation.
Starting Point
Bread flour for a domestic oven, a pizza-specific 00 for a high-temperature one. Both are widely available and both are more forgiving than the internet suggests.