“00” Flour vs. Standard Flour – is there really a difference between them? Actually, there is. The “00” label refers to the fineness of the flour, with this category being finer or silkier than “whiter” flour. Delco Foods recently added the Caputo brand of this flour to our list of specialty products. What makes Caputo flour so special? Caputo 00 Italian Flour is widely used throughout Italy and considered one of the best 00 flours available. It has lower protein and ash content than most flours. While 00 flour can be used the same way you use standard flour, the factors listed above lead to some special handling instructions…

1. As mentioned, 00 Italian Flour is very silky. Great pizza dough can result without adding olive oil. You may want to experiment with and without adding the oil to get the taste you desire.
2. It is very soft and your dough may need less handling.
3. It hydrates well so you may need to add more water than usual.
4. It will spring in the oven. The soft dough will puff around the outside rim of the pizza.
5. It is extensible. It will easily stretch and you may find it is easier to work it into a round and thin pizza base. You shouldn’t handle the dough ball too much in order to keep it soft and supple.

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