Caputo Flour

[woods witch]

After reading much information regarding Caputo 00 flour, I have tracked down a "reasonably priced" resource for a 55lb bag. The last 55lb bag of flour we purchased lasted about 10 months. We just bagged an froze it in large bags.
My question is whether or not this flour is going to make a discernable difference in the flavor, texture and quality of our pizza dough. I am constantly changing my formula attempting to get that crispy bottom on our pizzas and I have to admit that I haven't found it yet. Can anyone tell me if they think it's worth the cost? I can obtain it for about $68 delivered to my home. I haven't found anywhere to buy it within driving distance of my house!
I usually work with a 65% hydration formula with water, salt and yeast and a little olive oil to coat. I have also experimented with fresh ground flour addition to that basic formula. I weigh my ingredients and generally bake at around 700 to 800 degrees in our wood oven. The results are good but like everyone else.....I want great .
I appreciate any comments from anyone who has experience with Caputo flour! I know I could always try to get a small bag from amazon or somewhere but if I get some good feedback from those in the know, I will just bite the bullet and get the 55lb bag.
Thanks in advance!

[The Dough Doctor]

W.W.;
If you have done as much formula testing as you say you have and still have not achieved a crispy bottom crust on your pizzas, I don't think changing to a Caputo (red) will make much difference, I think I would concentrate instead on how I was baking my pizzas. What can you tell us about how you bake your pizzas?
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[woods witch]

We get our oven fully saturated with a fire in the center towards the back of the oven, burning for at least a full 3-4. We then brush the fire to the side and continue to keep a rolling flame. We make sure the floor isn't too hot and slide the pizza in. We generally get a 2 minute bake on the pie and finish with a quick hold close to the dome. We are having a pizza party on Friday and I intend on trying cheese on dough first instead of sauce to see if that helps. I use an uncooked sauce, just San Marzano tomatoes crushed with some olive oil and basil. Flavor of all of our pies is always good, only complaint is I don't get the crisp bottom!

[woods witch]

also, the bag of flour I am thinking of ordering is blue.....don't know how much of a difference that makes!

[Pigslips]

also, the bag of flour I am thinking of ordering is blue.....don't know how much of a difference that makes!

The blue bag is the same as the little one pound red bag.  Where do you live?
As far as flavor I think different flours have different taste.  I've tried many and found Sheppard's Grain is the one I like.  Also I over yeast my dough.

[woods witch]

I live in southeastern Pennsylvania. I've never heard of Shepherd's Grain flour...is it available around here?

[Pigslips]

I live in southeastern Pennsylvania. I've never heard of Shepherd's Grain flour...is it available around here?

I don't know, google it.  They are an Oregon miller.  Also I really like Greek yeast by Morfat.. 

[woods witch]

 ;Dlove it...."I don't know, google it" is one of my favorite sayings!
looking into seeing if I can locate a local distributor, which seems to be an issue for some specific brand name ingredients around here. I am just intrigued by the Caputo reputation, I guess. Seems like alot of chefs recommend it for the true Neopolitan pizza experience. I was hoping someone here has some first hand experience with the flour and the results it produces.

thanks!

[kpetry]

Fred's Music and BBQ is located in Shillington, PA, which might be close to you.  They stock several pizza flours, including Caputo.  Here's their page:

http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=caputo&Search.x=15&Search.y=6

You will probably need to scroll the page down - when I open any of his pages, the page appears blank, but if you scroll down, the info is down below - weird!
Hope this helps!

[norma427]

Woods witch,

Steve (Ev) and I both purchase Caputo flour from Fred (SmokinGuitarPlayer) in Shillington.  Steve and I are both located in Lancaster county.  Steve also has a WFO he built last summer.  If you look under (Ev) posts you can see many of the pizzas he baked in his WFO.

Norma

[The Dough Doctor]

W.W.;
The blue is a little lower in protein content. We don't like it as much as the red as the dough is somewhat softer and more difficult to work with especially when you're tossing the dough as we do.
I think you answered your question as to why you are not getting the crispy bottom on your pizzas. With a 2-minute baking time you are getting a very thin bottom crust which will go soft very fast after removing it from the oven. For a test, see if you can find a seasoned pizza screen and bake a pie on it. The air gap created by the screen will reduce the heat to the bottom of the dough, thus slowing down the bake. With a longer bake, you will develop a heavier bake on the bottom of the pizza, and a crispier crust which will hold its crisp for a longer time. If that works, you will need to reduce the deck temperature to some extent. In wood burning ovens, I normally look for a 4-minute bake time for the crispiest pizzas that will hold their crisp for more than a couple minutes.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[woods witch]

Thank you everyone!!! I have learned more here about pizza in the 2 days since I have found this forum than in the past 2 years! 
I will be taking a little road trip to Shillington! I have already made my dough for Friday, but if I get a chance to get the Caputo and try it while my oven is hot, I will give a report.
I appreciate the advice on the pizza screen and the 4 minute bake and will try to slow down my bake time. thanks again!

[Pigslips]

;Dlove it...."I don't know, google it" is one of my favorite sayings!  thanks!

Try these, http://www.molinocaputo.it/eng/homeEng.htm
And http://www.shepherdsgrain.com/