flour combinations

[greekstyle]

Ok....I'm pretty positive no one uses just one type, brand etc. of flour for their dough.  I know for sure that pizzerias use their own special blend.  I'm referring to NY style pizza

Question:
What are some flour combinations that are or could be used?

Thanks!
Greek

[TXCraig1]

Why do you think that? I would guess that the vast majority of NY style operators use a single flour in their dough.

What do you think you can accomplish with a blend that you can't with a single flour?

[greekstyle]

Why do you think that? I would guess that the vast majority of NY style operators use a single flour in their dough.

What do you think you can accomplish with a blend that you can't with a single flour?

I've been told by a few owners that they've developed their own special blend.  Plus I don't recall anyone having the same crust flavor, look, feel, and texture.  I may be wrong and I know everyone has their own technique.

I don't know what you'd accomplish for sure.  I can take a guess like different flavor, look, feel, and texture.  Just like anything else you'll do your own style of sauce and cheese blend to make it your own special recipe, right?

[The Dough Doctor]

G;
Probably the single most commonly used flour by N.Y. pizzerias, to make New York style pizza is General Mills All Trumps, coming in at 14 to 14.2% protein content. But from a realistic point of view any patent or straight grade flour with 12 to 14% protein content will also work. Very few pizzerias use a blend of flours to make their pizzas unless it is a specialty type of pizza dough such as wheat or multi-grain.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[Pete-zza]

greek,

Some of our members prefer using bread flour over high-gluten flour for their NY style pizzas. So, if one has high-gluten flour and all-purpose flour on hand, but no bread flour, the high-gluten flour and all-purpose flour can be blended to achieve a blend with the protein content of bread flour. There is even a tool that one of our members (November) came up with to tell one how to blend flours to achieve a desired targeted protein content. That tool is the Mixed Mass Conversion Calculator at http://tools.foodsim.com/. But I generally agree with Craig and Tom that most professionals tend to stick with one flour.

Peter

[greekstyle]

Gotcha!  Thanks for the replies. 

I've only played with the King Arthurs Bread Flour.  I guess it's time to experiment with other flours. 

[tombiasi]

Gotcha!  Thanks for the replies. 

I've only played with the King Arthurs Bread Flour.  I guess it's time to experiment with other flours. 

I have mixed flours but not because I wanted a special blend. If I can't find KABF I'll pick up BFB and vice versa. At some point I will not have enough of one to make my pizzas so I just make up the weight with the other. I have never seen or tasted any difference with these two flours.

Tom

[Pete-zza]

I have mixed flours but not because I wanted a special blend. If I can't find KABF I'll pick up BFB and vice versa. At some point I will not have enough of one to make my pizzas so I just make up the weight with the other. I have never seen or tasted any difference with these two flours.

Tom,

It may not matter much for practical purposes but there are differences between the two flours, even though they are both bread flours. For example, the KABF is milled from hard red spring wheat and has a protein content of 12.7 +/1 0.2%, whereas the BforB flour is milled from hard winter wheeat and has a protein content of around 12 +/-0.2%. You can see the specs for the two flours at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/professional/specifications-conventional-bakery-flour.html and at http://www.professionalbakingsolutions.com/product/harvest-king-enriched-unbleached-flour-50-lb/53722000?mct=Flour&ct=general-mills-harvest-king&typ=Brand. In the KA specs, the KABF is called by its name on the professional side, Special. In the GM specs, the BforB is called by its name on the professional side, Harvest King.

Peter

[tombiasi]

Tom,

It may not matter much for practical purposes but there are differences between the two flours, even though they are both bread flours. For example, the KABF is milled from hard red spring wheat and has a protein content of 12.7 +/1 0.2%, whereas the BforB flour is milled from hard winter wheeat and has a protein content of around 12 +/-0.2%. You can see the specs for the two flours at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/professional/specifications-conventional-bakery-flour.html and at http://www.professionalbakingsolutions.com/product/harvest-king-enriched-unbleached-flour-50-lb/53722000?mct=Flour&ct=general-mills-harvest-king&typ=Brand. In the KA specs, the KABF is called by its name on the professional side, Special. In the GM specs, the BforB is called by its name on the professional side, Harvest King.

Peter

Thank you Peter,
You are very thorough as usual. I know the two flours are of different specifications but I was just pointing out my experience at home. I prefer the KABF but if I have to have BfB the difference is very small to my finished product.
The supermarkets around me sometimes don't have KABF and I will grab BfB. I would like to try All Trumps and Sir Lancelot but I never see it.

Tom