00 flour and NY pizza--observations

[canadave]

Hi folks,

I decided to experiment a bit, so I just tried using 00 flour for a New York pizza, and I have some observations I'd like to make.  Maybe someone can tell me if I'm right or wrong on these....

1.  00 flour alone is NOT a good flour to use for a New York pizza.  The crust came out very thin (too thin), and didn't quite taste like a NY pizza (I use a pizza stone).  Also, it didn't seem to rise very well, even though I left it in the fridge overnight for one crust, and over two nights for another crust.  Neither rose very much at all, despite the fact I used the same amount of yeast I've used in my previous NY pizza dough recipe (a standard one--3 cups flour, 1 cup warm water, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp salt, etc).

2.  00 flour would be a VERY good flour to use for an "Italian-style thin crust" pizza.  That's what mine came out as.

3.  If I combine the 00 flour with some all-purpose flour, that might make a better NY pizza crust.  Perhaps a 50:50 ratio?  Or 1 cup 00, 2 cups all-purpose?  I'll have to see.

4.  For anyone who hasn't played with it yet, know this: the 00 flour dough is VERY sticky and VERY stretchy.  Normally the recipe I use is enough to make my dough just to the point where it's not sticky anymore.  With the 00 flour, I found that even using more than I usually do, I still could barely get the dough off my hands.

Any comments/suggestions on my observations?

Cheers!!
Dave

[Randy]

Dave, the lower protein 00 flour just doesn’t have the  gluten to allow the stretchy tiny flour-dough balloons let’s call them to form and hold the gas generated by the yeast.  That’s why we in south were raised on soft wheat biscuits instead of the yeast rolls our northern neighbors enjoy.
As you have also found, changing to 00 flour definitely reduces the amount of liquid required.  Although humidity in your kitchen is often blamed for changing the amount of flour or liquid is required in a tried and proven recipe, it is most likely the change in protein level from one bag of flour to the next.  Another myth of the TV chefs I think.  


Randy

[rmberman]

I've tried a ratio of 5 cups all-purpose to 2 cups
00 flour and added about 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil,
kneading it 10 minutes in kitchenaid;
and the resultant dough is light, a little crispy,
stretches well and tears only if the dough is
too cold. I usually let it rise a second time
overnight in fridge after measuring out the balls.
I don't know if it's NY or Calif. pizza but it's
really good.

[JAC]

Had any further luck when playing with the flour ratios?  I also have been intrigued by 00 flour but have been plagued by stickiness (see other post under "peel") and confused by what amount of all purpose flour to mix in.  I have read that even in Naples they are said to add some harder flour to their 00 (though I don't think they'd admit it), but have been unable to find anything what ratio they use, or what might be appropriate for home use.