All Purpose & 00 the same?

[LeeB]

Do you guys know if general all purpose flour is the same as the 00 flour that I hear mentioned?  I don't think I have ever see a bag of flour labled 00 anywhere, not even in speciality food stores.

[Pete-zza]

LeeB,

Except for a 00 clone that King Arthur sells (and which I personally do not recommend), 00 flour is a flour imported from Italy. It is not the same as all-purpose flour. Even though it might have the same protein content as all-purpose flour, it is milled differently. (00 flours come in a fairlly wide range of protein contents, from around 10 to 12.5 percent.) 00 flour is sold in some retail stores, usually small stores in Italian neighborhoods or from places like Fresh Direct if you happen to live in certain zip code zones in NYC. Certain brands, such as the Bel Aria, Delverde, Pelegrino, and Caputo brands, are available via mail order (and via the Internet), although the Caputo brand is available in only 25 killo bags. If you do a site search using "00 flour" you will find all the information you will ever want to have on 00 flour .

Peter

[LeeB]

Thanks for your input Peter....

[Aaron]

In Mario Batallis book my two italian villages he states a clone of 00 can be made by mixing 4 cups cake and pastry flour and one cup of ap.I would imagine that this would have a very low gluten percentage.I personally have used AP and semolina in a mix of 2 parts ap and 1 part semolina.Changes the crust texture a little because the semolina is a higher gluten flour and ground finer.I was told by the little Italian lady at the local Italian produce and grocery store to do that as a substitute.She told me she used to carry 00 but no one would buy it,so back it went.Oh ya you should of seen the look on her face when I ordered some product from her,she enquired as to why I wanted some of the ingredients.We ended up talking about pizza for half an hour or so,She said the best pizza comes from Naples(i cant remember the restaurant name)and should be what she called a four season pie.Four distinct quarters all flavoured differently.She also said she has had nothing to compare to it since she left Italy .She told me her hubby and her go on vacation once a year back home and that restaurant is a must stop each year.
Aaron

[Pete-zza]

Aaron,

You are correct about the 00 clone flour combinations although usually the ratios are the opposite of what Mario Batali recommends, in other words, 1 part cake or pastry flour to 3 or 4 parts all-purpose flour. Mario's version would indeed be lower in protein and gluten than the other clones, since cake flour has a protein content of around 6-8% and pastry flour has a protein content of around 7-9.5%. All-purpose logs in at around 10-11.7%. Depending on the brand, 00 flour ranges from around 10% on the low end to around 12.5% on the high end.

The Naples pizzerias that are most often mentioned as being among the best are Antica Pizzaria da Michelle and Pizzaria Brandi. Was it one of those places that the Italian lady mentioned to you? The four seasons pizza she mentioned is called Quattro Stagioni, which translates into "four seasons".  For this pizza, tomato pieces are distributed over the dough and the pizza is divided into four sections, each representing one of the four seasons, using thin strips of dough to delineate the four sections.  The classic Quattro Stagioni pizza calls for the use of asparagus (spring), zucchini (summer), olives (fall) and potatoes (winter).  (The zucchini and potatoes are cut into 1/4” slices and blanched before placing on the pizza.)  Over time, the topping have changed considerably to the point where almost any combination of toppings can be used.  One version, for example, includes the following toppings: roasted artichoke hearts, peppers, mushrooms and prosciutto.  Mozzarella cheese is distributed over the entire pizza. Simple but elegant.

Peter

[Aaron]

Peter in the book he states that he would mix 80 percent cake flour and 20 percent ap as a substitute for 00.He also states the 00 refers to the sift of the flour.He also states a gluten level of 13 to 15 percent is best for breads.
I will ask that lady exactly which one it is next time i see her.I still get a laugh out of the look on her face when we started talking about pizza.She must think I am some crazy munga cake.
Aaron