As a pizza fanatic, you may wonder what is the best pizza flour and what makes the pizza dough in Italian restaurants head and shoulders above any other pizza from the supermarket. In this article, we will go over how we create such moreish pizzas with our signature tasty dough.
It Starts With Neapolitan Bases
Our first secret is creating Neapolitan pizzas. This variety of pizza, with its fresh dough, is always light, thin and holds onto your chosen toppings. Neapolitan pizzas also cook quickly compared to thicker crust pizzas, so the ingredients don’t lose their nutritional value or taste.
However, there is more science behind the perfect Neapolitan pizza base than just rolling the dough into a thin circle before topping it with fragrant tomato sauce, melt-in-the-mouth mozzarella and other delicious toppings. So let’s discuss what flour for pizza dough, and we will reveal a few mysteries on how we get such delicious Neapolitan pizza bases in our Italian restaurants.
What is the Best Flour to Use for Pizza Dough?
Perhaps we are biased, but the best flour for pizza dough is wheat-based and fermented flour. The more gluten in the bread flour, the chewier the base will be. Of course, the best pizza dough will strike a balance between being chewy and holding its structure when you hold up a slice of pizza without being tough to chew.
Generally, the best consistency to aim for is a stretchy dough that won’t break when you stretch it out to almost its full capacity but can also stretch to be thin enough to see the light through the dough. Additionally, a 00 flour is optimal for pizza bases.
What flour do you use in your Italian restaurant?
At Cinquecento Pizzeria, we make all of our dough in-house and ferment it for at least 48 hours before using it in our delicious pizzas. We also ensure we follow our Nonna’s original Italian recipe and, therefore, the dough is up to 67% hydration before cooking as this helps the dough soften.
By fermenting the wheat dough, our bases are also easy on your digestion. We have had numerous comments from visitors that our fermented pizza dough hasn’t left them feeling sluggish or bloated. Finally, you can have your cake (or pizza) and eat it, as you are able to enjoy the pizza bread without worrying about how you will feel later in the day.
Since our restaurant doors opened in 2019 at our flagship store on Cale Street, we have served over 1.5 million pizzas to the people of London, so we know a thing or two about creating a ten out of ten pizza base.
How To Make Pizza Flour Into a Pizza Base
However, it’s not just the top-tier pizza base flour that makes our homemade dough so moreish. We also cook our pizzas in a stone oven that reaches temperatures of approximately 500 °F or 260 °C. Uncoincidentally, this is also where our restaurant gets its name, Cinquecento Pizzeria, which translates to Pizzeria 500 in English. These traditional stone pizza ovens, which you can see in some of our open kitchen venues, allow our Italian chefs to cook the thin crusts in minutes. Thereby allowing the base to get crispy on the outside yet stay soft and floppy in the middle for that iconic pizza flop when you lift up each slice.
Can You Use Gluten-Free Flour for Pizza?
As we are keen to include everyone no matter what their dietary needs, we also offer gluten-free dough for all our pizzas. Simply ask your server to swap our fermented wheat-based dough for the gluten-free alternative when you order your pizza to ensure your meal is suitable for you.
We can do almost any pizza option as a gluten-free dish. However, just let our staff know if you are avoiding gluten for allergy or medical purposes so we can ensure you are taken care of appropriately. Have a read of our pizza menu to decide on which top choice pizza you’d like to enjoy when you visit one of our restaurants.
For more information on our gluten-free options, visit our previous posts on ‘the best authentic Italian gluten-free pizza’ or our FAQ and read more about the gluten-free options available at Cinquecento Pizzeria.
What is The Worst Pizza Dough Flour?
In our opinion, you can still make a tasty gluten-free pizza, but it has to be done with a mixed gluten-free flour that has been thoroughly tested as a pizza dough. Therefore, the worst gluten-free flour for pizza dough may be something like almond flour. Although this wheat-free alternative may be acceptable, or even preferable, for baking, almond flour makes for a thin, cracker-like base which isn’t up to par with the floppy and light inside and crispy crust of a true Neapolitan pizza.
All You Knead Is Our Pizza Dough
We use only the best pizza base flour in our three Italian restaurants in London to ensure you can experience the taste of our Italian Nonna’s cooking just moments from your home. As mentioned, our dough is fermented for two days to ensure the lightest, fluffiest dough that is easy on your stomach. However, we also offer a gluten-free pizza base option for anyone avoiding gluten in their diet, as well as a couple of tasty gluten-free appetisers or dessert options.
If you are concerned about allergies or medical issues, you can chat with a member of our friendly team via Instagram or Facebook or give us a call to discuss the menu. You can also see our allergens on the delivery menu through the Supper app.