Which Flour Is Best for Pizza?

What does “Tipo 00” actually mean?

The Italian classification Tipo 00/0/1/2/Integrale describes the milling/refinement grade — how much of the mineral, bran and germ content has been removed during milling. Tipo 00 is the most finely milled, “whitest” grade with the lowest mineral (ash) content. In Italy this is legally defined by ash content, not by protein or gluten quality.

What that means in practice: a Tipo 00 flour can be weak or strong, low- or high-protein. Some Tipo 00 flours are specifically blended for pizza with relatively high protein (see below); others — for cakes or fresh pasta — are deliberately weaker. The "00" by itself doesn't tell you whether a flour suits your dough.

Protein: why it matters for pizza dough

The protein percentage printed on the bag (in the US often as "% protein" or derived from the nutrition panel; in Europe usually listed directly) is the single most useful number to go by. Protein is what forms the gluten network during kneading, giving your dough structure and letting it hold fermentation gases. As a rough rule: the more protein, the more water a flour can typically absorb, and the better the dough tends to survive a long or warm rise without collapsing.

That's a tendency, not a formula. A flour at 12% protein doesn't automatically mean "exactly 65% hydration" — wheat variety, milling and gluten quality also play a role, and two flours with identical protein numbers can feel noticeably different when you knead them. That's exactly why the PizzaDoughGuide calculator turns your protein percentage, pizza style and a few other inputs into a hydration range instead of a single, falsely precise number.

What does the W value mean?

Many Italian pizza flours also list a number like “W260” or “W320” alongside protein. W comes from the alveograph test: a piece of dough is inflated like a balloon until it tears. The energy measured in that process gives the W value — in short, a measure of a flour's strength or baking performance.

• Lower W (roughly under 220): a weaker flour, usually intended for short, same-day doughs.
• Mid-range W (roughly 220-280): versatile, common for pizza with anywhere from a few hours up to about a day of rise.
• Higher W (roughly 280 and up): a stronger flour that tends to tolerate longer and/or colder fermentation, plus more water.

These bands come from common practice across various Italian pizza flours, not a fixed standard — brands and recipes vary. Importantly, W isn't something you can precisely calculate from the protein number alone; the two are related but measure different things. If your flour doesn't list a W value — true of most flours outside dedicated pizza brands — you can still work perfectly well from protein and a bit of hands-on experience.

Protein vs. W value — what's the difference?

Protein is a quantity (grams of protein per 100g of flour) that nearly every bag lists. W is a lab-measured performance value for dough strength that only some — mostly Italian — pizza flours list. A higher-protein flour tends to also have a higher W value, but the relationship isn't linear and also depends on wheat variety, milling and gluten quality. For everyday use, the protein number is enough in the vast majority of cases.

Which hydration fits which flour and pizza style?

The table below shows typical ranges — matched to the same assumptions the PizzaDoughGuide calculator already uses internally. These are practical guideline values, not physical laws; individual recipes and pizzerias vary.

Note on Neapolitan: AVPN's official rulebook (2024 international disciplinare) lists optimal protein values for long-fermentation Tipo 00 flour at 11.5-13.5%, and 11-13.5% for approved Tipo 0 flour. The slightly narrower range above (11-12.5%) reflects common practice among home bakers outside AVPN certification — both figures are “correct”, just for different standards.

Which flour for long fermentation?

The longer and/or warmer your dough rises, the more its gluten structure is asked to hold up without collapsing. For 24 hours and beyond — especially with cold retard — a stronger flour (higher protein or higher W) tends to have an edge, though it's not a strict requirement: moderately strong flour can handle a long rise just fine if hydration and yeast amount are dialed in. The calculator already factors rise time, room temperature and cold retard into its yeast recommendation automatically, independent of which flour you use. For a concrete schedule with a fully worked example, see 24-Hour Pizza Dough.

Can I use regular supermarket flour?

Yes. Standard all-purpose flour works fine for pizza — you don't need to buy a dedicated Italian pizza flour to make a good one. What matters is setting hydration and rise time realistically for the flour you actually have, instead of copying a recipe written for a noticeably stronger flour.

If your flour is on the lower-protein side (under roughly 10-11%): go with lower hydration, keep the rise shorter to moderate, and expect a slightly less open, more structured crumb. That's a normal adjustment to the flour, not a mistake.

Tipo 00 vs. bread flour, all-purpose flour & strong flour

English-language flour bags rarely use the Italian Tipo system at all — instead you'll typically see terms like these, which vary a bit between the US and UK:

• All-purpose flour (US) / plain flour (UK): general-purpose, usually lower protein (roughly 9-12%), fine for shorter, lower-hydration doughs.
• Bread flour (US) / strong (bread) flour (UK): higher protein (commonly around 12-14%), a solid match for most pizza styles, including longer rises and higher hydration.
• Extra-strong / high-gluten flour: even higher protein (roughly 14-16%), sometimes used for very long cold ferments or very high hydration, not necessary for most home bakers.
• Tipo 00: as explained above, a milling grade, not a protein guarantee — some Tipo 00 pizza flours land in a similar protein range to bread flour, others don't.

None of these labels are exact substitutes for each other — when in doubt, compare the actual protein percentage on the bag rather than the label name.

How to read a bag of flour

Say your bag lists:

Protein: 12.5g / 100g · W280

What you can reasonably infer: a medium-to-strong flour that suits most pizza styles with moderate-to-longer fermentation, and that tends to tolerate higher hydration too.

What you can't infer: an exact “correct” hydration, a guarantee it'll suit a specific style, or — without actually testing it — a fully reliable prediction of how the dough will feel. If there's no W value on the bag (true for most flours outside dedicated pizza brands), the protein number alone is a perfectly good starting point.

Which flour should I actually buy?

For a starting point, a quick check on the bag before you commit:

1. Protein percentage — the single most useful number.
2. W value, if listed — a useful extra signal of strength, not a requirement.
3. Intended use printed on the bag (e.g. “for pizza”, “for bread”, “for cakes”) as a rough steer.
4. Your planned rise time — short and same-day, or long and cold?

As a rough rule of thumb: for short, simple doughs, pretty much any all-purpose flour works. For long cold fermentation or very high hydration, a stronger, higher-protein flour is worth seeking out. There's no single "best" flour — only one that fits your style and your schedule. Once you know it, enter the protein percentage into the calculator.