sf wrote:

>> In fact 00 isn't intended for pizza or focaccia: for these
>> preparations the best is 0, which is almost equivalent to AP. 00
>> flour is perfect for cakes.

> Thanks! I haven't heard that before, or if I have - it didn't
> "stick". Reading material on pizza over here and what we hear about
> the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana rules, point us toward the rare
> and mysterious 00 flour... although what I've read this morning hasn't
> been as enthusiastic about 00 as what I've read in the past.
> http://pizza.about.com/od/PizzaBasic...izza-Dough.htm
> http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f10/...eight-691.html
>
> Here is a quote from an article in the NYT
> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/di...d=1&ref=dining
>
> [ Italian 00 flour is considered "soft" - low in the proteins called
> glutens that give dough its elasticity, like the flour used in the
> thin and supple Naples-style pizzas so popular in New York. Only I
> discovered that things aren't so simple.
>
> The 00 designation refers to how finely the flour is milled, not the
> protein content. Some 00 flours are around 7 percent proteins, others
> are 11 percent or higher. (By comparison, all-purpose flour is around
> 11 percent.)

The 00 flour we normally find in stores is around 7-8%, the special flours
for pizzeria are or 00 with 11-13% gluten or a mix between manitoba (0) and
00. If we not-pizzamongers dontt want to buy bulk, we usually go with 0 or
those pricey flour mixes with some manitoba. My mother used the 0 only for
focaccia and pizza

> In any case, I'm not the only one with a "meh" attitude. It seems 00
> works better in a commercial or wood fired pizza oven vs home oven.
> http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2011...-00-flour.html

Probably

> The 00 flour I buy comes in bulk - so I have no idea what the brand or
> gluten content is, I only know it's organic. I'm thinking maybe I
> should move on and give semolina a try next.

Many pizzaioli add some semola di grano duro (durum wheat semolina) to their
flour in order to impart a rougher texture, a more "rustica" pizza.
--
"Un pasto senza vino e' come un giorno senza sole"
Anthelme Brillat Savarin