Using Caputo Tipo 00 Flour

[james]

I just posted a simple instruction sheet on using Italian Tipo 00 pizza flour on the site. I try to explain how it behaves and how it is different from bread flour, and also included Pizza Napoletana dough instructions.

Let me know if anyone thinks it's helpful, and how I might improve it.

http://fornobravo.com/PDF/Using-caputo-tipo00.pdf

James

[Carl A. Palminteri]

Used same with beer instead of water...extraordinary. Also was told that if one uses club soda instead of just water it makes for an even lighter crust, but have not tried that yet.

[paulages]

i use the official pizza nepolitana dough recipe with typo 00 flour, and it's perfect. the silkiness of the dough is uncomparable to dough made with any other flour.

[DavidK]

Good instructions James-could've used it two weeks ago! I really belive the olive oil is unecessary with Caputo and has a negative effect on the dough's handling characteristics. Of course I don't really have enough real experience to support that claim, but the proof to me is in the vast difference I experienced one batch to the next with that being the only variable.

[Pizza Man]

What's the official nepolitana dough recipe?

[james]

There are a couple of rules.

1. Use Tipo 00 pizza flour (the VPN association specifcally recommends Caputo).
2. High hydration. They give ranges, so shoot for 60%-65%.
3. No olive oil
4. 2 hour bulk fermentation
5. 250 gram +/- dough ball
6. No mechanical dough shaping.

I have put a copy of the original VPN guidelines in the back of the pizza e-Book, but this gets you there.
James

[aeneas1]

Originally Posted by james

There are a couple of rules.

1. Use Tipo 00 pizza flour (the VPN association specifcally recommends Caputo).
2. High hydration. They give ranges, so shoot for 60%-65%.
3. No olive oil
4. 2 hour bulk fermentation
5. 250 gram +/- dough ball
6. No mechanical dough shaping.

I have put a copy of the original VPN guidelines in the back of the pizza e-Book, but this gets you there.
James

it's always been my understanding that high hydration works best - but this vpn recipe calls for 53% hydration....


Recipe for VPN Pizza Margherita

and this italian website calls for even less, 48% (recipe quantities located at bottom of the page)...

Pizzeria vera Napoli, come fare le pizze, ingredienti, impasto, forno. Consigli pratici

[Alfredo]

Looks like a language problem to me. One litre is .88 of a UK quart. It is 1.06 of a US quart.

Another good reason to get with the metric program

[james]

Too funny.
James

[dmun]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

Looks like a language problem to me. One litre is .88 of a UK quart. It is 1.06 of a US quart.

In school we were told that the liter was a "liter" bit more than a quart. I remember Canadian gasoline being sold in imperial gallons, which were five quarts. (Detroit is actually north of Windsor). That was back the last time the Canadian dollar (It had the Queen on it then) was at or near the same value as the greenback.

Another good reason to get with the metric program

Don't get me started on the French yard.