I bake a lot of pizza. I have a seven year old daughter. I'm also a type A obsessive personality, and I work hard, obsessively so, to perfect what I cook. This week I've been trying Caputo tipo "00" superfine flour to make my pizza crust thin and crispy with just the right amount of chew.
I am happy with my simple pizza dough recipe. It developed from years of making pizza for myself, my family, and my friends. It is very, very easy. Typically it makes 2 pies, each large enough for 1-2 people, and for one of my dogs to steal a piece while the rest of us are eating.
RECIPE: Jason's too-easy pizza dough
¾ Cup warm water
2 tsp yeast
1 Tsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Cups FlourMix the water, yeast and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Add oil and salt to mixture, then add to flour. Mix and knead until all the flour is picked up and the dough is the appropriate texture.
Let sit 30-60 minutes, or until the dough ball doubles in size. Split in half. Make pizza!
This recipe has been working well for me for years, but recently I noticed that my pizza was inconsistent. I realized this was because I was switching back and forth between Bread flour and All-Purpose flour. I then read a fantastic piece on Serious Eats which analyzing various flour types and their effects on pizza. The internet makes me smarter.
Antimo Caputo Italian Superfine "00" Farina Flour. This stuff is amazing.
Serious Eats highly recommended Caputo's Italian superfine flour. Caputo even has a picture of a pizza on the bag! Tipo "00" has a very high protein content, part of the delta I saw between bread and all-purpose, and absorbs slightly less water than the Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur flours I usually use.
I was in luck: Caputo was on the shelf at my local market the first time I looked. I asked the local experts if people buy a lot of this flour and my super market attendants said it just flies off the shelf. I felt sold to, but was still eager to try it.
When kneading the dough, I noticed the superfine flour feels more dense. The mound of dough was tighter and harder to work, but not from being too dry. It was a little moist and doesn't quite need as much water as the other flours. It rose like crazy and was very full of air. When I knocked down the risen dough it popped like bubble wrap.
I stretched the dough out as thin as I thought I could and baked the pizza you see above. I was very happy with the results. The crust has just the right amount of crispy vs chewy to it. The sauce and cheese do not soak through the crust but it also isn't dense and cake like.
I'm pretty happy and hope the flour provides a consistent change to my pizza dough. I figure I've got a few more years of shoveling pizza into this kid.
Antimo Caputo Italian Superfine "00" Farina Flour 2.2 lb Bag
