Flour is the foundation of many dishes around the world, from bread to pasta to pizza. Without it, these delicious dishes wouldn’t exist. To delve into the fascinating world of flour and to understand the superpowers of this basic yet powerful product, we spoke to Emanuele Pizzuti of Molini Pizzuti.
“Since ancient times, flour has always been the queen of the pantry”
– Emanuele Pizzuti
Over the past decades, the food industry has pushed for cleaner products, often eliminating the most nutritious parts of the grain. However, changing consumer awareness is now reflected on store shelves. Terms like bran, fiber, ancient grains, and wheat germ are commonplace, presenting a rich variety of flours.
But what makes each type of flour unique? Emanuele explains, “Pizza, bread, and cake flours, while they may have similar rheological parameters, are all manufactured to be ideally suited to their intended use. Strength, extensibility, elasticity, and amylase activity are balanced based on the specific application.”
Cereals vs. Flour
To understand the essence of flour, we must look at both historical significance and agricultural roots. Wheat, one of the world’s staple crops, is a resilient plant that grows in various climates. Factors such as stressors and agricultural management influence the grain’s quality starch accumulation and gene expression. To ensure consistent quality, producers blend, process, and sell wheat based on its characteristics rather than its origin.
Achieving consistent availability is challenging due to variable climatic and crop conditions. Emanuele explicated, “Choosing the right wheat varieties and combining them in the proper proportions ensures that the final product maintains consistent quality.”
Mixing is the foundation of the milling process: the company stores, mixes, and grinds different types of grains with various properties to obtain a product with consistent and well-defined characteristics. Preserving the nutritional value of the flour during milling is crucial. Emanuele emphasizes that overheating during milling can affect nutritional properties. “Our milling processes are designed to minimize friction and overheating. However, proper storage is essential to prevent oxidation, which can reduce nutritional value over time.”
But, how do you check the properties of flour?
One key laboratory assessment is alveographic analysis, which evaluates how dough performs under stress. This process involves placing a disk of dough in an instrument called an alveograph. The machine then inflates the dough disk by blowing air into it until the dough expands and eventually bursts. The resulting chart, known as an alveogram, shows how much the dough stretches before breaking. According to Emanuele, “The length of the curve on the alveogram indicates dough extensibility, which represents how much the dough can stretch before it tears.” This test is crucial for understanding the dough’s quality and suitability for various baking applications.
“Flour expresses its greatest power through its sharing at the table,” Emanuele notes. “We work closely with culinary professionals, recognizing that flour is the foundation of every recipe’s success.”
Choosing the Right Flour
Choosing the right flour depends on the production process. “The main parameter to consider is the ‘W’, or strength, which is related to the quantity and quality of proteins. For example, very weak flours with a W of less than 200 are used for shortcrust pastry, while flours with a W of more than 300 are used for longer maturation processes.”
The Best Flour for Pizza Dough
Ultimately, the best flour for pizza dough is the one that meets the needs of the chef. “Dough making is an artisanal process that must be adapted to the chef’s specific requirements,” Emanuele concludes.
Research into flour and grain is not just about improving the basic ingredient; it’s about refining the very foundations of culinary art. Ensuring that every loaf of bread, every plate of pasta, and every slice of pizza is a testament to the power of science and tradition combined.
Instagram: @molinipizzuti
Website: https://www.molinipizzuti.it/en/
Address: Via delle Industrie, 58, 84092 Zona Industriale-artigianale SA, Italy
Artykuł What makes a good pizza flour? pochodzi z serwisu The Best Chef.
