You’ve decided to make yourself a homemade pizza.
There are a LOT of different styles, crusts, and sauce options–and even MORE flour options. 🍕
Can You Use Bread Flour to Make Pizza?
Yes, bread flour is the ideal choice for many homemade pizzas. Bread flour’s high protein content creates a traditional pizza crust texture and generally rises more than general all-purpose flour (although that can create delicious crusts as well). Tipo 00 flour (used in Neapolitan pizzas) generally shouldn’t be used in pizzas that are cooked in home ovens (which only get to 500-500 degree Fahrenheit).
Choosing the best flour option comes down to personal preference.
What kind of taste and texture do you like?
Years ago, I began experimenting with at-home pizzas, and bread flour is my current go-to!
Let’s dive into the details.👇
Bread vs All-Purpose vs Tipo 00 flour: What’s the difference?
| Flour | Works for… | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Wheat flour | Doesn’t really work great for pizza (chewy, dense crust, but healthy)! | more nutrients (less refined, has bran and germ included) |
| All-purpose flour | Home oven pizzas–probably not deep dish | low protein content, slower or less rise |
| Bread flour | Pretty much any pizza at home! | high protein content |
| Tipo 00 flour (“pizza flour”) | Pizzas baked in high-temp pizza ovens (800-900F), like Neapolitan | high protein content, more refined (and less “ash content”) |
Tipo 00, also known as double zero flour, is finely milled flour commonly used in Italian pizza making.
Neapolitan pizzas call for Tipo 00 flour, which creates a bubbly, crispy crust after baking. This flour requires extremely high temperatures (over 800 degrees) for proper baking.
Learn more about Tipo 00 “pizza flour” here.
All-purpose flour is a common choice for home chefs for lighter stuff:
- Cakes
- Pastries
- etc
It’s less crispy than a crust made with Tipo 00 but not as chewy as a crust created from bread flour. It also tends to be the least expensive flour you can buy.
I use 100% bread flour for my top 2 pizza recipes of all time, my Detroit-style and my New York-style recipe 🍕
Bread flour is made from hard flour, and has a higher protein percentage. This helps “lock in” the gluten during the fermentation phase–which yields a stronger dough that rises well.
- Bread
- Focaccia
- Pizza
It’s the type of dough commonly found in deep-dish, Sicilian, Chicago, New York, and Detroit-style pizzas.
As you roll it out, this extra protein causes the dough to spring back.
Which Flour Is Best for Pizza Dough?
It depends on what type of crust you want to make, and what oven you’re using to cook with! Do you like a crispy crust, or do you prefer a chewy bite?
Flour doesn’t alter the taste of your dough that much, but it can affect rise time and crust texture.
Do you prefer a raised edge or a flat slice? Do you want your pizza to feel rigid, or do you dream of a flexible slice you can fold in half?
- If you prefer a chewy, bubbly dough, opt for bread flour. If you want something a bit more crispy, use all-purpose (or a mix of both)!
- If you have a high-temperature pizza oven and love a bubbly, crunchy crust, go for Tipo 00.
- If your preference falls in the middle, try a recipe that uses all-purpose flour.
If you’re going to be making pizza as a hobby, you should probably try ALL the flours and experiment until you find what you like best.
Which Pizzas Use Which Kind of Flour?
Different styles of pizza require different types of flour.
If you want to bake a Detroit or Sicilian pizza, you’ll need bread flour.
Bread flour gives rise to the crust of deep-dish pizzas. It also produces a hefty crust that supports all the toppings you add.
Prepare Neapolitan pizzas with Tipo 00 or a mix of double zero and all-purpose or bread flour.
Don’t forget that Tipo 00 cooks best in a pizza oven that reaches 800-900 degrees.
You can make New York-style pizzas with bread flour, all-purpose flour, or a mix. The texture and consistency will change depending on which one you choose.
Pizza Flour F.A.Q.s
Is bread flour good for pizza dough?
Yes, bread flour is often the best choice for pizza dough. It will create a slightly chewy texture with a higher rise than other flour options. It is the preferred flour for making Detroit, Sicilian, and other deep-dish pizzas.
Can you substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour in pizza?
Yes, bread flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour in any pizza recipe, although it will change the texture and rise of the dough.
Can I use bread flour instead of 00 flour for pizza?
You can use bread flour instead of Tipo 00 flour, but the texture of your pizza will be completely different. The high protein in bread flour will create a thick, chewy crust, unlike the crispy texture created when using Tipo 00 flour. If a recipe calls for 00 flour, you might want to prepare something different.