The distinguishing factor for the best pizza is the consistency, flavor, and texture of the pizza’s crust. To achieve an excellent pizza crust requires an excellent pizza dough, which in turn is only accomplished using the best pizza flour. Made from the finest, softest Italian pizza flour, 00 flour (or tipo 00 flour) is considered the gold standard for pizza and pasta doughs. Making a more responsive dough that doesn’t easily tear when rolled into thin pasta or stretched into thin pizza, tipo 00 flour is responsible for the beloved balance of a crisp yet bready dough that distinguishes traditional Neapolitan pizza. The flour’s powder fine texture produces doughs that has a sturdy elasticity without becoming gummy or rubbery.

While US flour producers use protein content to designate their flours, Italians (and other Europeans) use the grind level applied to produce it, ranging from 2 to 00, tipo 2 being the largest and tipo 00 being the finest. A common misconception in the US is that 00 flour contains low protein levels. Though Italian 00 flour is fine and delicate in texture, it generally contains a rather high protein content (between 12%-13%), giving it its notable strength. Designed to be used for a wide range of baking, all-purpose flour falls more to the middle in protein content (10%-11%) to make it more versatile. As a result, it creates a doughier, less crisp pizza crust. 

Another distinguishing feature of 00 flour is its ability to absorb water. Due to its super-fine texture, 00 flour absorbs water much faster than a coarser flour. As a result, dough made from 00 flour tends to require less water, which in turn results in a crispier pizza crust when cooked at a very high temperature. 

While 00 flours are made from different wheat types, most 00 pizza flours are made from durum wheat, giving it the distinctive characteristics mentioned above. Bona Furtuna Ancient Grain 00 Pizza Flour is made from a combination of Maiorca and Margherito wheats. The combination of these ancient Sicilian durum wheats result in a beautifully rustic and flavorful pizza dough.