Calories in Flour, 00

What makes flour so powerful?

The '00' (doppio zero) designation on this flour refers strictly to its grind size, not its protein content or refinement level. In the Italian milling system, flour is graded from 00 to 2 based on how finely it is milled, with 00 being the most powdery, resembling talc. This ultra-fine texture allows the flour to hydrate quickly and evenly, producing exceptionally smooth, extensible doughs. It is the traditional choice for making fresh pasta and authentic Neapolitan pizza. Because the grading system only measures particle size, a 00 flour can actually have a wide range of protein levels depending on the wheat blend used by the miller. Many 00 pizza flours contain around 11 to 12 percent protein, similar to American all-purpose flour, but the finer grind creates a different gluten network. The resulting dough stretches easily without tearing and bakes into a tender, delicate crust. This unique physical characteristic is why substituting standard all-purpose flour often yields a chewier, less delicate result in traditional Italian baking applications.