Understanding Italian Flour Proteins and W Factors
Summary
TLDRIn this informative session, Leo Spaziani explores the intricacies of Italian flours, focusing on protein content and the 'W' factor, which indicates gluten strength and affects fermentation and oven spring. He discusses various types of Caputo flours, including Pizza Napoletana, Tipo 00, and the stronger Auto Oro and Superior varieties, emphasizing how these factors influence pizza and bread quality. Leo also touches on the use of different yeasts for enhancing the baking process and achieving desirable textures and flavors in the final product.
Takeaways
- 🍕 Understanding Italian flours and their protein content is crucial for making authentic pizzas and bread.
- 🥟 The protein level of flour, specifically the glutenin and gliadin proteins, affects the dough's strength, elasticity, and fermentation capabilities.
- 💧 Hydration level in dough is important and works in conjunction with protein levels to create the desired texture and structure.
- 🔥 Oven spring is a phenomenon where steam from the dough's moisture helps create air pockets and a crispy crust in a hot oven.
- 📈 The W factor (gluten strength) is a key measurement for flour that indicates how much water it can absorb and its fermentation potential.
- 🌾 Different types of flour, such as Tipo 00 and Pizza Napoletana, have distinct protein levels and W factors, suitable for various pizza styles and baking techniques.
- 🧪 Gluten formation is a chemical reaction between water and flour, involving both soluble and non-soluble proteins.
- 🥖 Long fermentation times can develop complex flavors and require stronger flours with higher W factors.
- 🛠 Adjusting water content and fermentation times based on flour's protein level and W factor is essential for achieving the desired dough characteristics.
- 📦 Using dry yeast or instant yeast can help control fermentation and enhance the dough's rise and flavor development.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the discussion in the script?
-The primary focus of the discussion is on Italian flours, specifically the protein content and the concept of 'W' factor in determining the appropriate flour for pizza or bread making.
What is the significance of protein levels in flour?
-Protein levels in flour are significant as they determine the strength and elasticity of the dough. Higher protein content generally results in a stronger dough, which can affect the texture and quality of the final baked product.
What is the 'W' factor in flour and how does it relate to pizza making?
-The 'W' factor refers to the gluten strength of the flour, which is measured using a Shofar Albia graph machine. It indicates how much water can be absorbed and how well the flour can hold air, affecting the oven spring and the final texture of the pizza.
What is the ideal protein level for Neapolitan pizza flour?
-The ideal protein level for Neapolitan pizza flour is around 11.5%, which is considered a weaker protein level but is suitable for the high hydration and quick cooking method characteristic of Neapolitan pizzas.
How does the hydration level of dough affect pizza making?
-The hydration level of dough, which refers to the amount of water in the dough, affects the dough's elasticity and the oven spring. Higher hydration levels can lead to a more tender and airy crust, but may also require stronger flour with a higher 'W' factor to maintain structure during baking.
What is the difference between 'Tipo Uno' and 'Superiore' flour mentioned in the script?
-Both 'Tipo Uno' and 'Superiore' are types of Italian flour, with 'Tipo Uno' having a protein level of 13% and a 'W' factor of 300, while 'Superiore' has a protein level of 13% and a 'W' factor of 330. The difference lies in their water absorption capacity and gluten strength, with 'Superiore' being able to handle more water and fermentation due to its higher 'W' factor.
Why is understanding the 'W' factor important for bread and pizza makers?
-Understanding the 'W' factor is important for bread and pizza makers because it helps determine the hydration level, fermentation time, and the potential oven spring of the dough. This knowledge allows for better control over the texture, flavor, and overall quality of the final product.
What are the effects of long fermentation on dough?
-Long fermentation breaks down the starches in the dough, creating complex flavors and a lighter, airier texture. It also allows for the development of a strong gluten network, which can handle the expansion of carbon dioxide produced by yeast, resulting in a well-structured final product with good cell structure.
How does the method of grinding affect the characteristics of the flour?
-The method of grinding affects the characteristics of the flour by determining the amount of bran and other parts of the grain that are incorporated into the flour. A coarser grind, like 'Tipo Uno', includes more of the grain's exterior, while a finer grind results in a more refined flour with different baking properties.
What are the benefits of using dry yeast or instant yeast in dough making?
-Using dry yeast or instant yeast in dough making provides a head start in breaking down starches due to the yeast's fermenting action. This can naturally raise the pH level of the dough and contribute to a better rise and improved texture in the final product.
What advice does the speaker give for those looking to improve their pizza or bread making skills?
-The speaker advises understanding the protein levels and 'W' factors of different flours, experimenting with hydration levels and fermentation times, and being aware of how these factors affect the dough's structure and the final product's texture and flavor.
Outlines
🍕 Introduction to Italian Flours and Proteins
The video begins with the host, Leo, welcoming viewers to his show focused on Italian flours, specifically discussing proteins and the 'W' factor in flour. Leo intends to explain the different protein levels in various types of flour and how they affect pizza and bread making. He uses 'glitch' and 'Joanie' flours as examples to illustrate his points and promises a chemistry lesson to help viewers understand the role of proteins and starches in flour selection for baking.
🥟 Understanding Gluten and Flour Strength
Leo delves deeper into the science of gluten formation in flour, explaining the role of proteins like glutenin and gliadin in providing dough elasticity and tenacity. He discusses oven spring, the effect of steam from moisture in the dough, and how it contributes to the final texture of the baked product. Leo also introduces the 'W' factor, a measure of gluten strength, and explains its significance in determining the fermentation potential and the resulting characteristics of the dough.
🌾 Types of Flour and Their Characteristics
The host continues by describing different types of flour, including the 'Joanie Pizza Napoletana' and 'Tipo Uno' flours, and their respective protein content and W factors. He explains how the milling process affects the final product, with 'Tipo Uno' being a less refined, higher protein flour suitable for longer fermentation times and creating a strong gluten network. Leo emphasizes the importance of understanding the W factor and protein levels for achieving the desired texture and flavor in pizza and bread.
🕒 Long Fermentation and Bulk Fermentation Techniques
Leo discusses long fermentation processes, explaining how they affect the dough's flavor and texture. He talks about the practice of degassing and bulk fermentation, and how these techniques can influence the dough's pH level and its ability to retain structure during baking. The host also touches on the use of different types of yeast, such as instant yeast and dry mother yeast, and their impact on the fermentation process and the final product's characteristics.
📚 Conclusion and Additional Resources
In the final part, Leo wraps up his discussion on Italian flours, proteins, and the 'W' factor. He encourages viewers to experiment with different flour types and fermentation techniques to achieve their desired pizza or bread qualities. He also invites viewers to reach out to him through his website, social media, and YouTube channel for more information and to engage further with the pizza-making community.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Italian flours
💡Proteins
💡Starch
💡Oven spring
💡W factor
💡Fermentation
💡Hydration
💡Gluten network
💡Yeast
💡Dough handling
Highlights
Leo Spazzano discusses Italian flours and protein content in relation to pizza and bread making.
The importance of understanding protein levels and starches in flour for determining its use in pizza or bread.
The specific focus on 'glitch' in Questa Joanie flour lineup and its varying protein levels.
The historical context of Neapolitan pizza and its development 300 years ago.
The protein level of 11.5% in Napolitana flour and its significance in dough strength.
The concept of oven spring and its role in pizza dough cooking.
The transformation of sugars in flour and the role of yeast in fermentation.
The four different proteins in dough making and their impact on gluten formation.
The importance of glutenin and gliadin proteins for dough elasticity and tenacity.
The W factor in flour and its relation to gluten strength and dough fermentation capabilities.
The difference between Tipo Uno and double zero flours in terms of grind and protein content.
The significance of the W factor in determining dough hydration and fermentation time.
The role of long fermentation in developing complex flavors and the dough's texture.
The use of different yeast products like instant yeast and natural yeast for enhancing dough fermentation.
The impact of fermentation on pH level and the resulting texture and flavor of the final product.
The advice for pizza enthusiasts to experiment with different flours and yeast products for improved pizza making.
Transcripts
hi everybody welcome to another edition
of ask leo pizza
I'm your host Leo spazzy and today what
I want to do is talk about Italian
flours and specifically talk about
proteins and something that's called a W
what I want to do today is I'm going to
show you some of the lineup at 'glitch
in questa Joanie and use these as a
basis of different protein levels
different strengths of flour and I want
to give you a bit of a chemistry lesson
here so that everybody can understand
what exactly it means to talk about
proteins and starches and all these
different things that are involved when
determining the proper flour to use for
your pizzas or bread okay what you're
gonna learn today from me can also be
taken not only with the Cinque was that
Joanie line but you can use this
information in general when talking
about any different type of flour that's
on the market so that you'll know what
the difference between the different
protein amounts there are and again how
to decide how to best use that flour the
first thing I want to do is talk about
the different types of flours that we
have here and then I want to go into a
little bit more in depth and talk about
the proteins in the strength okay the
first one I want to show you is this
chick with the Joanie Pizza Napoletana
flour okay this napolitana flour was
created specifically to make the
authentic Neapolitan pizza okay you got
to remember that 300 years ago when this
product was developed or when they first
documented the first Neapolitan pizzas
there wasn't a lot of technology around
okay so the dough's that you made in
your pizzeria 300 years ago would have
sat out ambiently
may be at room temperature and then once
they were used what so they they were
ready they were used basically right out
of the box stretched out and put
directly into a very hot oven okay so
that being said the protein level on
this flour in particular is 11 for an
eleven and a half percent protein okay
now eleven and a half percent protein
sounds it gets a little bit weak okay
but realist
what we're talking about doing is
playing off of two different principles
here you have something in napolitana
pizza where you're using a little bit
higher hydration your dole hydration
being the amount of water that's in your
dole formula okay and is that water is
inside of this doll okay
it goes into a very hot oven typically
Neapolitan pizza is cooked anywhere
between 850 to 900 degrees some guys go
a little bit hotter and again you hear
the classic moderate margherita pizza
referred to all the time as a 90 second
pizza depending on the oven temperature
you'll see that come down to even 70
seconds okay so it's pretty quick so
because you have this dough that might
be a little bit wet it's never been in
refrigeration so it's a little bit
looser okay you don't need a very strong
flour and you don't need a very high
level of yeast to get that to pop in the
oven okay pop beating that the crust is
gonna rise very nicely it's gonna be
very well baked through okay what's
happening is we refer to this as oven
spring in the oven so what's happening
is the water that's inside the dome once
it goes into that hot oven is gonna be
released this steam that steam is gonna
push out okay from inside the dough and
it's gonna it's gonna get trapped inside
of the structure of the dough itself
okay that structure is called the gluten
nut now the gluten that is really
important to understand and how it
relates to proteins because as soon as
water touches flour okay there's a
there's a transformation that happens
okay so what's happening is you have
proteins and you have sugars
okay now sugars get broken down into
complex and ship simple sugars the
complex ones being starches okay and and
then they break down into simple sugars
that week and without going into a big
science lesson again get to get used up
by the dough and that's what aids in
fermentation that's what the yeast
yeast itself will eat and allow it to
grow okay
the proteins okay there's four different
proteins in dough making we're concerned
about - okay
so you have soluble and non soluble
proteins okay
the non soluble ones in particular are
the ones that are referring directly to
the gluten formation of the dough or
this gluten nap okay the to prayer of
the two proteins are called glutenin and
gliadin okay glutamine is what gives the
dough itself its strengths okay its
elasticity so if you ever seen a guy
take a dough ball stretch it out and
then start pulling it and throw it in
the air okay the dough has been very
well developed okay
and the ability that it's not gonna it's
going to stretch and not rip okay is
part of this protein from the the gluten
glia Deen is what we call the agent that
gives it its tenacity what allow it to
stretch and stretch and then not drink
so they get strength okay so these two
factors inside of the dough itself okay
are a big player in this gluten nut now
when I talk about oven spring and I
talked about the the moisture that steam
inside of the dough puffing up the dough
ball and then all of a sudden you lock
it because what's happening is the dough
is getting cooked and it's got nowhere
to go so whenever you go on Facebook or
you see all these Pizza aioli out there
showing pictures of the edge of the
corner Tony you see them showing looks
like almost like a spider web well
you're really seeing there is that
gluten nut and the development and if
it's properly developed that's when you
get those beautiful air pockets and the
final product that you get out of that
is very light airy crispy that sort of
thing okay now the chick was there
Joanie Pizza Napoletana flour like I
said is 11 and a half percent protein
but it has a W factor of 300 well what
the heck is a W I get this question all
the time there's been some guys doing
videos out there that have actually
talked a little bit about W but they
never really got into
what a W factor really is okay so going
back into the technical portion of how
dull or I'm sorry how flower is actually
Milt okay they use a machine called a
Shope in albia graph very technical
machine it's actually a really cool
machine and if you ever went to see the
mill at Abu jahil fenya in in Venice
Italy
they're the producers of the Lachie
questa Joanie flour they actually have a
very state-of-the-art lab with one of
these LVO graphs in it what they do is
the scientists are the technicians
inside of this lab after they take the
the grains and they grind them down into
flour they take a sample of that and
they test the gluten strength okay what
they do is they actually make a little
portion of dough there's actually a
control dole formula that's used so they
know how much water based on how much
flour is used okay
they make this dough they put it inside
the machine okay and then what the
Machine does it takes that little bit of
dome and it puffs it up in toward into a
bubble okay and what the machine does is
it actually tests the strength of that
bubble and how much pressure can go
inside of the bubble until it bursts
okay and that's how they come up with a
W number okay so now the W factor on
this napolitana flour is 300 why is that
important an important number to know
the reason it's important is because
this is what's gonna fit you allow you
to figure out how the dough can be
created how much fermentation can be put
into that don't meaning how long that
dough can sit out without it blowing or
deflating on itself okay and as you talk
about the different lines a w of 300
even though we're talking about a weaker
flower here let's say for example this
this is 11 a half percent for protein we
can look at this with a Joanie
tipo uno okay this is a flower that's
much innothing pietre okay which means
that it's
ground now again in Italy if you were to
go visit the avocado Fenian mill and
look at the way that they produce this
with the Johnny tipo Oona flower
okay all of these flowers are considered
double zero okay double zero refers to
the grind okay so when the flaw when the
grain actually goes into the mill it
gets sucked in through a series of
vacuums it starts let's say on the
fourth floor of the building for example
at that point the the grain itself gets
cleaned okay they add humidity or steam
into that so they can separate the grain
into its key parts okay once the grain
is separated into its key parts okay the
the the let's say the grains are sifted
so all those are broken and then they
start to get ground okay the the highest
or the most open setting that that's
that that grinding begins at okay would
be at let's say a one or even two okay
being the thickest courses grind
okay now tipo uno refers to the number
one setting okay
they're still using the same process
that they used you know the many many
years ago to grind this except that
what's happening now is used to be back
in the day a flour mill would be
connected to some sort of river or
flowing body of water okay on the
outside there would be this wheel that
would go in the water and it would
constantly spin with the force of the
current of the river or body of water
that's flowing again remembering that
there was no electricity or technology
back in the day this spinning wheel
would be hooked up to a series of gears
okay and sprockets that would be hooked
up to these stone plates okay these are
granite stones okay and again the
technology that they're using today is
very similar to what they used many many
years ago these granite stones are
crushing the grain and they're grinding
until they reach this number one setting
okay now a number one setting won't
refine the flour as much as
when you get down into the zip double
zero characteristics but as it's
grinding okay some of the exterior of
the of the grain the brand if you will
like the husk actually gets added
incorporated into the flour itself so in
Italy you would hear this referred to
sometimes as let's say half wheat you
sure you're familiar with whole wheat
flour okay whole wheat flour has all of
the wheat grain inside of it now this is
partially refined so you do have some of
the grain in there that again is still
reminiscent of that whole grain but it's
more refined up until that number one
setting having that number one setting
in there and my point to this whole
thing is that this flower has a protein
level of 13% but it has a W factor of
300% so you're asking yourself how could
this have the same W of 300 as this has
the same value of 300 but the protein
level is 11 and a half and the protein
level is 13 on here again it comes down
to the amount of water that can be
absorbed the amount of gluten that's
inside of that flour and its ability to
stretch and hold that air so that when
it goes into the oven you've got that
nice strong gluten Network and it won't
deflate on top of itself
okay so again I know a lot of people
especially in the United States are all
hung up on the protein level of the
flour but if you're gonna take your
pizza-making or your bread making to the
next level it's really important to
start to understand what this exact W
factor is okay I want to talk about two
other flours that are stronger now these
are double zero flour this red bag the
one with the red writing this is called
Auto Oro okay or gold in English if
you're buying Ching crystal Johnny flour
you can either ask for it in auto or
gold it's the same exact thing just
depending on how it's referred to in
Italy it's referred to auto in the
United States it's referred to as gold
now you also have the blue writing okay
the
blue writing in Italy is referred to as
superiority or in English superior
what's the difference the superior is a
protein level of 13% the oral or gold is
a protein level of 14% now here's the
big difference the superior flower has a
W number of 330 where the oral has a W
number of 390 so even though the protein
is very close
okay thirteen and fourteen percent is
considered very close the W number is
very different now why is this very
important so as we begin to talk about
long fermented dose those that are going
to be created today balled-up put into
refrigeration and not used for let's say
48 to 72 hours okay when we talk about
the proteins and starches and that sort
of thing that's inside the flour and how
the actual flour is broken down in dough
making process okay a heavier flour like
this will allow you to use more water it
will allow you to ferment for a longer
time fermenting for a longer longer time
is going to give you more complex
flavors okay in the actual dough not
only is it going to give you more
complex flavors okay it's also going to
give it at the door chance because of
the yeast activity it's going to allow
that that co2 that's released as the
yeast that's eating the the sugars
inside this dome as it eats that that
yeast culture basically fills up imagine
drinking a can of soda you get filled up
with air and then it lets out of burp
okay so in that process of burping if
you will it's releasing carbon dioxide
inside of itself okay now most guys that
do let's say a 48 to 72 hour long
fermented dough and cold refrigeration
well they'll usually do at some point is
do what's called degassing the dal or
booking booking meaning that they take
this batch of dough they'll fold it on
top of itself a few times before they
may actually make their dough balls okay
this is called bulk fermentation in a
process you got this big batch of dough
that's made you put it in a lexington
tainer
you stick it in the cooler for 24 hours
after 24 hours you're booked and folded
a couple times get some of that extra
gas out of it you that that that carbon
dioxide is in is in there what it does
is it raises the pH level the acidity of
the dough itself okay so as this raises
up you got that acidic dough now that
carbon dioxide actually turns into
almost like toxic sludge if you will
after a while that it's in there it'll
actually break down the dough at a very
fast rate so at some point if you are
working or you're going to start playing
around with long fermented dough's
you're going to start experimenting with
two things bulk fermentation you're
gonna die gas your dough and then
finally you're gonna figure out where
the sweet spot is of your dough so that
you can make these dough balls put them
away in your dough boxes and then let's
say another 24 to 48 hours you would
pull them out stretch out your dough and
make your pizzas the last thing I'm
going to talk about with these is that a
W level of 390 this is a great dole I'm
great flour to use for a dull that's
gonna be long fermented with a lot of
water okay
typically you might see a let's say a
Sicilian pan pizza with a very high
hydration level a lot of water in it
used with this flour but the
understanding being that you can use a
lot more water because it has a lot of
water absorbing properties but once you
actually make this doll you let the
dough sit for a while that absorbs all
that water okay now you've got a dough
that's very strong so as you go to
stretch it in the pan okay
what's gonna happen is you've got a lot
more opportunity to let this dough rise
and open up and get all those beautiful
pockets which they refer to as cell
structure okay now that cell structure
again talking about all my friends on
Facebook and Instagram that put these
pictures with these pizza crusts that
have these giant holes or air pockets in
it that's how they did it so you've got
a flower that will absorb a lot of water
okay
you've got a W factor of let's say
390 and now you're able to ferment for
48 to 72 hours breaking down the
starches inside the dull and the final
product is something that's very light
and crispy it's really special and
especially after 48 to 72 hours that
you've been both fermenting you're
getting these flavors now that are built
up kind of like some good sourdough if
you will you get almost like this
nuttiness this little acidity in there
but it's great the thing that's really
great about the superior okay even
though this is 13% compared to 14% here
this has a w level of 330 now it's a
little bit less protein if you were
gonna make let's say a classic Italian
woodfired pizza or a classic Italian
pizza made in electric oven or a gas
oven okay this will allow you not to
need to do that fermentation stop of
let's say 48 to 72 hours this is a dough
that within 24 to 48 hours you can build
up those characteristics it'll still
have enough strength that you're gonna
get those fermentation qualities of
flavor it's still gonna have enough
strength so that once it puffs up in the
oven
it won't deflate on itself so that cell
structure again if the flour is too weak
what's gonna happen is it'll pop and
then it'll fall flat and it'll look kind
of gummy in the middle if you try doing
the same thing with let's say this
napolitana flour at 11 and 1/2 protein
with with a W factor of 300 now this
will make a very good dough if you treat
it properly handle it properly you can
put this into refrigeration and make a
beautiful dough on use it in 48 hours
but what's gonna happen is you're gonna
have to make some adjustments in water
and your process because what will
happen because it's a little bit weaker
it'll puff up and then if it's got too
much water in there it won't have enough
strength to maintain that structure and
what will happen is it'll start to
collapse on itself a little bit alright
that's not a good thing so here's four
very different types of flour with four
different types of protein but again I
want to focus on the most important
thing here the strength of the actual
flower itself and
the W number means in all of these okay
one last thing I want to talk about
chief was the Joanie also makes a full
line of different types of flour in the
lineup they have simulated marginata
which is your similar durum flour ground
to very fine consistency okay
so they called grano duro okay your dura
then they also have their own instant
yeast
this is brewers yeast this is made from
this the the beer making process okay
this is instant yeast it's actually very
strong this is a really good product to
use and again this is something that's
all over the place they're using they're
doing a lot of the sections really nice
then they have this other product called
nature crafts okay nature crafts leave
DiMaggio a chute though okay so this is
a dry mother yeast okay that has been
fermented and then once it's fermented
it's allowed to dry out and then they
grind it okay so what you have is this
mother yeast that's you know been
fermented it's been refreshed a few
times meaning that they've taken a
portion of the actual culture this
starter that they've made the mother
they've pulled it out refreshed it by
adding a little bit more flour and water
so that it's got something to eat on
again it's breaking it down it's living
its breathing it's doing its thing and
then as they do this they pull a little
bit of flour I'm sorry go out and they
keep refreshing this until they get to a
certain pH level pH again like I just
described in fermentation is very
important because this allows you to
give your dull a head start as far as
breaking down those starches okay so
you're able to use a product like this
in the dough itself which will naturally
raise up the pH level okay and then in a
flour for example like this superior
that's kind of middle-of-the-road it's
that's not the strongest in the line
it's not the weakest but it's kind of
middle-of-the-road
with a high your W number you're able to
get some of those really long
fermentation notes in a shorter period
of time and usage on this is actually
pretty low you might use let's say maybe
thirty to fifty grams
for every let's say liter of water that
you use okay so I know in the United
States you know we we get hung up with
you know flower weight and bakers
percentage in this sort of thing but a
product like this was developed by using
and figuring out how much water is
actually going in because again that's
how how the the the gluten network is
obviously you're gonna work how its
gonna support the structure of the dough
itself and then finally get broken down
by a product like this so that you can
get that light airy crispy texture out
of the oven without a really long
fermentation time okay so I hope this
answers a lot of questions I've recently
gotten a lot of calls and a lot of
emails honestly Oh Pizza about this
subject particularly I hope this does
answer your questions and if you want to
get into this more in depth with me
please feel free to visit my website
which is www.hyken.com is airy you can
find me on Instagram and ask leo pizza
you could find me on twitter under ask
leo pizza and you could also check out
my youtube channel on there chef leo
spazzy reen for more videos and more of
this great information I hope
everybody's having a great time I hope
you're making a lot of pizzas and baking
and as far as I'm concerned I hope
everybody is gonna have a great future
and making some great those make some
great pizzas and again support this
great pizza industry that we're involved
in thank you very much everybody for
listening and I hope you have a great
day bye bye
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