TL;DR: Pizza dough is made from wheat flour, but the type of flour determines the texture, structure, and character of the crust. Italian flour — classified by milling grade rather than protein percentage alone — gives different results depending on the pizza style. Type 00 is standard for Neapolitan; bread flour or Type 0 suits thicker, longer-fermented styles. This guide explains how flour type affects pizza dough and which flour fits which style.
The short answer is wheat flour. The more useful answer depends on what kind of pizza you’re making.
Flour is the primary ingredient in pizza dough, and its protein content determines how much gluten forms when the flour is mixed with water. Gluten gives dough its elasticity and structure — how far it stretches, how much it springs back, and what the finished crust feels like. Different pizza styles require different gluten characteristics, which is why flour choice matters.
What Makes Pizza Flour Different From Other Flour?
Not all wheat flours behave the same way in pizza dough. The key variable is protein content.
Higher protein means more gluten development, which produces a stronger, more elastic dough. Lower protein means less gluten, which gives a softer, more extensible dough that stretches easily without tearing.
Pizza dough sits in a specific protein range: typically between 10 and 14 percent, depending on the style. This puts it above pastry and cake flour (which sit at 8 to 9 percent) but in the same territory as bread flour and Italian milling grades like Type 00 and Type 0.
The other factor that distinguishes pizza flour — particularly Italian flour — is how finely it is milled. Italian flour is classified by ash content and extraction rate, which determines texture and water absorption alongside protein. A finely milled flour hydrates faster and produces a smoother dough than a coarser flour at the same protein level. How Italian flour production works explains this milling system in detail.
Type 00 Flour: The Standard for Neapolitan Pizza
Type 00 is the most widely referenced flour in pizza making. It is finely milled Italian flour with a protein content typically between 10 and 13 percent, depending on the specific product. The “00” refers to the milling grade — the finest available in the Italian classification system — not to the protein level itself.
For Neapolitan pizza, Type 00 is the standard. The dough is thin, fermented for a minimum of 24 hours, stretched by hand, and baked at very high temperatures — typically above 400°C in a wood-fired oven. At that heat, the dough needs to be extensible enough to stretch without tearing, and strong enough to hold its shape during the brief cook time. Type 00 Italian flour provides that combination.
The result is a crust that is thin in the centre, slightly charred at the edges, and soft rather than crisp throughout. Neapolitan pizza and its flour requirements covers this in more detail, including how fermentation time interacts with flour choice.
Type 0 and Type 1: For Pizza With More Character
Type 0 is slightly less refined than Type 00. It retains a little more of the wheat’s outer layer, which raises the mineral content and gives the dough a marginally more pronounced flavour. It is commonly used for pizza styles where the baker wants a degree of refinement but also more depth — Roman-style pizza, pan pizza, and focaccia-based doughs.
Type 1 retains more bran and germ still, producing a dough with visible flecks, more body, and a distinctly wheaty flavour. It works well in pizza made with Type 1 stone-ground flour and in styles like Roman-style pizza in a baking pan, where a longer fermentation draws out the flour’s natural complexity.
Bread Flour: For Thick, Chewy Crusts
Bread flour has a higher protein content than Italian Type 00 — typically 12 to 14 percent — and is the standard choice for American pizza styles that require a stronger gluten network: New York, Detroit, and Sicilian.
These styles use thicker doughs that ferment for longer periods and bake at lower temperatures than Neapolitan pizza. The higher protein in bread flour gives the dough the strength to hold a long fermentation without collapsing, and produces the chewy, substantial crust these styles are known for.
For a direct comparison of how bread flour behaves relative to other types, bread flour vs all-purpose flour explained is a useful reference.
All-Purpose Flour: A Workable Substitute, Not an Ideal
All-purpose flour has a protein content of around 10 to 12 percent, which puts it in a usable range for pizza dough. It will produce acceptable results, particularly for home bakers who don’t have access to specialist flour.
The difference compared to a dedicated pizza flour — whether Type 00 Italian or bread flour — shows up in texture and handling. All-purpose flour produces a dough that is less extensible than Type 00 and less chewy than bread flour. The crust tends to be a little denser and doughier, without the crispness or open crumb structure that characterises well-made pizza.
Does the Flour Grade Change Anything Else?
Yes. Water absorption, fermentation behaviour, and oven performance all shift depending on flour type.
Finely milled flours like Italian Type 00 absorb water faster than coarser flours. This means dough made with Type 00 typically requires slightly less water than dough made with bread flour at the same hydration percentage. It also means the dough is smoother and easier to shape.
Higher protein flours absorb more water overall, which is why bread flour doughs are often formulated at higher hydration levels. They also benefit from longer fermentation — the extra time allows the gluten network to relax and develop flavour, which is why 48 to 72-hour cold fermentation is common in professional pizza making with high-protein flours.
For a broader look at how flour type interacts with baking outcomes, which flour to use covers the full picture across bread, pizza, and pastry applications.
Which Flour for Which Pizza Style
| Pizza Style | Flour to Use | Protein Range |
|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan | Italian Type 00 | 10–13% |
| Roman (in teglia / al taglio) | Type 0 or Type 1 | 11–13% |
| New York | Bread flour | 12–14% |
| Detroit / Sicilian | Bread flour | 12–14% |
| Focaccia | Type 0, Type 1, or Type 00 | 10–12% |
| Home pizza (general) | Type 00 or all-purpose | 10–12% |
The choice comes down to three things: crust thickness, fermentation time, and baking temperature. Thin crusts baked fast at high heat need extensible flour. Thick crusts fermented long and baked low need strong flour.
Conclusion
Pizza is made from wheat flour, but which wheat flour depends entirely on the style. For authentic Italian pizza — Neapolitan in particular — Italian Type 00 flour is the correct choice: finely milled, well-balanced in protein, and designed for high-temperature baking. For thicker, American-style pizzas with longer fermentation, bread flour provides the structural strength the dough needs.
Understanding how flour type affects your dough is the most direct way to improve your results. Pizza Flour Explained: Why Italian Flour Makes a Better Pizza goes deeper into what sets Italian-milled flour apart and how to select the right one for your bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pizza made with all-purpose flour or bread flour?
Both work, but neither is ideal for every pizza style. All-purpose flour produces a serviceable dough but lacks the extensibility of Type 00 or the strength of bread flour. Bread flour is the better choice for thick, chewy American styles. For Neapolitan and most Italian pizza styles, Type 00 Italian flour gives the most accurate result.
What is Type 00 flour and why is it used for pizza?
Type 00 is a finely milled Italian flour classified by its extraction rate — the “00” refers to milling grade, not protein content. It typically contains 10 to 13 percent protein, which gives dough enough strength to hold fermentation while staying extensible enough to stretch by hand. It is the standard flour for Neapolitan pizza and works well for any thin-crust style baked at high temperature.
Can I use regular flour to make pizza dough?
Yes. All-purpose flour will produce pizza dough, and for home baking it is a reasonable starting point. The texture of the finished crust will be denser and less open than dough made with Type 00 or bread flour. If you bake pizza regularly, switching to a dedicated pizza flour makes a noticeable difference.
What flour do Italian pizzerias use?
Most Italian pizzerias use Type 00 flour, though the specific product varies by style and region. Neapolitan pizzerias typically use a Type 00 with a protein content of 11 to 13 percent, suited to long fermentation and high-temperature baking. Some Roman-style pizzerias use Type 0 or Type 1 for pan-based styles where more flavour complexity is wanted.
Does the brand of flour matter for pizza?
The milling standard matters more than the brand. Italian flour produced under EU milling regulations is held to consistent standards of protein content, ash content, and extraction rate. This means a Type 00 from a reputable Italian mill will perform predictably batch after batch. Within that, protein level is the most important variable to check — the same grade from two different mills can have meaningfully different protein percentages.