Maybe you’re making a recipe, but you don’t have the flour it’s calling for. If your recipe is calling for plain flour (All-Purpose Flour) but you don’t have any of it, you can try substituting it with other types. If you have 00 (Double zero) Flour, you’re in luck! The All-Purpose flour that the recipe is calling for can be substituted with your 00 flour.
Yes, you can use 00 (Double zero) flour instead of Plain (All-Purpose) flour in many recipes. 00 Flour is best for bread, pasta, and pizza but will work for many other recipes too.
Keep in mind that 00 flour is best for pizzas. It will still work for any other baking but is best for higher protein foods such as bread and pizza. For recipes such as cake, a lower protein flour is recommended as less protein makes for softer results. 00 flour will not give the same texture as plain flour in cakes and pastries.
All-Purpose Flour Vs. 00 Flour
All-Purpose plain flour is an all-around flour meant to work for many foods such as bread, pizza, and cake. The downside to this is that many specific properties of individual foods are compromised. The multipurpose abilities of All-Purpose flour limit certain baked goods. Cakes will be chewier, and pizza crusts will have a lower rise when using All-Purpose flour instead of specific flours for those foods.
Double Zero flour gets its name from the Italian grading system. Double zero is the lowest on the grading system for its finer grind, which leaves it silky and soft. It’s mostly used in pizza and pasta. 00 is considered the best flour for a Neapolitan pizza.
How is 00 Flour Made?
Double zero flour is made from Durum wheat, which is high in protein. To get the fine texture of 00, only refined grains are used which have had their rough germ and bran removed. It’s cycled repeatedly in a mill for the powdery consistency that it has.
There are also different types of 00 flour. These are for the different uses of it, such as pasta or pizza. The gluten content is different for pasta, which uses less gluten than a pizza.
Benefits of Using 00 Flour
Using 00 Flour makes for a more responsive, thin, and fine dough that won’t tear when rolled thinly. Double zero is preferred by pizzerias because of its higher quality gluten. The Durum wheat used in Double zero makes a less chewy, but more strong dough.
Substitutes for 00 Flour
Bread flour with a similar protein content of 11-13% is a useable substitute, but will not exactly match the benefits of 00 flour.
As All-Purpose flour can be substituted with 00 flour, you can of course substitute 00 flour with All-Purpose with good results. If the All-Purpose also matches the protein content of Double zero flour, it will bring better results.
Final Thoughts
Turns out, whether you’re substituting 00 (Double zero) flour for Plain (All-Purpose) flour, or vice versa, your recipe should turn out fine with such substitutions.
00 flour is perfect for pizza, bread, pasta, and more. If your recipe is calling for All-Purpose flour, and you substitute it for 00 flour, the results will be just fine. The only thing to consider is that with pastries and cakes, 00 flour will not make for nearly as good of a result as a lower protein content flour. Double zero flour can lead to some delicious results. Especially if you’re craving something crispy, firm, or dense. So go on and substitute that plain flour for some amazing Italian doppio zero flour!
