The Choice of Flours

When talking about "The Choice of Flours", the document emphasizes that everything begins with the appropriate selection of the flour, which must be adapted to the specific needs of the product you intend to make, rather than adapting the needs to the pre-existing recipe. For example, for pizza in pala it is recommended to use a flour with a medium-high W value (300/360), a P/L ratio between 0.5 and 0.65 and a Falling Number of around 300 seconds. These parameters are fundamental for managing the quality and characteristics of the bread and final focaccia.

Key parameters for choosing:

• W of Flour : Indicates the strength of the flour, essential for determining the type of dough that can be made.
• P/L (Tenacity/extensibility ratio) : Evaluates the balance between tenacity and extensibility of the flour. An ideal P/L is between 0.40 and 0.70, with lower values ​​indicating extremely extensible flours, while higher values ​​indicating very tenacious flours.
• Falling Number (FN) : Measures the enzymatic activity of the flour, important for predicting behavior during fermentation.

Other useful data includes the degree of water absorption and the stability time of the dough during processing, which are crucial for optimizing baking and pastry making processes.

This technical flour analysis allows bakers to customize their recipes to achieve the desired results, whether they are bread, pizza or desserts.