The unparalleled best flour for impressive homemade pasta

The unparalleled best flour for impressive homemade pasta

HomeCooking Tips, RecipesThe unparalleled best flour for impressive homemade pasta

There are many times when pre-made pasta comes in handy; it’s quick and easy and when you’re cooking a simple weeknight dinner it’s a great solution. But if you have the time to make some freshly made noodles with homemade pasta sauce yourself you’ll find that it’s not only easier than you thought but also fresher lighter and tastes much better. If you’re looking for the perfect pasta dough for this homemade dish look no further than Italian 00 flour.

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Chefs around the world prefer this type of flour for its finely ground texture. It keeps the pasta light rather than the heavier type you can find in the box at the supermarket. Many traditional Italian pastas are made with just eggs and flour or water and flour and with so few ingredients quality is paramount. The ultra-fine texture of 00 also makes it easy to work with. If you are making pasta by hand it is ideal for rolling out and shaping the dough smoothly.

The term “00” doesn’t really refer to a specific type of flour. Rather it reflects the milling process that flour goes through. Milled flour ranges from 00 which means the finest grind to “2” which is the thickest grind. But the type of flour can vary—all-purpose semolina and even whole wheat flour can all be produced in the 00 variety.

Flour contains gluten a protein that helps give your favorite spaghetti its texture and chewiness. When choosing the right pasta flour you want something that has enough gluten to develop that stretchy starchy dough with just the right amount of chewiness — and semolina is a great option here because it gives you that ideal texture and feel. Semolina is made from durum wheat a harder flour that contains more gluten than other flours. It’s about 13% protein but can sometimes be more while all-purpose flour ranges from 8% to 11%. So when it comes to the best flour for making pasta you shouldn’t just look for 00 flour but — more specifically — 00 semolina for its two best qualities: Its finely ground flour is easy to work with and its gluten content gives it the perfect amount of stretch and chewiness.