Pizza. It’s what fills our bellies and our souls with delight. Whether you’re biting down on the melted cheese or the crispy pizza crust, there is no doubt that a pizza can make any day better.
And, whilst we can order a pizza for takeout easily, there’s nothing better than a homemade grilled pizza with all of your favorite toppings.
If you have never made a pizza before, you may get stuck at the first hurdle. In other words, you may be unsure of what flour to use.
All purpose flour? Bread flour? Whole wheat flour? What about cake flour? Well, choose the right flour and you can create a crisp crust and the most excellent pizza you’ve ever tried.
In truth, most types of flour can be used to make pizza dough, but one query many have is whether they can use cake flour.
Well, if you have some spare cake flour hanging around in your pantry, the good news is that you can use it to create a great pizza. Furthermore, a cake flour crust is crisper and crunchier than many other types of flour thanks to the low protein content.
You can even combine different types of flour. For instance, bread flour works well with all purpose flour giving you a higher protein content and all the benefits that come with using cake flour.
Yes, cake flour is most effective when used in cakes, but its properties help pizza dough become lighter and softer, rather than overly chewy.
Today, we are going to discuss using cake flour when making pizza dough and whether it is the best alternative when you have no usual pizza flour at your disposal.
There is not a huge difference in using cake flour compared to other types but you may experience a distinct taste.
Let’s find out more below.
Cake Flour Vs Pizza Flour
You can use different types of cake flour to make pizza dough. From bread flour to pastry flour, pizza dough can be prepared in various ways.
Of course, the type of flour you use will determine how crunchy or soft your pizza crust may be and the quality of the pizza dough. You also need to consider whether you want a gluten-free pizza or not.
Some types of flour contain more gluten than others so you need to ensure you are using the right type beforehand.
Many pizza makers use either all purpose flour or bread flour in their pizza dough whilst Neapolitan pizza makers tend to use 00 flour most of the time. But, as we said, all flours are different and require unique preparation methods.
Cake Flour Vs All Purpose And Bread Flour
The key difference between cake flour, bread flour, and all purpose flour is the protein content of each.
However, all can be used in a delicious pizza recipe whether the pizza is baked or cooked in another manner.
There is one significant difference between cake flour and the bread type. The mill grades of cake and bread flour are different from each other.
Cake flour has a fine mill, making it ideal for cake making, whereas bread flour tends to have a more standard grade that is not too fine or large.
Also, cake flour requires different amounts of water to read and all purpose flour in order to create a workable dough. Finer flour tends to absorb water more easily. Therefore, it generally requires less warm water than thicker types.
Therefore, it is easier to add too much warm water to cake flour so it is easier to simply use bread or all-purpose flour instead.
It is easier to follow recipes with bread flour more closely to achieve a workable dough. When using pastry flour or cake flour, you may struggle getting a good dough texture.
Divide dough too much or punch dough too often when preparing, and your pizza’s texture will suffer.
Another difference is the high protein content in bread flour. Cake flour does have such a high amount.
Bread flour provides vital wheat gluten thanks to its high protein content, but this can result in a chewier dough and crust.
The dough does not have enough gluten, it may not be to your liking, no matter what sauce and toppings you add on top.
Cake Flour Vs 00 Flour
00 flour is a traditional type of Italian flour used for making delicious pizzas with delectable crusts. Even a single crumb of 00 flour is tasty after baking.
00 refers to the grade at which the flour is milled. This is the finest mill you can get and is considered the gold standard of all flour for pizza dough.
Cake flour and 00 flour have distinct purposes but they are both milled finely. Therefore, you may think that cake flour is a good alternative to 00 flour, but this is almost forbidden in Italy.
Yes, the fine mill may make them similar, but cake flour lacks as much protein content, meaning it will not achieve as chewy a texture as its 00 counterpart. No matter how many times you knead the dough, the pizza will turn out differently every time.
Cake Flour – Yay Or Nay?
Generally speaking, cake flour can be used to make pizza dough, but because it does not create as much gluten as other types of flour, it is not the best choice.
The protein content of standard bread flour typically lies in the range of 11 to 15 percent for every 100 grams of flour. With cake flour, this percentage drops to just 9 percent.
This can result in a stark difference both before you knead pizza dough and after it has been baked.
When kneading and shaping pizza dough made from cake flour, it will not be as elastic and can even be harder to knead. Also, after it has been baked, the crust of the pizza may also be different.
In Summary
Your favorite sauce, cheese, (we prefer Parmesan) and toppings can transform a pizza’s taste, but it’s the dough that forms the foundation of a truly tasty pizza. Bake a pizza using cake flour and it will taste good, just not as much as other flours out there.
