00 Flour vs. Bread Flour: What’s the Difference?

Double zero flour, also called 00 flour, refers to the flour's grind size. In Italy and other parts of Europe, grind sizes vary from double zero to two. Double zero is the finest grind, and two is the coarsest grind. The term double zero does not refer to gluten content or the amount of protein.

You can find many imported types of wheat flour in tipo 00 (or type 00). Semolina (hard durum wheat), whole wheat, pastry flour, pizza flour, and high-protein flour are all available in a double zero, finely ground size. You can use these different types of flours for different baking needs, such as semolina for fresh pasta and pastry flour for baked goods with a fine crumb.

Double zero flour, especially the Italian flour Caputo Tipo 00 bread flour (also called chef’s flour), is popular with pizzerias. It is a white flour consisting of Italian wheat—a soft wheat made from durum wheat. This type of flour is the gold standard in pizza making, especially for Neapolitan pizza, which is a thin-crust pizza. The fine flour is also popular in New York-style pizza dough recipes.

Pizza makers prefer 00 flour because the high protein content and finely ground wheat help produce a flavorful pizza crust that is chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, especially when they plan to cook the pizza in high-heat pizza ovens.

Bread flour is white or whole wheat flour that usually derives from hard spring wheat. This type of wheat has higher protein content than all-purpose flour (also called plain flour or AP flour), which derives from hard winter wheat.

A flour that has high protein content is also a high-gluten flour. Wheat flours that are high in protein will form stronger strands of gluten after you finish kneading them. This creates an elastic, chewy bread crumb. Flours with lower gluten content are also lower in protein.

You can use bread to make homemade bread, bagels, sourdough bread, and other kinds of yeast bread. You can also use it in bread recipes for bread machines. Given that gluten is important in bread recipes, you should not swap out gluten-free, all-purpose, or self-rising flour in recipes that call for high-protein bread flour.

The two types of flours are similar, but they have a few small differences, including:

1. 1. Grind size: This refers to the flour's fineness or texture. Double zero flour is finely milled, making it a soft, fine flour. Bread flour is typically coarser in size.
2. 2. Protein content: Double zero flour and bread flour can vary in protein content, depending on a manufacturer’s production process and what specific type of flour they use to start. The protein content of soft wheat flours is eight to 12 percent, while that of hard wheat flour will be closer to twelve to fifteen percent. All-purpose flour usually falls between nine​​ and twelve percent, making it a versatile option for both bread and pizza doughs. During the course of producing 00 flour, a manufacturer might extract a flour’s bran and germ in addition to grinding it down, resulting in a flour with a protein content closer to eight or nine percent—but again, the results largely depend on the specific production methods. This means flours labeled as 00 flour could have a protein content ranging between roughly eight and twelve percent; bread flours, meanwhile, might have a protein content as high as fifteen percent.
3. 3. Water absorption: A pizza dough or bread dough recipe calls for a specific type of flour partly due to the protein content and partly due to how much water the flour can absorb. Double zero flour is less absorbent than bread flour, meaning you need to use less water with double zero than with bread flour.

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