I was a little short of strong (bread) flour when making a pizza base the other day and substituted about 1/3 plain flour (Moulinex breadmaker, the recipe in the book with sugar and salt slightly reduced). I was expecting it to be really hard to roll/stretch to fit the tray I always use, which is larger than the recipe claims for a "thin" base, so pushing it a little. Instead it came out better than the last couple of times I made it with all the right flour. The eating texture was good too — soft inside but crispy where the crust was exposed.
Is pizza dough stretchier/better with less gluten? How much less can I get away with (I have rather a lot of plain flour at the moment). Or was I just lucky?
Note the use of UK terms. Gluten content isn't given on the packaging but "strong" normally works out to about 13% while "plain" should be roughly equivalent to US "all-purpose" so 2–3% less.
Best Answer
As you probably know, various flours contain varying amounts of protein. When water is added, and the proteins are hydrated, gliadin and glutenin combine to form gluten. Gluten provides the structure and allows for stretch and rise. That is why a rest period after mixing is important. You might find this informative. The folks at Serious Eats took a look at various flours and their impact on pizza crust. While flours with different percentages of protein all work, the end result is somewhat different, and mostly boils down to preference. I make a lot of pizza. I usually mix and let rest for 24 hours before portioning, waiting a couple of more hours, then stretching and preparing the pizza. A long rest and a light touch are important to maintain a workable dough. I mainly use Caputo type 00 flour, but have also used AP flour and combinations of flours. In my experience "stretchiness" has more to do with hydration, time for the dough to relax, and a light touch. Type of flour impacts flavor, rise, and texture.