Answers the question ,”What kind of flour do you use to make pasta”
When making egg pasta, a refined flour yields the best results.
In general use a pastry or all-purpose flour (US designation). Or Italian 0 or 00.
Flours are designated differently country to country. The charts below are provided to give you an understanding of what the various designations are.
Whole wheat flours and flours with high contents of bran do not make for a smooth dough. A dough made with these flours will difficult to work because it will not be smooth and elastic.
Some people, however, add dark flours such as spelt and rye to their pasta dough and get acceptable results. (Experiment with your own mixes.)
Description | UK | German | French | Italian |
The whole of the grain, 75% flour & 25% bran | 100% Wholemeal | 1600 – 700 | Type 150 | Intergrale |
About 8% of the bran removed | Brown | 1050 | 110 | 2 |
About 18% of the bran removed | Light Brown | 997 | 80 | 1 |
All the bran, 25%, removed | White | 500 – 700 | 55 | 0 |
The finest flour from the early stage of the milling process | Patent White | 405 | 45 | 00 |
Ash | Protein | US | German | French | Italian | Netherlands |
~ 0.4% | ~ 9% | pastry flour | 405 | 45 | 00 | zeeuwse bloem |
~ 0.55% | ~ 11% | all-purpose flour | 550 | 55 | 0 | patentbloem |
~ 0.8% | ~ 14% | high gluten flour | 812 | 80 | 1 | tarwebloem |
~ 1% | ~ 15% | first clear flour | 1050 | 110 | 2 | gebuilde bloem |
> 1.5% | ~ 13% | whole wheat flour | 1700 | 160 | Farina integrale | volkorenmeel |