Fundamentals

Choosing Your Flour

10 min readBeginner

Tipo 00, semola, all-purpose — the labels confuse everyone. Here is the one chart that ends the confusion.

Italian flour is sorted by how finely it is milled (the number) and what wheat it comes from (soft vs. durum). Both matter.

The four flours that matter

Tipo 00 Soft wheat, milled to a powder. Velvety, slightly elastic. The flour for egg pasta — tagliatelle, lasagne, ravioli. Northern Italian.

Tipo 0 Slightly coarser, more bran. Good for rustic doughs, focaccia, sturdier shapes.

Semola di grano duro rimacinata Durum wheat, milled twice, golden in color. The flour for water-and-flour pasta — orecchiette, cavatelli, busiate. Southern Italian. Holds shape beautifully.

All-purpose (American) A blend. Acceptable for emergencies. Will work for fresh egg dough; expect a slightly less silky bite.

The cheat sheet

Egg pasta (sheets, ribbons, filled) → Tipo 00
Eggless pasta (orecchiette, cavatelli) → Semola
Bread-textured rustic doughs → Tipo 0
Emergency mode → AP plus a spoon of semolina

Why protein matters

Higher protein = more gluten = chewier bite. Italian 00 sits around 9–11% protein, soft and forgiving. Bread flour at 13% is too tough for delicate sheets but great for orecchiette.

The simple rule

Eggs love 00. Water loves semola. Memorize that and you will be right 90% of the time.

Test yourself

Did it stick?

3 quick questions. Tap an answer — we'll tell you why.

01
What flour is traditional for egg pasta in Emilia-Romagna?
02
What does semola di grano duro give you?
03
For silky tagliatelle, reach for…