Manitoba Flour: Unlocking the Potential of the #1 High-Gluten Flour

You might have heard about Manitoba flour and are wondering what all the fuss is about.

Well, let us tell you, this type of flour is not your average wheat flour. Manitoba flour is made from hard red spring wheat; it boasts a high protein content, making it a versatile ingredient in your kitchen.

And the best part? It’s perfect for making not just bread and pasta but also pizza!

In this article, we’ll dive into Manitoba flour’s unique characteristics and show you why it’s quickly becoming a favorite among bakers. You’ll learn how it compares to other flours and why it’s the secret ingredient for creating a delicious, chewy pizza crust.

So, grab a slice and get ready to discover why Manitoba flour is a game-changer in the world of pizza baking.

Let’s get started!

Manitoba flour is also commonly used in complex recipes that require a strong structure and elasticity in the dough, such as pasta. Due to its high gluten content, it’s less suitable for cakes, pastries, and other baked goods that require a lower gluten content for delicate texture.

But it is a type of flour that can be used in small quantities to enhance the taste and texture of cakes, pastries, and pie crusts. It’s not the healthy choice among flours as it contains more gluten and fewer nutrients than other flours.

Manitoba flour is not as well known in other countries. Still, it’s highly sought after by professional bakers due to its main characteristic of providing a strong structure and elasticity to the dough.

It’s ideal for recipes requiring higher protein content, higher hydration, long leavening time, or more liquid.

It is unsuitable for cake, croissants, doughnuts, or other fine pastries.

Manitoba flour is made from an ear of common red wheat that is super strong and soft and can be incorporated with other flours to add strength.

Its strength is represented by the coefficient W for flour strength. 

Manitoba flour is also known as red wheat flour in North America. 

Characteristics of Manitoba Flour

Manitoba Flour W Factor

Manitoba flours have a W factor of 350 or above, which is exceptionally higher than other flours.

Like all-purpose flour, cake flour, or pastry flour, which are considered weaker, it has a W of 170 and below. 

Manitoba is used both at domestic and commercial levels. Bakers, pastry chefs and pizzaiolos favor it most. 

Manitoba flour is used outside Italy to make egg pasta from durum wheat. Dough produced from Manitoba flour makes specific loaves of bread, namely French baguettes, pandoros, and panettone. 

Long-leavening pizza made from flour is of high quality due to the flour’s protein content.

Manitoba Flour Protein Content

Manitoba is often referred to as strong by chefs because of its high protein content. Conventional soft flours often have a gluten or protein percentage of 11.5%. 

Manitoba flour has a protein content of 14 percent or slightly more.

Here’s a comparison of the Caputo Flours.

Flour Characteristics Comparison

Flour	Protein Content	Type	W Factor
Caputo Pizzeria (Blue Bag)	12.5%	Type 00	W 260/270
Caputo Chef’s “Cuoco” (Red Bag)	13%	Type 00	W 300/320
Caputo Nuvola Super	13.5%	Type 0	W 320/340
Caputo Manitoba	14%	Type 0	W 360/380

Manitoba Flour Strength and Absorption

Manitoba’s strength, which stands at a W of or greater than 350, is further promoted by its power to absorb water. Manitoba flour can absorb water worth 80 percent of its weight. 

Similarly, flours with a W of below 170 absorb about 50 % of their weight. 

Little flour can make a significantly bigger dough ball than regular flour. So will get more pizza dough with less flour, and the crust will be crispier because of the higher hydration.

Combining water with Manitoba flour produces lots of gluten/protein favorable for the proper fermentation of bread and pizza dough. 

It has two highly insoluble proteins, gliadin and glutenin, that make lots of gluten upon contact with water. This way, the dough maintains high elasticity and consistency. 

The characteristics’ power makes it suitable for complex pastry processes such as making leavened confectionery products.

Manitoba flour varies from other flour forms, from the stringent rules followed during its sowing to the rigid quality control during preparation. 

Its rich protein nature makes it a type of flour that is more resistant to cold temperatures, thus allowing its growth in Canada. It is ‘Type 0’ strong, while some other forms of wheat are ‘Type 00″.

Manitoba Flour Substitutes

Pick substitutes whose W factor is above or at 350 to replace Manitoba flour. Recipes that demand Manitoba flour require strong elastic flour. 

We can use traditional flour such as wheat flour or gluten-free solid flour. When picking traditional flour, look at the package label for W.  Most American flour does not show the W Factor nor the Type.

You may find it on ‘0’ and some ’00’ flours.  In some cases, depending on the brand, Type ‘1’ and ‘2’ flours are equally strong.

Gluten-free options that give a crumbly texture, like Manitoba, include a specific white or wholemeal cup of rice flour. They make both sweet and savory pizzas. White or yellow cup cornflour (particular types) are ideal substitutes.

Type 00 flours and Caputo Nuvola are excellent for Manitoba flour alternatives, specifically pizza baking.

They result in an airy and perfect crumbly crust.

Below are other top options for pizza baking where Manitoba is unavailable:

1. Bread Flour

Manitoba flour is a type of white bread flour. It can thus be substituted by strong bread flours locally available. Bread flour is derived from hard red spring wheat with a 12 to 15% protein percentage. 

It is refined and thus has no bran or wheat kernel germ. Its high gluten percentage allows dough expansion upon contact with water. It has excellent structural support to hold pizza toppings. 

You can substitute it on a 1 : 1 ratio. Use one cup of bread flour to substitute for one cup of Manitoba.

Here is What the PROs at Homemade Pizza Pro Use and Recommend

2. Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flour is made from milled red wheat grains where the bran, germ, and endosperm are grounded to make it. It is a healthy pizza option because it is fiber and nutrient-rich. 

Use it to make your whole wheat pizza recipe, which has a nutty taste. Despite having high gluten content, it rises slowly due to the germ and bran present. 

Please allow it to rise one and a half times its size and not double. Mix it with all-purpose flour to give your dough a lighter texture. 

Add a tablespoon and two teaspoons full of water for one cup of whole wheat flour when using it as a substitute.

Here is What the PROs at Homemade Pizza Pro Use and Recommend

3. Type 00 Flour

Famously known as the Italian pizza flour, 00-grade flour is very fine and has 12 to 13 percent gluten content. It is sometimes called doppio zero and is an excellent choice for baking Neapolitan pizza.

When making pizzas, it produces chewy crusts. Use it when making soft textured pizzas.

Here is What the PROs at Homemade Pizza Pro Use and Recommend

4. Caputo Nuvola Flour

Nuvola is a type ‘0’ flour, which is less refined than type 00s. It has a darker appearance and wastes only about 30% of its grain during production. 

It makes highly hydrated pizza dough when used as a pizza-making substitute. It makes the best Neapolitan pizza since it can hold up longer leavening time, therefore suitable for pizzas requiring longer fermentation.

Thus, the result is a puffy, airy pizza crust.

5. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

If you have no Manitoba flour, it is possible to substitute all-purpose flour for pizza making. It is because all AP flours have similar characteristics as Manitoba. 

The flour is made from hard red winter wheat and milled into refined light-colored flour. It has a gluten content of about 10 percent, a medium average.  To increase the gluten content of all-purpose flour, you can add Vital Wheat Gluten. For additional information and how to do this, check our article on Vital Wheat Gluten.

Thus, the dough formed is not very stretchy. It is also wetter than dough made out of Manitoba flour. When substituting, use a 1:1 ratio for both flours.

Here is What the PROs at Homemade Pizza Pro Use and Recommend

6. White Whole Wheat Flour

White wheat flour is made of hulled white spring wheat. Its high protein content makes it suitable for making elastic pizza dough.

It gives a sweeter-tasting pizza and a light-colored crust.

Here is What the PROs at Homemade Pizza Pro Use and Recommend

7. Rye Flour

Rye flour is a partial substitute for Manitoba as its sticky nature cannot make it easy to handle pizza dough. Blend the flour with whole wheat flour or type 00 flour.

Ensure the rye flour only makes up 25 % of the total flour.

Caputo Manitoba Flour

It is no secret that we are huge fans of the Caputo flours. We love the outcome of the pizza crust and its airness.

(Note: Caputo Flours do not sponsor us in any way). Our opinion is strictly based on our experience using their products.

We tried Caputo Manitoba, and the results were amazing! However, it is not available in the US market.

Super elastic, it stretches when kneaded and tossed without breaking.

It’s a great product, but it’s expensive, but it gives that elusive “chew” and flavor. If you can get your hands on a bag of Manitoba, you can mix it with “00” flour to cut costs, and it will last longer.

Manitoba Blends

If you can’t find Manitoba flour, another solution is to use flour, a blend of Manitoba wheat with other kinds of wheat. Caputo Pizzeria is a great example of this.

Caputo Pizzeria

Caputo pizzeria flour is a Type ’00’ flour used to make a long-rise dough, especially on wood-fired pizza ovens. It is milled and shipped from Naples, Italy. 

Local pizzaiolos in Italy rank Caputo Pizzeria among the best pizza-making flours. It blends Manitoba, Stagioni, Napoletana, and Anna Napoletana flours to make the best pizzas in a blazing hot oven. 

Stagionis high protein properties allow the dough to ferment and mature to an elastic nature that produces crispy, flavorful crusts. 

Anna Napoletana holds very well in sweltering temperatures. Farina Manitoba flour is added to give dough extra strength due to its high W factor. It helps to reinforce the other weaker flours during long leavening.

Caputo’s strong nature withstands temperatures above 800 degrees F, thus ideal for making Neapolitan pizza that requires extreme heat. It also bakes well on gas and electric ovens. 

Caputo Pizzeria’s protein/gluten content is 12.5% since it is made from different soft wheat. It makes better pizza than any all-purpose flour and is the approved supplier for AVPN. 

The company has a substitute for home chefs called Caputo Chef’s Flour. Standard temperatures require baking pizza in an oven, stone, or steel. 

Caputo Pizzeria has a W of between 260 and 270. Its shelf life is 11 months long and has a P/L 0.050/0.60 elasticity. 

Use Caputo Pizzeria flour for pizzas whose proofing process is 8 to 24 hours long. Proofing periods above that should use Caputo Chef’s flour. 

While fermenting, do not let it sit for more than 72 hours. The Antimo Caputo Pizzeria 00 flour( Blue) is a good option for pizza baking.

Is Manitoba Flour Suitable for Pizza Making?

Its 14 percent gluten content is responsible for the chewy pizza crusts. It avoids making soggy pizzas because it absorbs water way better than regular flour.

Comparison of Manitoba Flour to Other Flours

Manitoba vs 00 Flour

Manitoba’s elastic and robust nature makes it a superior choice for pizza making. It is a form of all-purpose flour good for making New York-style pizza, Neopolitan, and deep-dish pizzas. Manitoba flour is a high-protein flour that is commonly used in traditional Italian-style pizzas. It has a hearty, dense texture that gives the crust a nice chewiness.

On the other hand, 00 flour is a finer, powdery flour often used for Neapolitan-style pizzas. It has a lower protein content, which results in a lighter, airier crust that is more delicate in texture. Both flours have their pros and cons, so it ultimately comes down to personal preference and the type of pizza you’re trying to make. If you like a hearty, chewy crust, go for Manitoba flour.

If you prefer a lighter, more delicate crust, go for 00 flour. Manitoba’s elastic and robust nature makes it a superior choice for pizza making. It is a form of all-purpose flour good for making New York-style pizza, Neopolitan, and deep-dish pizzas. 

Manitoba vs Bread Flour

Manitoba flour has a relatively high gluten content as compared to bread flour. It thus makes more elastic and chewy pizza crusts. Bread flour has a W Factor of above 300 but is lower than Manitoba flour. 

However, the percentage differences are not very far apart, thus using each as a substitute for the other in pizza baking. You might wonder what the difference is between Manitoba flour and bread flour. Both flours are commonly used in making pizza dough but have distinct characteristics. Manitoba flour is a type of wheat flour that is typically made from hard red spring wheat.

It has a high protein content, which makes it ideal for making bread and pizza dough. On the other hand, bread flour has an even higher protein content, which makes it even better for creating a chewy, elastic dough. However, it can also make the dough a bit harder to work with, so it’s important to handle it carefully.

Ultimately, both Manitoba flour and bread flour can make delicious pizza, it just comes down to personal preference and the desired outcome for the final product.

Where to Buy Manitoba Flour

Unfortunately, at least not yet, you can’t find Caputo Manitoba in the United States. However, you can find other alternatives in Italian specialty food stores.

Buon Italia in New York carries Farina D’America Manitoba from Molino Spadoni.

You can also find other flours that have similar characteristics as Manitoba flour, for example, Manitaly.

Although it is not made with Manitoba wheat, it has similar characteristics. Manitaly flour has an index of W 330-350 and is classified as a strong or special flour.

It can absorb 90% of its weight in water and can be added to mix with other flour to increase strength.

The Last Slice

Manitoba flour is a high-gluten flour with a nutty flavor that’s perfect for making bread, pasta, and pizza crust.

Although it’s not the best option for cakes and pastries, Manitoba flour is excellent for pizza crusts.

Give it a try, make your own pizza with Manitoba flour, and see the difference in the crust texture and taste.

Additional Flour Resources

Check These Flour Containers

Enjoy!

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