How to create pizza perfection with the dough experts at Matthews Cotswold Flour

With over 200 years of milling flour in Britain, Matthews Cotswold Flour understands that the right flour is essential to creating the ultimate pizza. It’s what makes Neapolitan crust bubble and char to perfection, Roman base crackle irresistibly thin, and deep-dish crust rise with enough structure to hold an abundance of toppings.

When choosing the perfect pizza flour, Matthews Cotswold Flour believes there are four main points to look for: 

Protein content

Protein creates gluten, giving the dough its elasticity and structure. Higher protein (12-13%) is ideal for chewy, strong crusts like New York or deep-dish. Lower protein (around 11.5%) works best for thin and crispy Roman-style pizzas.

On the pack, protein will be listed in the nutritional information. Check for flours specifically labelled bread flour or pizza flour.

Finely milled texture

Fine milling means smoother dough that’s easier to stretch and shape. It also gives a crispier texture for thinner bases.

Look for keywords like Tipo 00 (Italian for extra-fine) or stoneground for artisan textures.

Matthews Cotswold Tipo 00 Flour is finely milled from durum wheat, creating a silky dough that’s easy to work with for Roman or Neapolitan-style pizzas.

Ash 

Ash content indicates mineral levels from the wheat grain. Lower ash (around 0.5%) makes for light, refined pizza bases, while higher ash (closer to 0.8%) adds richness and flavour. This is usually noted in artisan or Italian-style flours but not always listed. Generally, Tipo 00 flours have lower ash content.

Matthews Cotswold Pizza Flour balances a moderate ash level for flavour and lightness - ideal for a crispy yet airy crust.

Water absorption

Flour with higher protein (like 12-13%) absorbs more water, which makes a wetter dough. Wet doughs result in lighter, airier crusts. Look for flours that can handle higher hydration, listed as strong or bread flours

Matthews Cotswold Churchill Flour is great for high-hydration doughs like focaccia or sourdough pizza crusts, thanks to its strong gluten network.

Matthews Cotswold Flour’s Bakery Development Manager, Sophie Carey offers her top tips for creating different styles of pizza.
 

1. Neapolitan Pizza

What is it? Light, airy, with a crispy charred crust. 

Best flour to use: Cotswold Pizza Flour (12% protein)

Sophie’s top tips:

1. High heat is key. Bake at 250°C+ for those signature blistered edges.
2. Hydration is your friend. Aim for 65-70% water in your dough for an airy crumb. This flour’s balance of strength and elasticity makes stretching dough a breeze.
3. Minimal toppings: Stick to quality ingredients like fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil to let the crust shine through.

2. Roman-Style Pizza

What is it? Thin, crispy - usually rectangular or square.

Best flour to use: Tipo 00 Flour (11.5% protein)

Sophie’s top tips:

1. Roll it thin. Roman pizza is all about the paper-thin base. Tipo 00's fine texture makes achieving this easy.
2. Don’t overload it. A lighter crust needs lighter toppings. Think prosciutto, rocket, and a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Bake until crisp: Get your pizza stone searingly hot in the hottest oven (220-240°C) for that perfect crunch.

3. Deep-Dish Pizza

What is it? Thick, buttery, and indulgent. It’s baked in a pan and stands around 3 inches tall.

Best flour to use: Churchill Flour (13% protein)

Sophie’s top tips:

1. Be generous with oil. Mix olive oil or butter to enrich your dough for a rich, tender crust.
2. Time for toppings. Churchill’s high protein content gives your dough the strength to support layers of toppings - cheese, sauce, meat, and more!
3. Lower and slower. Bake at 200°C for a longer time to ensure even cooking without burning the crust.

Matthews Cotswold Flour Churchill (1.5kg) is available at Tesco RRP £2.60 

Matthews Cotswold Flour Pizza Flour (1.5kg) is available at Waitrose £2.00

The Perfect Pizza Combination (RRP £34.15 from www.cotswoldflour.com)

Matthews Cotswold Flour’s Pizza Project Box contains everything you need to perfect your pizza dough. The box contains three different types of premium pizza flour and a copy of Scott Deley’s The Ooni Pizza Project. The book contains over 40 recipes to help you create delicious dough and mouth-watering pizzas.

Contents: 3 x Cotswold Pizza Flour (1.5kg), 1 x Churchill Premium Strong White Flour (1.5kg), 1 X Canadian Great White Flour (1.5kg), The Ooni Pizza Project recipe book.

Matthews Cotswold Flour is committed to supporting regenerative food sources, developing an unparalleled range of top quality, award-winning, products and inspiring, educating and partnering with the nation’s artisan and home bakers. For more information visit www.cotswoldflour.com or follow @CotswoldFlour on Instagram or Facebook.

ENDS

Editor’s Notes

The two hundred year old family business, Matthews Cotswold Flour, is Britain’s leading speciality flour producer boasting a range of over 100 varieties of flour and providing an unrivalled choice for both amateur and professional bakers. Matthews Cotswold Flour is committed to supporting regenerative food sources, developing an unparalleled range of top quality, award-winning, products and inspiring, educating and partnering with the nation’s artisan and home bakers. 

Heritage: With a milling legacy spanning eight generations, Matthews Cotswold Flour is one of the UK’s oldest family-run flour mills. Trading grain and milling flour in the heart of the Cotswolds since the 1800s, the mill believes passionately that their local partnerships, traditional stoneground milling methods and premium grains make for better baking. They are proud to offer premium quality Organic and Stoneground Wholegrain flour, using grain from local farmers and time-honoured milling techniques. With an eye to the future and wanting to share their wealth of milling experience, Matthews Cotswold Flour is launching a New Generation Milling Apprenticeship programme that encourages and supports the next generation of millers.

Regenerative Farming: Through their local Cotswold Grain Partnership and a system of fair trade pricing, Matthews Cotswold Flour works with farmers to grow in a regenerative way that protects the soil and develops wildlife.  They are supporting the Regenerative Revolution on farms around the country and promoting a more diverse agricultural landscape that supports soil health and different grain varieties. By giving back some profits to the farmers, Matthews Cotswold Flour is able to support new regenerative farming practices as they work to increase regenerative farming practices across all their suppliers.

Product Range: Matthews Cotswold Flour is Britain’s leading speciality flour producer supplying a range of over 100 varieties to professional and home bakers through its online shop and retail and wholesale outlets. It is proud to work with Britain’s best bakers (as voted by the British Baking Awards). Its product range offers a huge selection of artisan flour including unique blends of ancient and heritage grains. Matthews maintains one of the strictest grain selection methods for their specialty flour. By only selecting the top one percent of grain they ensure quality and consistency for master and home bakers across the country.

Awards: Matthews Cotswold Flour boasts a host of awards for many of the products in its outstanding range of flour. Their award-winning flour is inspired, grown, milled, baked, and created by their close knit community of partners. They are proud to have won 20 great taste awards in the last two years alone.

Baking Community: The Cotswold Flour Baking Club  was set up by Matthews Cotswold Flour to inspire a new generation of bakers with recipes, tips, videos, events, and collaboration with master bakers across the UK. Anyone can join this rapidly growing community and enhance their baking journey. By sharing knowledge, ideas, inspiration, and stories The Cotswold Flour Baking Club aims to create an incredible baking experience for all its members. 

For more information, an interview with Bertie Matthews, samples, recipes and images please contact Harry Hook - harry@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk