Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Flour Is As Fancy As It Looks

If you grew up in a house that exclusively stocked the baking cupboard with bleached all-purpose white flour — maybe a little self-rising flour too, if you're feeling daring — then it may feel a little daunting when reading new recipes to learn that there are actually countless varieties of flour to choose from, all with their own purpose. The best type of flour to use when making pasta isn't going to be the same as what you'd use when baking a cake, and likewise, the best flour to use when baking American foods might be a little different than what someone uses in Italy. And when Giada De Laurentiis is baking Italian recipes, there's one flour she turns to again and again: Petra 9.

Petra 9 is an Italian whole wheat flour, and according to the packaging, it can be used to make bread, pizza, and sweets. "This Petra flour is hands down my favorite flour to bake with. Such a game changer," De Laurentiis shared on Twitter. Her website Giadzy, which sells the flour, offers similar praise, saying it "bakes like a dream" and has an "elegant, never-gritty texture that can be used in nearly any baking project." And it turns out that the "Bobby and Giada in Italy" star isn't the only baker who favors Petra.

Part of why people like Petra 9 is because it's easier to work with than other whole wheat flour brands. It can be tricky to use 100% whole wheat flour as a substitute for all-purpose flour, because they have different protein and gluten contents which can affect the structure of what you're baking. It's generally recommended to use a blend of 1 part whole wheat flour to 2 parts of white flour when making a swap, but you actually can use Petra 9 to entirely replace white flour in pizza or pasta recipes.

This Petra Flour is hands down my favorite flower to bake with. Such a game changer! https://t.co/Tv7MYG2Bs7 pic.twitter.com/T0I9aXHSLs

— Giada De Laurentiis (@GDeLaurentiis) May 1, 2023

Pizza obsessives online had particularly nice things to say about this flour. "Petra 9 is my favorite whole wheat flour," shared one commenter on the Pizza Making Forum. "It is not bitter at all. It has certain full but sweet flavor, great for adding some extra flavor to any baking project." Whether you opt for Petra 9 or another one of the best flour brands for bakers, adding some high-quality whole wheat flour to your next baking project could help add a whole new dimension of flavor to your creations.