We smoke everything we can get our hands on, at least once. Smoked flour has been in our pantry for years. We've used it in pasta, pizza, bread, and salt crusts. What we had not thought of doing, until recently, was to use it as bench flour. We put a small amount of smoked flour in our pizza dough. It rounds out the flavor and adds a savory quality to the finished pies. We discovered this while writing Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work. We were making pizzas and had smoked flour on hand, so I used it to dust the dough as I stretched it. The smoked flour seemed to add a more pronounced smoky flavor to the pizzas. It was as though the wood oven was constantly in full burn as they baked. The flavor was present without being overwhelming, nicely contrasting the tomato sauce and toppings. The pizzas were delicious. The idea of using smoked flour as a finishing layer is one worth exploring further.
Years Past
June 5, 2005
