flour
Semolina
Coarse durum-wheat flour; bench dust and Sicilian crumb.
- Protein
- 13%
About
Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat — harder and yellower than bread wheat, with a higher carotenoid content and around 13% protein. Two roles in pizza: as bench dust (a thin layer of semolina between dough and peel keeps the pie sliding without sticking, and the coarse grain rolls off when the pizza hits the deck), and as a small partial substitution (5–15% of total flour) in Sicilian and Chicago doughs to add color, a slightly nutty flavor, and a coarser, more open crumb. Use fine semola rimacinata for any role where the dough has to come together; reserve coarse semolina for bench dust.
History
Semolina is the foundational flour of southern Italian baking — pasta, durum bread, and the original sfincione doughs all relied on it before bread wheat became affordable. Its use in pizza is mostly a textural inheritance.
Substitutes
- All-purpose flour — no semolina texture; bench dust only