Basic set for sweet baking

This trio of flours from the Agugiaro & Figna mill is your universal "building block" for everything that smells of sugar and vanilla. With this set, you can master:

• Perfect Linzer cookies, delicate doughs, and doughnuts: Thanks to the extra-fine Pasta Fresca flour, your cookies and fluffy doughnuts will literally melt on your tongue. The dough holds its precise shape and achieves incredible tenderness
• Tall and fluffy cake sponges: The strength of La Manitoba flour ensures that the sponge won't collapse and will easily support rich creams or fruit
• Homemade pancakes and crêpes: With Classica flour, you’ll whip up a smooth, lump-free batter that is elastic and perfectly firm
• Crispy tartlets and biscuits: The ideal combination of delicacy and stability for the very best desserts to go with your afternoon coffee

To help you succeed with this "holy trinity" of flours, I have prepared a few tips on how to combine them correctly:

• Don't be afraid to mix: For the best cupcakes or muffins, mix Classica with a bit of Manitoba. You will get a sponge that is light yet stable
• The magic of sifting: Italian flours are very fine, but for fluffy sponge bases, always sift them at least once. This incorporates air into the batter before it even goes into the oven
• Don't rush Linzer and shortcrust dough: When working with Pasta Fresca flour, process the dough quickly and let it rest in the fridge at least until the next day. The gluten in the flour will relax, making the cookies incredibly tender after baking
• Manitoba loves hydration: If you are adding it to the dough for fluffiness, remember that this "strong" flour absorbs slightly more liquid than regular flour. Don't be afraid to add an extra tablespoon of milk if the dough seems too stiff

To ensure your baking isn't a gamble, we must distinguish between two laboratory values for Italian flours: Refinement Type and Flour Strength.

Refinement Type (Tipo 00, 0, 1, 2, Integrale) This figure tells us how much the grain has been "cleaned" of its husks (bran). It is measured as mineral content (ash):

• Tipo 00: The purest flour from the core of the grain. Minimum minerals, maximum fineness, and a snow-white color
• Tipo 0: Contains slight traces of bran, which gives it a bit more character and often better water-binding capacity
• Tipo 1 and 2: "High-extraction" flours with a higher content of minerals and fiber for a rustic taste
• L’Integrale: The whole-grain version, where everything is milled—germ, husk, and core

Flour Strength (W) This is the engine of your dough. It tells us how much gluten the flour has and what kind of "load" it can carry:

• Weak flour (W 90–180): Shortcrust pastry, Linzer cookies, wafers. We don't want the dough to be elastic or springy
• Medium-strong flour (W 180–280): Standard bread, pizza, focaccia. It can handle proofing in the range of several hours
• Strong flour (W over 300): Long proofing (24–48 h) and doughs full of fat and sugar (sweet braided bread, brioche)