Molino Vigevano.Italian flour with the wheat germ put back.

Putting the germ back

The germ is the small, living heart of the wheat grain, and the part richest in flavour, aroma and nutrients. It is also rich in oils, which is why industrial milling usually removes it: flour without the germ keeps longer, but loses much of what makes it taste of wheat.

Molino Vigevano recovers the germ instead. In its Oro di Macina professional range, the germ is cold-pressed, then stone-ground to bring out its aromatic compounds, and returned to the flour. The mill credits it with better leavening and maturation, doughs that stretch without tearing, and bases that come out lighter and easier to digest.

Consistency matters as much as character in a busy kitchen, so the mill runs more than 20 quality checks through every stage of production, and tests each lot in the lab before it leaves. The aim is a flour that behaves the same way in January as it does in July.

Backed by the Academy

Good flour is only half the story; knowing how to use it is the other. In 2022 Molino Vigevano opened its own Academy at Torre d’Isola: 400 square metres of training space, with four areas for pizza, bread and pastry. Together with the mill’s technical team, it trains more than 1,000 professionals a year through courses, one-to-one sessions and technical support.

For a pizzeria or bakery switching flour, that support is what makes the change painless. Your DiVine account manager can put you in touch with the right person for help with hydration, leavening times and getting a new dough just right.

On the DiVine stand

Molino Vigevano’s pizza chefs have baked live with us on the DiVine stand, turning out Neapolitan pizzas from the same flours we deliver to kitchens across London and the South East.

Choosing by leavening time

For pizza, the simplest way to choose is to start with how long your dough rests. Stronger flours (a higher W) hold up through longer fermentation; softer ones suit a shorter, same-day process.

• Costiera Amalfitana Oro — medium leavening. W270–290 and 13.6% protein, for 8–12 hours at room temperature or 24–48 hours in the fridge.
• Tramonti Oro — long leavening. W330–360 and 14.5% protein, for 12–24 hours at room temperature or beyond 48 hours under control.
• Vera Napoli — medium leavening, with added durum semola. Built for takeaway and delivery, with a crust that stays crisp as it cools.
• Vesuvio — for Neapolitan pizza in any oven, including electric.
• Verace Oro — the all-rounder, from pizza and focaccia to bread and fresh pasta.

For bakeries, the same germ-enriched approach runs through the type “1”, wholemeal and multigrain flours, alongside a sourdough starter, semolina and specialist flours for pastry, frying and gluten-free dough.