P/L Ratio

P/L is the second key number from the Chopin alveograph, and you'll often see it next to W on Italian and European flour bags. P is tenacity, how hard the dough resists being blown out, and L is extensibility, how far it stretches before it bursts. A high P/L means a tight, springy dough that fights shaping, and a low P/L means a slack, very stretchy dough. Bread and pizza flours are usually chosen to land in a roughly balanced middle range.

By Henry Hunter · Updated October 1, 2026

Henry's notes from the bench

• Two flours can have the same W and still feel completely different under your hands. If one keeps snapping back when you stretch a pizza, it probably has a higher P/L.