Pizza Dough

Can you believe that this dough is 100% whole wheat? Can you? It is! Yet it handles so well – better than any pizza dough recipe I’ve ever tried. It is so easily manipulated, yet it doesn’t tear easily.

7-9-09n4

What’s the secret? I really couldn’t say. Perhaps the method of mixing. Perhaps the perfect combination of ingredients (thanks, Cook’s Illustrated!). Perhaps the type of whole wheat flour I use (white whole wheat flour). All I know is, my search for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe ended when I found this one. Maybe someday I’ll try a different pizza dough recipe, but for now I’m content.

7-9-09n3

Care for some ideas for pizza?

~ Why not spread it with some homemade pizza sauce and sprinkle it with homemade Italian sausage?
~ Or you could drizzle it with Smoky BBQ sauce and add chicken (perhaps some bacon) and cheddar cheese for a BBQ Chicken Pizza.

~ The other day, I made pizza on the grill. It’s a great way to beat the heat and it is so delicious. Here is an excellent article and video with the instructions.

How do you like to fix your pizza?

m

Pizza Dough

Adapted from The New Best Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup warm water (about 110°
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups (20 ounces) white whole wheat flour (aka white whole wheat flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • Olive oil or butter, for greasing the bowl

Directions:

1) Place the 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast begins to swell. Add to the room temperature water and oil and stir.

2) Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly until combined. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the liquid ingredients. Mix just until a cohesive dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

3) Change to the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

4) Oil or butter a medium-sized bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise for 1 ½-2 hours, or until double in volume. The dough is now ready to be used in your recipe.

Makes enough dough for approximately 3 large thin-crust pizzas

45 thoughts on “Pizza Dough

  1. If Trader Joe’s pizza dough is okay as a reference, then pizza dough is perfectly fine frozen. Theirs is definitely previously frozen, and it’s quite good.

  2. I make a white whole wheat pizza dough quite similar to the one given here and I successfully freeze it all the time. If you thaw it and use it within 6 months or so it will still work just fine. I prefer to thaw it overnight in the fridge and then remove it to warm up on the kitchen counter for about an hour before rolling it out to bake. (Trader Joe’s brand of white whole wheat flour is the most economical I have been able to find here in western WA.)

  3. Erica,
    Just wanted to let you and your readers know that this dough freezes beautifully. Simply put it in a Ziploc freezer bag, squeeze the air out of the bag, label, and pop in freezer. My husband and I just enjoyed dough from before Christmas. Thank you! Your Friend in Christ, Dawn

  4. This pizza dough was awesome! The whole family loved it. I made pizza pocket/calzones with it and they turned out great. I also froze half of it and took it out a few hours before I needed it and it was still great. Tonight I am trying it with your pizza sauce.

  5. I plan on making this tonight. I’ve been looking for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    Think I’ll make bbq chicken pizza and tomato basil pizza for the grownups and pepperoni of course for the kiddo. 😉

  6. Pingback: smithical » whole grain recipes

  7. Pingback: Grilled Pizza | Cooking for Seven

  8. Pingback: -364 «

  9. used your recipe with slight variations – added fresh thyme and rosemary – about 3 tablespoons to the dry mix. Also increased the flour amount to 4 1/2 cups.

    They pizza dough turned out great. Thanks

  10. Pingback: Whole Wheat Calzones for Liz | The Kitchen Operas

  11. Hi! I’m new here. I found you off your cornbread recipe from PW’s site. Your site looks great and I’m going to put it on my blog and be back for more recipes. I’ve made pizza using the Whole Foods for the Whole Family Cookbook. I just made it last night, and my Farmer always says, not to hurt my feelings, but because he likes his food, “How come the pizza place pizza tastes so different than this?” And I know what he means. Your article on the different types of wheat will certainly help in this. I always just bought whatever organic flour was on the shelf out at the amish stores! I knew there HAD to be a reason there were different kinds! 🙂 I plan on trying this recipe next time and seeing what he says. I think I’ll check out your sauce recipe as well, as I just use my canned tom. juice and ad some things. I’m not a natural cook; just trying to be healthy but cook tasty, too! I’m so thankful I found your blog. Please know that you are a real blessing.

  12. Should this dough be really sticky after rising? I have made it a couple of times and it seems stickier than I would expect. I just use some extra flour when rolling it and it works well and tastes good; I’m just wondering about the stickiness.

  13. I made this recipe tonight for Stromboli’s. It was AMAZING!! I never would have thought I’d like to eat a wheat crust and it was phenomenal! Thanks so much for sharing this. It is definitely my new GO-TO recipe for anything pizza dough related!

    ~Wendy

  14. I love this dough and my husband who will rarely eat anything with woke wheat enjoys it immensely!! We make a pizza up with all the topping, bake it on 400 degrees for about 5 minutes take it out to cool and vacuum seal them to bake for a later time. It works wonderfully!!

  15. Pingback: Grilled Pizza | jamelafamela

  16. Pingback: Recipe: Basil Pesto |

  17. Please clarify for me, a novice. Must I purchase instant yeast? I have active dry. Will that work? am not sure if they can be substituted for each other. Thank you!

    • Emily: You can use active dry yeast, but you need to dissolve it in warm water and a bit of sweetener. You may want to use a bit more active dry that instant since instant may be a bit more concentrated than active dry.

  18. Any suggestions for preparing if you do not have a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and dough hook attachment. I have an old stand mixer with just the standard mixing blade. I do not have any attachments.

    • VickiS: If kneading by hand, I would suggest going for at 5 minutes, perhaps more. You can also knead the dough in a bread machine if you have one – just set it to dough. 🙂

  19. Thanks Erica Lea. I hope to have time tomorrow to try out this recipe. Fingers crossed. I haven’t kneaded dough since I was a little girl with my mom. Nope, no bread machine either. However, I have spied a couple at the thrift store.
    Thanks again.

  20. Pingback: Homemade Pizza | lbrl.org

  21. Erica, I love this recipe I’m going to try it! Being the beginner that I am, I was wondering if you could substitute regular flour for the wheat flour? Would it work and would I have to make any adjustments on the amounts? Thanks again and keep them coming!

    • Ken: Yes, it should be awesome with regular flour – I believe the original recipe called for either bread flour or AP flour. I don’t think you need to make any other adjustments!

  22. Pingback: Projects and Pizza | this life abundant

  23. I made this as the recipe stated, but the dough didn’t rise?

    I used Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast, could that be the issue? When mixed in warm water it never expanded/bubbled, etc.

    Please help!

    • Kelsey Anne: Hmmm, perhaps your water was too warm and killed the yeast? Try using water no hotter than 110-115 degrees F. If the yeast still doesn’t bubble, you could try a different type of yeast. Hope that helps!

  24. Tried this with our eggplant pizza and it was delicious! I love how crispy it got. We have also been enjoying your 100% whole wheat bread (even my picky-about-bread husband loves it!), thank you for being such a great resource as we attempt to eat for the glory of God!:)

  25. Pingback: Life Has Been Crazy | Real Food with Real Ingredients

  26. Pingback: Sausage, Onion, and Broccoli Pizza | TheMomDish.com

  27. Pingback: Who Doesn’t like Pizza, Right???? « thethriftyhippie

  28. My niece thebrokenbohemian put me on to this recipe.
    Added flax and sunflower seed for grilled pizza, Consensus was forget the toppings next time – just go with the grilled dough.
    Outstanding beyond understanding. Thank you very much for guidance

  29. Pingback: 11 Healthy Meals You Can Make With Leftovers

Leave a reply to Erica Lea Cancel reply