This Whole Wheat Pizza Crust is a chewy pizzeria style thin crust with the sweet nuttiness and added nutrition of whole wheat flour. Make DIY frozen pizzas to pull from the freezer and pop in the oven for a convenient lunch or snacks.
is there any pizza that is healthy?
By making pizza homemade, you are in control of the ingredients, and therefore the nutrition. Using this whole wheat pizza crust and topping with a fresh, homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and healthy toppings guarantees a healthy and delicious pizza every time. Check out this veggie sauce that is a phenomenal alternative to traditional pizza sauce, or stock your freezer with these DIY homemade frozen pizzas.
how do I make my pizza crust crispy?
Perfectly chewy, thin crust pizza takes very few ingredients. It's more in the way you treat the dough that affects the texture and chew that you get when it's baked. Follow these instructions on how to make whole wheat pizza dough step by step.
- first activate the yeast by dissolving it in the required amount of warm water, it should produce a foamy layer at the top after 5-10 minutes.
- add the dissolved yeast and liquid to the flours, salt and sugar and mix until combined by hand or machine; dough will look a little shaggy to begin with
- continue to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl; this will take about 15 minutes by hand, or under 5 minutes by standing mixer machine
- transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover and let rest for 1 hour on counter top or overnight in refrigerator
- turn dough out onto floured surface after it's done resting
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- corn meal for sprinkling
Instructions
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon yeast in 1 ¼ cups warm water for 5-10 minutes until "activated" (the surface will become foamy looking)
- Once activated, combine yeast and water with 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar until ingredients are combined. If it looks too dry, add another tablespoon of water, but keep in mind that it will smooth out as it's kneaded.
- Knead the dough until smooth, if doing so by hand. The dough should appear to come together and become a smooth ball. (If kneading using a dough hook and stand mixer, it should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and become one smooth ball.)
- Set in a greased bowl, and cover. Let rest for one hour at room temperature or overnight in fridge.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- On a floured surface, divide dough into two equal portions or leave as one large pizza. Press the dough into a flat disc using fingertips, creating little dimples evenly over the top.
- Use fingertips to stretch the dough, working in circles from the center toward the outside. Place the edge of the dough over both fists and quickly "walk" your fists underneath around the edge, letting gravity do the stretching. Work until the dough is stretched and even.
- Sprinkle a light layer of cornmeal over a baking sheet.
- Carefully transfer the dough to the baking sheet over the cornmeal. Bake for 5-6 minutes until bottom is solid and no longer doughy. This way pizza can be topped and baked directly on rack without the dough melting and making a mess.
Notes
- If the dough seems dry, add only 1 tablespoon at a time to smooth it out.
- If using instant yeast, it may be added directly to the ingredients without dissolving in the water first.
Nutrition
- once dough has finished resting, and is turned out onto floured surface preheat oven to 400 degrees
- divide into two smaller portions or leave as one large
- stretch the dough rather than rolling it; this is what gives the dough a nice chew that's perfect for a thin crust pizza
- dust baking sheet lightly with cornmeal to prevent sticking
- transfer formed pizza crust (one large or two medium) to baking sheet(s) to par bake for 5 minutes, until centers are no longer doughy underneath
- top pizza crust as desired and bake at 400 degrees for 15-25 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are browned
how to knead dough without a mixer
Don't have a stand mixer? No problem. Check out this quick video on kneading dough by hand.
Try this recipe with Garlic Ranch & Zucchini Pizza, or Chicken Bacon Pineapple Pizza.
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