Whole Wheat Pizza Dough and Homemade Pizza Sauce

The best thing about making pizza at home is that everyone can make their own pizza and top it any way they want. I like to add roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes to mine, but the kids rarely stray from good old pepperoni and cheese. Another great reason to make pizza at home is it’s easier to make it a healthier. We use a lot less cheese and I add whole wheat flour to the crust.

I adapted this recipe from a pizza dough recipe I found online at A Year In Bread. I have tried others, but keep coming back to this one. The dough stretches easily and the honey and olive oil give it a great flavor.  You can make it crispy or chewy depending on how thick you roll out the dough. This will make two 12 inch pizzas, but I usually make four individual 8 inch pizzas.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water (between 95º and 115º)
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 US package) instant yeast
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together the honey, warm water, and oil in a small bowl. The water should be about 95 to 115°. It should feel very warm, but not hot.

Mix 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour, yeast, wheat gluten, and salt in mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment, mix on low for about 30 seconds.

With the motor running on low, pour in the liquids. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough begins to form. Clean off paddle and switch to dough hook. Mix in the remaining cup of bread flour a little at a time, to make a moderately stiff dough. Adding more or less flour as needed.

Knead for eight minutes. The dough should completely clear the sides. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. You’ll find the dough wraps itself around the hook, so every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times by hand to be sure it’s tight and elastic. Form the dough into a tight ball.

Wash and dry your mixing bowl then mist it with oil. Place the dough, seam-side down, in the bowl and lightly mist top of dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size — 45 minutes to an hour.
Heat the oven to 450F. (If you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to heat while the dough is rising.)

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal portions. Set one aside and cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Shape the other portion into a round by hand.

Place the rolling pin in the center of the round and push outward. Rotate the dough 1/4 turn and repeat. Continue until dough is about 12 inches across. Alternatively, you can stretch the dough by hand, which I do. The dough is quite elastic and will want to shrink, so don’t rush it. Pause every now and then while shaping (whether by hand or with a rolling pen) to allow the dough to relax.

Once dough is shaped, place on a sheet of parchment paper and top pizza as desired with sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Using a pizza peel transfer pizza on parchment to a pizza stone in the oven. (You can trim the parchment so it is only slight larger than your pizza.)

Bake 8 – 10 minutes, or until crust is golden browned and cheese is brown and melted. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting.

Homemade Pizza Sauce
adapted from Allrecipes

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in rich puree
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a small saucepan, sauté garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

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