Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

5 from 3 ratings

from kristineskitchenblog.com

This Whole Wheat Pizza Dough is easy to make, using just a few ingredients. It's the perfect pizza crust to make your favorite homemade pizza recipes!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Rise Time1

Total Time1 45

Servings: pizzas

Calories: 230kcal

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water 110-115° F
1 tablespoon rapid rise or instant yeast
1 ½ tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups all purpose flour or bread flour plus more, as needed

Instructions

Make the Pizza Dough

Put the warm water, yeast and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes. The yeast should become foamy or bubbly during this time. (See note for instructions on making dough by hand, without a mixer.)
Add the olive oil, salt and both flours to the bowl. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until combined.
Switch to the dough hook and continue mixing the dough on low speed, adding more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky. The dough should be a little sticky when you press it with your finger, but a lot of dough should not stick to your finger. Knead the dough using the dough hook on low speed until a smooth ball forms and the dough springs back when you press it with your finger, about 8 minutes. (At this point, you can freeze all or half of the dough. See freezer instructions in the notes below.)
Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl (I use olive oil). Turn the dough ball once to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.

Shape the Dough

Punch the dough down to release any air and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough in half and shape it into two balls of pizza dough. Let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes. This resting time relaxes the dough and makes it easier to shape.
While the dough rests, preheat oven to 450° F. Put your pizza pan, baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven to preheat.
Using your hands and/or a rolling pin, shape each ball of dough into a 14-inch circle. You can finish shaping and bake the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, which you will slide onto the preheated baking pan when you are ready to bake the pizza. As you assemble the pizza on the parchment paper, you can place a second (flat) baking sheet under the parchment for easy transfer to the pan in the oven.

Assemble and Bake Pizzas

Add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings as desired. Reduce the oven temperature to 425° F. Bake pizzas, one at a time, for about 9 to 12 minutes, until the crust and cheese are lightly browned. Let pizzas rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

If you prefer a 100% whole wheat pizza crust, you can use all white whole wheat flour instead of the all purpose or bread flour called for in the recipe.
If you make this recipe with all white flour (either all purpose or bread flour) and no whole wheat flour, you will need to add more flour to get a dough that isn't too sticky. I usually use about 4 1/2 cups of flour total when I use only all-purpose flour.
To make dough by hand (without a stand mixer): Follow the instructions above, stirring the ingredients together instead of mixing with the mixer. Knead the dough using your hands on a lightly floured work surface until it is smooth, stretchy and springs back when you press it with your finger.
To bake pizza directly on the pan, without parchment paper: Do not preheat the baking pan, as you don't want to burn yourself when you are shaping and assembling the pizza. Sprinkle the pan generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking. You can bake the pizza at 450° F since you are not using parchment paper.
To freeze pizza dough: After you finish kneading the dough, you can freeze all or half of the dough. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Dust lightly with flour and store in a zip-top bag for up to one month. When you are ready to use the pizza dough, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Then place the dough on a lightly floured surface, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for about 2 hours at room temperature before rolling it out.
To refrigerate unbaked pizza dough: After kneading the dough, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before using. Let the dough rest at room temperature for about 2 hours before rolling it out (place it on a lightly floured surface and cover it with a clean kitchen towel while it rests).
Nutrition information is for pizza dough only, as sauce, cheese and toppings will vary.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.