When I started this A Year of Yeast series, I knew that one of the things I wanted to tackle was pizza dough. In my opinion, being able to whip up a quick pizza is sort of an essential culinary skill. Although pizza sometimes gets a bad rap in the dietary department, I think there are ways to make a version that is both healthy and delicious.

So today I want to share my new go-to recipe for Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I found it earlier this week when I was looking for recipes on BHG.com. (I’m a contributor to their food blog, Delish Dish so every other week, I pick a recipe and recreate it with my own little twist).

I was thrilled to see this recipe for Pizza Dippers. I love my pizza extra saucy! I was even more excited that the recipe included homemade pizza dough and the option to make the dough whole wheat. Perfection!

First, let me tell you, making pizza dough from scratch is easy peasy. As with most yeast-based recipes, it does require a little planning, but it’s totally worth it. You could even whip up a batch of dough one evening and leave it in your refrigerator until the following night.

The resulting dough is both soft and flavorful. I like my dough on the thinner side, so I rolled it out quite a bit. I also love how this recipe includes a little cut out for extra sauce. It’s such a unique way to serve pizza.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Adapted from BHG’s Pizza Dough

Here’s what you’ll need:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
1 package active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Let’s get baking:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; add the warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the whole wheat flour as you can. Knead in remaining whole wheat flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total).

Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size (about 45 minutes).

Punch dough down.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.

Pretty easy, right? So now that you know how to make the dough, click here to head on over to BHG’s Delish Dish to learn how to put together the rest of this recipe for Pizza Dippers! You won’t be disappointed. Not only are they delicious, but they are fun to eat, too!

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

By Michael Wurm, Jr. Published: May 30, 2013

• Yield: 2 loafs

Author: Michael Wurm, Jr. of Inspired by Charm

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; add the warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
   
2. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the whole wheat flour as you can. Knead in remaining whole wheat flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total).
   
3. Punch dough down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
   

• Cuisine: American