Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe + Homemade Sauce
Up your pizza game with this easy vegan fluffy pizza dough recipe made from whole wheat flour and paired with a savory and herbaceous homemade pizza sauce!
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 packet instant yeast or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- 1 15oz can of tomato sauce
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1.5 tsp dried basil
- 1.5 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar and warm water. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes so it can "proof" or "bloom". It will start to bubble and grow.
- In a large bowl, add the flour and the salt. Dig a little hole or "well" in the middle of your flour. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and your yeast mixture.
- With your hand, start scooping the flour into the yeast mixture from the sides and mixing. Dough will begin to form as you continue to combine and knead.
- Once it's fully incorporated and you have a moveable dough, you can dust your countertop with a little bit of extra flour or cornstarch and move the dough to the counter. You want to knead the dough really well so it becomes smooth. The dough should be wet but not sticking to your fingers. This process takes about 7-10 minutes of kneading.
- Once you get the desired dough, oil your bowl and add the dough back. Cover it with plastic wrap and then cover with a towel or two. We want to keep the dough moist and warm so it can rise. Find a warm, draft-free area of your home to let it rise.
- While you wait for your dough to rise, you can make your pizza sauce. In a medium bowl, add all of the ingredients, mix well and then cover and refrigerate until use.
- After your dough has doubled, remove from the oven and then preheat your oven to 475° F. Punch the dough down to release the air bubbles inside the dough and move the dough to your countertop. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice your dough into equal sections (2 for 2 12-inch pizzas or 3 8-inch pizzas or 4 6-inch pizzas). I recommend 3 or 4 sections if you're doing this for a family activity. While you're working with one dough, keep the others covered with the plastic wrap or towel so they don't dry out.
- Using a rolling pin on your lightly floured surface, begin to roll your pizza dough out - you can do circular or rectangular - the shape doesn't matter. Or you can stretch it out onto a pizza pan. You'll want to roll it out so that the dough is no more than 1/4 inch thick. Fold over the edges to create the thicker edge crust - I used my fingers to fold it over and then press down.
- Place your rolled and shaped pizza dough on a parchment/silicon lined or very lightly greased pan or pizza stone. Then, poke your pizza dough with the prongs of a fork several times in all areas of the dough. This will prevent those pesky air bubbles from rising during the baking and will allow the dough to cook more evenly.
- Add the sauce, cheese and desired toppings, and then bake for 12-15 minutes. The crust should turn a light tan brown and get a little crispy.
- Remove from the oven. (I recommend letting it sit for 5 minutes). Slice. Serve!
Notes
For the texture of the dough:
If your dough is too wet: add 1 tablespoon of flour and knead. Continue adding until you get the desired texture.
If your dough is too dry: add 1 tablespoon of water and knead. Continue adding until you get the desired texture.
To get your dough to rise:
If your house is a little cold or drafty, you can warm your oven up to 150° F, shut off the heat in the oven and then place the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and towels in the oven to rise. Your dough will need at least one hour to rise - it should double in size.