Whole Wheat Margherita Pizza

prep time: 20 minutes (+1 hour to let the dough rise); cooking time: 20 minutes

When my husband and I started dating we were broke college students living in Hawaii (aka one of the most expensive places in the USA), so we lived on homemade pizza since it is so cheap to make. Five years later we are nowhere close to being rich and famous so we still make pizza at least twice a week. Eddie is the official pizza maker of the house and takes pride in his signature pizza (see tips for toppings). We love it, especially after a long day of surfing :)

Tips:

1. Making the dough using a KitchenAid makes it even easier and quicker. Dah!
2. We own a pizza stone... and love it! It is inexpensive and makes a big difference in the way the crust bakes. Totally worth it!
3. We have been making whole wheat pizza for a long time and are used to the taste. If you are making it for the first time I would suggest to use 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour to get used to it. Some people can’t even tell the difference.
4. My husband’s signature pizza calls for 1/2 zucchini and 1/4 onion in addition to the toppings listed below (minus the basil). And I love it!

Ingredients (1 or 2 pizzas, depending on how thick you like your dough):
Dough

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 cups whole wheat flour

Toppings

• 3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 can tomato sauce
• 1 fresh tomato sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Equipment:

• Kitchen scale, measuring cups & spoons
• Mixing bowl/KitchenAid
• Spoon/whisk
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Pizza pan/stone
• Rollin pin

Steps:

1. In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Add salt, olive oil, and steer in flour 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Take dough out and work it with your hands for a couple of minutes. Wet your hands with a couple of drops of olive oil.
4. Cover, let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (at least 1 hour).
5. Preheat oven at 420 F
6. Using the rollin pin work the dough until you reach the desired thickness (I like it thin so with this amount of ingredients I make two pizzas).
7. Top with tomato sauce, fresh tomato slices, grated mozzarella, goat cheese and basil.
8. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and bake at 420 F for 20 minutes. Check the bottom of the pizza after 15 minutes. It should feel solid and look golden.

Pin It