Whole Wheat Makeover #3: Margherita Pizza

Today is a beautiful day in Virginia. It’s sunny and warmer than it has been, it almost feels like spring. And since I only have one morning class today, it just seemed like a good day to make a hot lunch for Jason and I.

I love pizza! Who doesn’t love pizza? I used a family recipe, not sure exactly where it’s from, but my mom and I have used it for a long time. The only change I made was that this time I used 100% white whole wheat flour and added a little vital wheat gluten to keep the dough soft.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

• 1 package yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 T. salt
• 2 c. warm water
• 5-6 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 T. vital wheat gluten flour
• 2 T. olive oil

-Dissolve yeast, salt, and sugar in the warm water. Let it sit about 10 minutes, until the yeast foams up.

-Put the yeast mixture into your food processor/stand mixer along with 3 cups of the flour. Mix until combined and then add wheat gluten and the rest of the flour, one cup at a time. Mix until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and forms itself into a ball.

-Put the olive oil in a mixing bowl and add the dough ball, rolling the ball around until it’s coated in the oil.

-Cover with a damp towel and let rest in a warm place until it’s at least doubled in size (about 1.5-2 hours).

While the dough rises, I made the pizza sauce. I normally just use jarred spaghetti sauce for my pizza, but since I’m trying to limit our processed foods I decided it would be worth the few extra minutes to just make a sauce.

Quick & Easy Pizza Sauce:

• 8 oz. tomato sauce (1/2 of a can)
• 1 T. concentrated tomato paste
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• 1 T. olive oil

-Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. That’s it!

Back to the pizza…

-Punch down the risen dough and divide (this recipe makes about 6 individual pizzas or 2 large ones). Take a single portion and roll in about 1/2″ thick in the shape of a circle.

-Spread desired amount of pizza sauce onto dough.

-Top with mozzarella cheese and what ever other toppings you want. For a margherita pizza, add a few leaves of hand shredded basil.

-Over the basil add a sliced roma tomato and drizzle with olive oil.

-Let the pizza rest about 10 minutes on the peel while the oven preheats to 425 degrees. Bake the pizza on a pizza stone in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove onto the peel and let cool.

-Slice and enjoy! Thanks for reading!