No Knead Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

After 3 weeks of exercising and eating right,  I’m happy to report I’m down a few pounds, but I’m craving pizza. If I don’t have pizza at least once a week, I begin to wail and pound my fists like a wild banshee. Dramatic? Yes, but nothing will stand in the way of me and pizza.

Not even my non carb eating boyfriend. He’s doing the low carb thing. I feel sorry for him. I mean, I give the man mad props for his will power, but I can see his suffering. I already know I’d never be able to give up carbs. I can give up a lot of things. Alcoholic beverages? Done. Chips? No problem. Candy? Eazy peazy. Chocolate? Pchhhh, about as much as an ice cube’s chance in hell.

Chocolate and carbs stay. And if I’m being totally honest, I visit wine once a week. Now, to keep it healthier I’ve switched to allotted bites of organic dark chocolate. And, well…wine, we already know is good for you. Packs in the antioxidants…. good for the heart…yada yada yada, skip to the good stuff…it makes me happy. It’s like a comfortable pair of jammies. So I allow myself 10 oz per week.

No white bread or pasta for this girl. Whole wheat and whole grains is where it’s at for me these days. I don’t mind really. Plus, I’m  not sure I want to try the cauliflower pizza crust. I’ve seen some that look really good, but I’m just not sure I’m ready to take it there yet.

Until I feel it’s okay to eat white flour again, I’ll be indulging moderately in this whole wheat business. Especially this no knead whole wheat pizza crust. If you haven’t tried a no knead pizza crust, you’ve no idea what you’ve been missing. Jim Lahey made it all the rage. You can read about it here.

It’s based on a long ferment which imparts more flavor. I prepared the dough in the evening and left it covered on the counter overnight. By late morning, it was ready for it’s shaping and second rise, just in time for lunch. I thought I’d die waiting, but the wait is so worth the taste my friends.

This is an adapted version with white whole wheat flour and a smidgeon of bread flour. I used a bit of bread flour so it wasn’t so dense or have that tastes-like-cardboard, flavor. Feel free to use all whole wheat if you want.  This crust was light and airy. If I were blind folded, I probably wouldn’t even know it’s whole wheat.

In a small bowl add yeast, honey, & 3 TBSP very warm water. If water is too hot, it will kill the yeast, so don’t make it any warmer than bath water. Let stand 10 minutes.
In large bowl mix flour and salt. Stir with fork. Add olive oil and activated yeast mixture and begin to add 1 cup warm water, stirring mixture with a wooden spoon until mixture is sticky and wet. You may need to add more or less water depending on your measurements.
Cover with plastic wrap & leave on counter for 8-24 hours.

This is what your dough should look like after it has risen. Moist and with lots of air bubbles. Those bubbles are what is going to give you a light and crisp crust.

The more air bubbles, the better.

Turn out to lightly floured counter. Weigh & divide in half for two 10 inch pizza crusts. You can also make one large pizza if you prefer. The photo below demonstrates half of my dough. Another thing I like about this dough is that it’s much easier to work and stretch. It has very little if any stretch back. If you find you’re having problems stretching, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again.
.

Spray your pan with a quality oil, ( I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and gently stretch out your dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another one to two hours.

****I have to take the time to show you our new find. We despise those yicky non stick sprays laden with all those chemicals and poisons, so we purchased a spay bottle for our olive oil. It’s so convenient and it’s a much healthier choice for us. It works great and it’s a staple item in our kitchen. We found this at our local super market, but I’m sure you can purchase it online if you are interested.

One hour before baking, preheat oven to highest setting (550 degrees.) When ready to bake put on your desired toppings. Place on middle rack and bake until crust is golden brown, about 10 -12 minutes. I like my pepperoni to curl up, so I turn the oven on broil for a few minutes, keeping a close eye on it.

I can’t describe how delicious this tasted. Especially after not having eaten pizza for 3 weeks. Check out all the fabulous air bubbles in the crust. Nothing dense and cardboard like about this pizza. Mangia Mangia!

Recipe Type: Pizza Crust

Author: Sherri @ The Kitchen Prescription

So light and airy, you may not know it’s whole wheat.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoons honey
• 3 Tablespoons very warm water (110 degrees. If too hot, it will kill the yeast.)
• 1 1/4 cups +2 tablespoons White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons bread flour cups bread flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup warm water

Instructions

1. In a small bowl add yeast, honey, & 3 TBSP water.
2. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. In large bowl mix flour and salt. Stir with fork.
4. Add olive oil and activated yeast mixture and begin to add 1 cup warm water, stirring mixture with a wooden spoon until mixture is sticky and wet. You may need to add more or less water depending on your measurements.
5. Cover with plastic wrap & leave on counter for 8-24 hours.
6. Turn out to well floured counter.
7. Weigh & divide in half for two 10 inch pizza crusts.
8. Stretch out dough on well oiled pan or skillet.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another one to two hours.
10. One hour before baking, preheat oven to highest setting (550 degrees.) put on desired toppings. Place on middle rack and bake until crust is golden brown, about 10 -12 minutes.