Pizza, sparkling fruit drinks and a movie go hand and hand for me. Every Sunday that I can remember growing up we would end our day of rest and family time with a movie night. Mom would spread a table cloth on the floor so the kids wouldn’t get the carpet messy, then we would spend the evening watching a family movie or Tale of Avonle on the Disney Channel. Sometime my mom would make her own crust, other times we would order a couple pizzas in.
We were the weird family that would order a pizza with 1/4 no cheese. Why? I didn’t like cheese. Now I think it’s because I was slightly lactose-intolerant. Since switching to raw and fermented dairy they don’t bother me like the overly processed kinds do. Even then I’m still not a huge cheese fan but I’m learning to like it on pizza. (Secret though, I still like pizza without cheese.)
Pizza night traditions followed me to Mexico when my friend Liz taught me to make pizza for 50 plus people. This lady was (and is) amazing, she could whip out 12-20 pizzas in less than two hours! She never wore an apron and never got a drop of dough or fleck on flour on herself. Don’t ask me how, I have no idea how anyone can be that neat.
Pizzerias are wonderful but their pizzas are full of unhealthy ingredients that doesn’t make pizza fit for anything but a special treat every once in a while. Pizza in my humble opinion should be a weekly affair that means it needs to be good for you. When you properly prepare your dough and use quality ingredients pizza can be a daily treat if you want it to be!
Over the years I’ve struggled to find a pizza crust that is made with whole wheat flour that is actually tastes good. After pouring over recipes and applying a few tips from my friend Liz I finally have created a whole-wheat crust that tastes great!
Pizza Crust Like the Pizzeria {Soaked Whole-Wheat}
Ingredients
- 7-9 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBS sucanat
- 1 TBS yeast
- 4 tsp unrefined salt
- olive oil
- four plastic bags
- partchment paper
- pizza stone
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, sucanat, warm water, and apple cider vinegar. Stir until well combined. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 12 to 24 hours.
- After the dough is soaked, mix in the yeast and salt. Knead for 5 minutes.
- Separate the dough into 2, 4 or 8 balls.
- Pour olive oil into each zipper bag. Rub the outside of the bags with your hands to move the oil around. Place a ball of dough in each zipper bag.
- Place the bags in the fridge to rise for 5 to 24 hours.
- hours before you are ready to bake remove the bags from the fridge and allow to rise at room temperature. (If your house is cooler than 65 F let the dough rise in the warmest area of the house.)
- Place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat at 500 for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, assemble your pizzas.
- Cut a sheet or parchment paper for each pizza you are making. Remove the dough from the bags. Carefully with your put turned fists or the palms of your hand stretch the dough into a circle. Place on the parchment paper and stretch a little further if needed.
- Top with desired toppings. (See post for topping ideas)
- Gently place the dough while still on the parchment paper on the hot pizza stone. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 500 F.
- Remove from the oven a proceed to make the rest of the pizzas.
Pizza Topping Tips and Ideas
Don’t over do it on the sauce, too much sauce makes for a soggy crust
Sauces
- Tomatoes
- Pesto
- BBQ
- Olive Oil with Crushed Garlic
Toppings
- Raw or Organic Monzzarella Cheese
- Nitrate-free Pepperoni (Apple Gate Farms)
- Italian Sausage
- Ground Beef
- Chicken
- Sliced White Onions
- Bell Peppers
- Olives
- Crushed Garlic
- Jalapenos
Making Pizza a Breeze
- Make extra dough and stick it in the freezer after you have added the yeast and salt.
- Grate cheese and keep in the fridge or freezer
- Keep your favorite meat toppings like sausage pre-cooked in plastic zipper bags in the right amount for your pizza.
- The morning before you want to make pizza pull the dough and toppings out of the freezer. Leave the dough on the counter to thaw and rise and put the toppings in the fridge.
Thank you so much for the recipe and inspiration!
I feel like I’m missing something between steps 5 and 6. How long should it rise once you take it out of the fridge? One commenter mentioned the second rise – am I missing that in the instructions?
I only used 8 cups of flour and did find my dough to be dense and dry after soaking – was there supposed to be yogurt along with the water, or do I wake the yeast up in some water?
Thanks!
I am so sorry! Yes, I left that out. It should come out of the fridge two hours before you are ready to bake. There no second rise, unless you count that time. The point of taking the dough out ahead of time is to allow it to come to room temperature. If it seems dry you can add a bit of water. Did you use freshly ground flour or store bought? I will adjust the recipe to have you start with less flour. Freshly ground, like I used is less dense. I hope that helps!
I was really looking forward to trying this recipe, but I seem to be missing something. I don’t see the dough recipe in the post! Based on the other comments, I’m sure it has been there–others have clearly tried it.
I’m sorry, I will go in and see what is wrong!
GREAT idea with the parchment paper!!
Made this today and it’s been so long since I’ve baked I’d forgotten I had to dissolved my active yeast in water first. Crust was so dense 🙁
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out well! 🙁
Would you have any suggestions for freezing some dough so that a pizza could be pulled together on shorter notice? Could I freeze it after the second rise?
I am so sorry I didn’t see this! I have never tried that before. I think it would turn out more flat. I’m curious since I was so late in seeing this what you discovered?
I am making some of this dough RIGHT NOW. I’ve been on the lookout for a good pizza dough and I’m excited to see how this one turns out!