Okay, I can’t take credit for this dough. It’s a Pioneer Woman recipe (go figure!) tweaked by me to be, of course, whole wheat. I’ve had a lot of people ask for pizza dough directions lately, though…so here it goes.
Start by dissolving 1 teaspoon of yeast in 1 1/2 cups of warm water and allow the yeast to proof while you prep the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl (I use the bowl of my KitchenAid) combine 4 cups of flour (of course I use white whole wheat!) and 1 teaspoon of salt, then pour in 1/3 cup olive oil and stir to combine.
Pour the yeast and water mixture into the flour and stir until a ball forms. If you use whole wheat flour, you may need to add just a little bit more water. Once the dough forms a ball, cover it and allow to rise for an hour or two.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead briefly just to firm it up a little bit. Cut it in half (this recipe makes 2 pizzas-but I often half the recipe or use half and freeze the rest).
Now, shape the dough. I start by pressing the dough out into a circle (sometimes I use a rolling pin) then I pick it up and turn it around and around so that it starts to stretch…then I lay it out over an oiled metal pizza pan and stretch it some more (I want to get a job at an authentic pizza shop so I can learn to toss dough!). I like my pizzas super thin, so I really strrrreeeeettttttch it. You don’t have to do that it you don’t want to (duh). Sometimes holes break in my dough, so I just pinch off a little of the edge and fill in the hole.
Turn the dough out onto the pan you will be using to bake (of course, I use my Pampered Chef pizza stone, preheated to 450 degrees). Top as desired and bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until desired color is reached.
I’ll be posting some pizza recipes including toppings soon!
Hey Mary Nelle! Do you use instant yeast in this recipe? If not, do you need to change anything if that is all you have?
Yes, I use instant yeast!
I very much enjoy homemade dough, very good recipe! I think some people might be repelled by the idea of making their own dough because of the time and effort involved, but in my experience it’s always worth it.