Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Simple and Quick Whole Wheat Pizza

The first time I made pizza from scratch including the crust was a long time back. In those halcyon college days when everything seemed adventurous and lack of ingredients or the long process involved did not faze me or my cousin who used to hang out with me and who joined me in my kitchen adventures.The first step in making the pizza involved a trip to various stores around our block armed with a long list of ingredients that included basics such as all purpose flour, yeast and marinara sauce, since all of these items were completely absent from my pantry in those days. My oven at that time was a tiny space ship shaped portable oven that had a small circular glass on the top that we would keep looking into to see how the baking was proceeding. Maybe it was beginners luck or maybe it was because we followed the recipe to the letter but our first attempt at pizza itself was a wonderful success.We thoroughly enjoyed both making and having it :-)

Wheat Pizza photo 
ba831b14-c807-4546-8268-38b92be0d413_zps83cf4744.jpg

After that one time of making pizza from scratch, pizza has always meant either dine in or to go, until recently when I started making my own pizza base again.  After several attempts and experiments with varying  different quantities of flours, I now have a version that has become my go to version for whole wheat pizza.
Updated to add: I have now included bread machine instructions at the bottom of the recipe

Simple wheat pizza photo e95e4318-5c8e-4c60-a194-7246763dfec5_zps3bf9c6be.jpg

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

For the crust.
2 and 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
3/4 cup all purpose flour (maida) (see notes)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten flour (optional, see notes)
2 heaped tbsp cornmeal (makkai ka atta)
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
a little extra cornmeal for dusting.

For the toppings
Marinara sauce as required
choice of toppings (about 1 cup per pizza) (I have used any combination of onions, bell pepper (capsicum), mushrooms, jalapenos and pineapples during my various tries with this pizza and liked all versions)
Shredded Cheese as per choice
For cheese I tried a new type of grated cheese available in the grocery called pizza blend cheese which was a mixture of mozarella and cheddar, but you can use mozzarella cheese that is usually used in pizza too.
a little olive oil to apply on top (optional)
serve with a little crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Dissolve yeast + sugar in warm water and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly frothy

In a large bowl mix together all the flours, salt and Italian seasoning

Add water with yeast and olive oil to the flour mixture and knead. Knead for a few minutes, apply a tsp of olive oil to it and keep aside in a warm place to rise for about an hour. (I placed it in my oven with the oven light on so that it would provide some warmth)

After the dough doubles, flatten it a little and divide into two or three balls. Let the divided dough rise again for about an hour.

Pre heat oven to 425 deg F. Roll one of the balls of dough into a thin crust or regular crust with a help of a little cornmeal if required.If you are adventurous you could try tossing the dough to stretch it or use your fists to stretch and shape the dough too, I just rolled it out normally this time :-)

Once rolled out, brush on a little olive oil on top, then spread marinara sauce as required.

Add cheese as required, then toppings as per choice.
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Bake in the oven for about 20 mins to 25 mins depending on thickness until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted and slightly golden on the top. Sprinkle a few crushed red pepper flakes on top (optional) and enjoy the pizza while still hot.

If not using all the dough refrigerate the balance dough for a day or two and remove and use as required.

Yield will depend on thickness and size of crust. (I have gotten about 3 personal sized pizzas with this quantity or one extra large pizza base depending on how I rolled it out )

Notes: I have made this with all whole wheat flour too in the past, but find that a combination of whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and vital wheat gluten gives me the best results. If you get whole wheat bread flour that would be a good choice to use for this base, and you can skip the vital wheat gluten flour. Also you can reduce the all purpose flour to 1/2 cup and increase the quantity of whole wheat flour by the same quantity.

Bread machine instructions
Place all the ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order specified in the manual. Mine specifies, liquids first, then dry ingredients and lastly yeast. I used 1 tbsp bread machine yeast, and skipped the italian seasoning entirely. Set the bread machine to dough cycle, when completed, remove and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

37 comments :

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

wow looks very colorful and inviting Usha. it is healthy too! good recipe.

Unknown said...

Hi Usha, thank you so much for your nice comments:) I loved what you have made here, wow what a nice rich pizza! Homemade Pizza is something I always wonder when I would get it right because I have never made a successful one:(

Laavanya said...

The cheese on top has browned beautifully.. yummy pizza.

anudivya said...

Yeah, I don't miss the A.P flour when I make them too... all the goodness from whole wheat makes it all the more appetizing.
Looks delicious Usha.

CurryLeaf said...

Looks lovely.I sometimes make the dough or use the crust mix available.Whole wheat is very healthy

Cynthia said...

You know I have been meaning to make pizza for a while now, the thing is that I am not a pizza lover :)

Yours looks outstanding.

karuna said...

pasta looks good

raaji said...

homemade pizza is sth i would like to try....bu am not sure how well it will turn out for me......the baked pic is so tempting....

Unknown said...

Usha u made this with atta,I am sure it must be tasting good, Sometimes I do this with left over rotis,I am sure doing with yeast must be delectable.

Archy said...

Wow, Pizza looks so yum !! Shall try his.. Nice one Usha !!

Zesty Cook said...

Great looking Pizza. The crust looks amazing

zesty

Cham said...

Pizza with whole wheat crust is great way to eat the cheesy stuff :) Looks so gooey and yummy

aTxVegn said...

Good for you - it looks wonderful!

Bharti said...

Wonderful guilt free delicious pizzas!
It's the best. I've been making a whole wheat ones at home as well and I don't think I'll be ordering in or heating up frozen ones any more.

Unknown said...

looks delicious..i loved the cheese combo you have used..that has imparted a great colour...

Anonymous said...

I have not tried making pizza from scratch. You make it sound like its easy to do! I just might try it! :)

Sukanya Yogesh said...

Using wheat makes it healthier. The pizza looks yummy.

Unknown said...

wow.. looks delicious.. yummy..

Finla said...

Wow just delicious. You call this simàple i would called it super delicious cheezey pizza :-)

Jaishree Iyer said...

Great looking Pizza..Nice one usha:)

miss v said...

this looks gorgeous! and tasty!

Unknown said...

You are right! I have baked pizza from a scratch too but the moment you say pizza the first thing I think of is ordering in

Andhra Flavors said...

health pizza! Collect your award from my blog.

Chandani said...

my favorite dish in the whole wide world!!:) looks so yummy!!!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Awesome pizza now you are tempting me to make pizzaz...

Purva Desai said...

This seems to be really healthy version. Pizza made from whole wheat it looks tempting and chessyyyyyyy

Vikis Kitchen said...

Healthy and yummy pizza recipe Usha. Its a must try one and book marked it dear.

Vibaas said...

Nice recipe usha :)

Have something for you here - http://vibaas-world.blogspot.com/2008/11/wow-is-all-i-can-say.html

Dibs said...

Home made pizza? Wow! Usha - Had a heavy rain at my blog, and wanted to send some showers your way! make sure you get an umberella ;-)

AJ said...

Hi Usha,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you there again soon :) Love this recipe!!

Apu

Sum Raj said...

looks awesome dear..

Chhaya said...

Hi Usha ! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your kind words ..I am so glad that I discovered your place :-) Your recipe collection is really nice and just a quick glance has already shown me quite a few recipes that I want to try ! Whole wheat pizza looks delicious !!!

Malar Gandhi said...

Oh no don't do this to me....its breath taking, tempting...awesome click. Color....I love it!

Recipeswap said...

This is an awesome base....looks so goooood

Gita Jaishankar said...

The pizza looks very colorful. I have never topped pizza with cheddar. Should try your version :)

Unknown said...

Looks healthy and scrumptious!

Padma said...

Thats a healthy pizza.... looks lovely

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