Free Recipe Friday - Homemade Pizza with Whole Wheat & Multi-Grain Crust

We have started a new tradition in our house.  We have declared Friday night homemade pizza and movie night.  We make the pizza together and everyone gets to pick their own toppings. This allows for some healthier choices than store bought pizza and homemade is a better choice for the budget.  

Whole Wheat and Multi-Grain Pizza Dough

1 teaspoon honey

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups multi-grain flour

 

In a large bowl or in the bowl of your heavy duty mixer, dissolve the honey in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and the multi-grain flour until dough starts to come together. If you don't have a large mixer, tip dough out onto a surface floured with more multi-grain flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. If you have a mixer put in your dough hook and knead on speed 2 for 9-10 minutes.  Once finished place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crusts, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball(s). Let rise for another 45 minutes, until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Mine stretches to cover an oiled cookie sheet.  I am able to make two large cookie baking sheet pizzas out of this recipe. 

I pre-bake my crusts for about 5 minutes before I put any pizza sauce or toppings on it.

Once you have your pizzas dressed as you would like them Bake for 10 minutes ( for 2 thin pizzas or 15 minutes (for 1 thick crust) in the preheated oven, or until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Note:  We have been trying to cut the salt and sugar in our diet and so I make the following homemade pizza sauce.

Healthy Pizza Sauce

1 can of Tomato Paste (5.5 fl oz with no salt added)
2 teaspoons of minced dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (great source of Omega-3)
1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese

approx 1/8 - 1/4 cup warm water (you add until desired consistency for sauce)

In a bowl add all ingredients except water.  Mix well.  Then add water until you reach your desired consistency.  We like ours a bit thick but this recipe makes enough pizza sauce for our two baking sheet size pizza crusts from above.

Note #2:  Since we have been trying to make healthy changes to our diet.  I have been cutting up fresh baby spinach and putting it on top of the sauce BEFORE I put the cheese on.  The kids have not complained yet!  They get to choose what they would like on their pizza but I intentionally put out more veggies than meat and I have only been offering ham the last couple of weeks.  Every little bit helps!  Enjoy!