No-Fail Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

I have recently been trying to master homemade pizza.   The crust is the hardest part.  I've tried several recipes, but they always seem to come out too "bread-y" and kind of flimsy.  Then I discovered Lauren's Fail Proof Pizza Dough over on Lauren's Latest.   She includes some great tips for making a restaurant quality pizza crust.  One of her tips is to use bread flour.  I did not use bread flour (I plan to one of these days to see the difference), but the end result was still great.  Another one of her tips is to knead, knead, knead the dough.  Of course, she used a stand mixer to do this, while I used my hands!  It was hard work, but I kneaded for the recommended six minutes, and it paid off!

BBQ Chicken Pizza on No-Fail Pizza Crust

The only change I made in the ingredients of this recipe was to replace the bread flour with two cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour.  I was very excited with the results.  The crust came out chewy and crispy- just the way I like it!



No-Fail Pizza Crust
(adapted slightly from Lauren's Latest)

1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour (give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity)

Begin by stirring the yeast and honey into the warm (not hot) water.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it begins to foam.  Then add the salt, oil, and half of the flour.  Once the flour is incorporated, add more flour bit by bit until the consistency of the dough is tacky to the touch, but does not stick to your fingers.

Now begins the 6 minute kneading process.  When six minutes has passed, the dough should be smooth and the bowl will be clean. Lightly grease the bowl and dough and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rise for 1-2 hours.  You are now ready to create your pizza.  Makes two 12-inch pizza crusts.