For dough
3 1/2 Cups Whole wheat flour (I used king Arthur Brand)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil (EVOO works best)
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water room temperature
For the sauce
5-6 large red tomatoes, blanched
1 tbsp oil
1/2 shallot
5-6 large garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped parsley/cilantro
Toppings
1 1/2 -2 cups Pizza cheese blend
veggies of your choice-onion,bell pepper,spinach,tomatoes,olives
2-3 large basil leaves (optional)
What you need to do
For the Dough
- In a glass bowl add 1/4 cup of water and microwave for 10 sec.
- Add sugar and yeast ,mix well and set aside for 10 mins.
- In a large bowl mix whole wheat flour and salt.
- After 10 mins,the yeast will turn frothy,now make a well in the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture.
- Microwave the remaining 1 1/4 cup water for 10 sec and use it as necessary to form the mixture in a dough.
- Smear the top of the dough with oil and knead it for 10-12 mins until it turns into a smooth non sticky dough.
- Place it in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel.Set aside till it doubles,about 1 1/2-2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and divide it in 2 parts.Roll each part of the dough as thin as possible to the desired shape.Place it on a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet and set aside for 45 mins.
For the sauce
- Remove the skin of the blanched tomatoes and puree it.
- Heat oil in a saucepan,when hot add in the chopped shallot and saute till its color changes.
- Add the minced garlic and let it cook for 3-4 mins.
- add the puree,salt,seasoning,paprika & pepper and let the mixture come to a boil.Now reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer till the sauce thickens.Turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro/parsley.Let the sauce cool.
Assembling the pizza
- Preheat the oven to 500 deg F for 10 mins.Lightly coat the roll dough with oil spray and bake for 4-5 mins.
- Spread the sauce evenly on the baked dough,leaving 1 inch off the edge.Don't add too much sauce or else the dough will turn soggy.
- Spread the veggies uniformly on the sauce.Now spread the cheese all over the veggies.
- I usually bake my pizza such that 1/2 portion of it includes veggies and cheese while the other half is just basil and cheese.My kid enjoys the cheese pizza while we grab our share of veggie pizza.
- Reduce the oven temp to 425 deg F and bake the pizza for 12-15 mins until the top is bubbly and light golden.
- Whe
