Eating for Two: Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust
Last week came the moment I’ve been anxiously anticipating for a while now: my obstetrician told me I’ve started gaining weight a little too quickly. My long walks and yoga are no match for the amount of dessert I’ve been eating and bread I’ve been baking, and I had to sit there feeling foolishly self-indulgent while she advised me to cut back on carbs and focus on lean protein and vegetables. Which I have been—I’ve just been following the fish and broccoli up with ice cream, cookies, or thick slabs of bread and butter.
At least it’s an exciting time of year to start ramping up vegetable consumption. I remembered Patricia Wells’s whole-wheat pizza crust and resolved to bring it back into the rotation, topped with whatever I bring home from the Greenmarket and can’t figure out how to use. This is a thin, delicate crust: it doesn’t do well with pools of tomato sauce and gobs of cheese but is a nice match for sautéed vegetables with just a sprinkling of cheese, or herbs, or tomato rounds, when those come along. Since my usual crust uses 3 or 4 cups of flour to make the same amount of pizza, I don't feel so bad about the cup and a half of flour called for here.
About the author: Robin Bellinger recently escaped a career in book publishing, which was cutting into her cooking time. Now she's a freelance editor and can bake bread on Tuesday afternoon if she feels like it. She lives in Midtown Manhattan with her husband and blogs about cooking and crafting at home*economics.
Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust
- makes two 12-inch pizzas -
Adapted from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells.
Ingredients
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose or bread flour
1 envelope (2.25 teaspoons) quick-rising yeast
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Procedure
1. Put pizza stone on bottom rack. Preheat to 500°F.
2. Combine dry ingredients in food processor and pulse to mix. Combine water and oil in a measuring cup. With motor running, gradually add enough of the warm liquid until the mixture forms a ball. The dough should be soft. If it is dry, add 1-2 tablespoons more liquid and process to form a ball. If it is sticky, add 1 to 2 tablepoons of flour and process to form a ball.
3. Knead by hand for 1 minute. Cover with cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. (Or keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days; punch it down as it doubles or triples.) Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a ball. On a generously floured work surface, roll each portion of the dough into a 12 inch round.
4. Top and bake about 10 minutes.
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4 Comments:
I've tried this crust and it is incredibly tasty. I love the sweet notes it lends the pizza and the toothiness it delivers. As the summer season unfolds and the grill is rolled out to its permanent place in the yard for the next several months, I would venture to say that this crust would also be delicious grilled.
eddybles at 1:20PM on 06/03/08
Ah...lovely. Much as I worship the coal-fired oven, there's something homey about the homemade pizza crust, and I'm dying for some comfort food right now. I'll have to give this one a try. The look of the recipe reminds me of my mom's crusts.
missginsu at 4:10PM on 06/04/08
Sugar and olive oil ? This is certainly not the best whole wheat pizza recipe. This is how I would do it.
Sponge:
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
Let it ferment for around 3.5 hours
Dough (Stage 1):
250 gms whole wheat flour
250 gms all-purpose flour
325 gms water
Autolyse (mix and let rest) for 30 mins
Dough (Stage 2):
Sponge
Dough
1 tsp salt
Knead in mixer for 3 minutes. This short knead doesn't allow the oxygen to bleach the flour and destroy the natural fats in the flour. Let it relax for 10 minutes, then place in the fridge in a covered bowl overnight. Make sure that the dough is folded (not punched) during the cold rise period. This adds more strength as the gluten is further stretched.
Dough (Stage 3)
Take out the dough from the fridge, then shape into balls. Let it proof in a moist draft free area for around 2 hours. You could use the microwave with a bowl of boiling water.
Shape:
Using well floured fingers on a well floured surface, slowly flatten the ball press with fingers and palm and stretch until you get to around 1/4 inch thickness. Add toppings.
Bake:
Make sure you are using a pizza stone, otherise you will end up with a frisbee shaped blanket. Preheat the oven and stone to the highest temperature possible in your home oven. Depending on the oven it could take anywhere between 3 minutes and 7 minutes. You could judge from the charred blisters on the top. Happy slicing.
Q80 BurgerBelly at 9:24AM on 06/06/08
@Q80 BurgerBelly- I like your style much better than the mundane recipe that is featured. My only suggestion would be to use King Arthur white whole wheat flour, less of that bitter whole wheat taste.
dmcavanagh at 11:16PM on 01/18/09