White Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

If you asked me what my favorite thing to make was, I'd have to say - pizza. Hands down. Pizza can be pretty versatile, and there is always room for experimenting. It's quick, easy, fun and a great way to get rid of the random veg-stash in your refrigerator. Be it solo, a meal-for-two, or for a crowd, you can count on a homemade pizza to please. Growing up, I have fond memories of making pizza with my mom. I remember the way the Boboli pre-made crusts smelled and loving to spoon on just the right amount of marinara and topping it off with motz and meat-free pepperonis. Growing up was good in the Gaudet house. Then, as the years progressed, so did the family's pizza-making-methods. I remember visiting my aunt and uncle in their darling Greenlake home in Seattle during my middle school years and seeing those heaping plates of assorted homemade pizzas with homemade crusts and knowing that it was truly, love at first sight. Then came the bite - I was hooked. We all were. With tweaks of her own, my mother's pizza became my very favorite nibble, as well as the continuously requested birthday-dinner special.

Now, out on my own, and naturally, with my own twist, homemade pizza has made itself comfortable under our 'Favorites' list, as we make sure to have it at least a few times a month. After seeing Trader Joe's offering ready-to-go pizza dough at $1.99 a pop, I got pretty comfortable just taking credit for my toppings. That was until last night - I had forgot what I was missing out on by not making the dough my own! And how simple it was at that. I woke up, went straight to the kitchen and took 10 minutes to mix the couple of ingredients/roll everything out, and enjoy my morning tea, all at the same time. Threw it in the refrigerator, and let it do it's "thing" while we enjoyed our Saturday. Come nightfall - it was time, and now, I really couldn't go back. Hooked, once again.

Thanks again, to 101 Cookbooks, I've fallen in love with a remix of Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza Dough. Rolled extra-thin it lends the perfect crunch, a drool-worthy flavor and a beautiful, rustic presentation. I'm personally a big fan of keeping my pizza simple - an olive oil base, little or no cheese, and a good spread of veg. Last night's olive oil based, herd-infused pizza was adorned with roma tomatoes, red onions, roasted corn, red kale, green onions, roasted peppers and a crumbling of goat cheese. I prefer a stronger cheese like feta, goat, blue or a nice parm, because you just need the smallest bit to make a statement.


White Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Yields six 6-0unce pizza crusts, or 2 full-cookie sheet sized crusts

Ingredients

- 4 1/2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
- a few tablespoons chopped herbs (optional)
- Cornmeal for dusting

Tools

- Electric mixer with dough hook, or Cuisinart with dough blade (however, I'm convinced that you can knead this all by hand)
- Cookie sheet of baking/pizza stone

Preheat oven to 450* F.

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer.By hand stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Add the herbs. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl (I just threw mine in my Cuisinart for a couple of minutes). Add a touch of water or flour to reach the desired effect (if needed). The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky.

Transfer the dough to a floured counter top. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (for single servings) or in half for two normal-sized pizzas. Mold each into a ball. Rub each ball with olive oil and slip into plastic sandwich bags. Refrigerator overnight.

Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal and get ready to shape your pizza dough. Uncover or unwrap the dough balls and dust them with flour. Working one at a time, gently press a dough round into a disk wide enough that you can bring it up onto your knuckles to thin out - you should be able to pull each round out to 12-inches or so. If the dough is being fussy and keeps springing back, let it rest for another 15-20 minutes. Place the pulled-out dough on the prepared sheet pan, and jerk the pan to make sure the dough will move around on the cornmeal ball-bearings (you don't want it to stick to the pan). Add your toppings (less is more!) and slide the topped pizza into the oven. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored.

Add your toppings (less is more!) and slide the topped pizza into the oven. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored. Enjoy with a nice tossed salad or side of soup as a great, light meal!