Pizza - it's more than a phone call...

I know, I know - the beauty of pizza is the fact that you dial a number on a crazy, hectic, busy day and some cutie little high school kid arrives thirty minutes later with a hot pie for ya'.  I get it, and I promise, we do that plenty!

But sometimes I want my own pizza, a pizza that I have made from start to finish.  So this past weekend I had the weeone and the teacups (two friends) all day on Saturday.  We decided the best way to end the day was homemade pizzas!  Sort of a "build your own pizza night".  Everyone gets what they want - a rare occurance in this house.

I decided that afternoon to go ahead and make a double batch of Whole Wheat Pizza dough.  It's a recipe that I think originated with Eating Well Magazine, but was then tweaked by Joe at Culinary in the Desert.  It's my go-to pizza crust now.  It's somewhat healthy (or at least that's what I tell myself) so then I don't feel so badly about all the cheese I'm about to put on top of it!

You start off with a cup each of Whole Wheat Flour and All-Purpose Flour.  Now, I'm a King Arthur Flour lover.  I don't know why...well, yes I do - because my friends who love to bake swear by it.  You can get it in most major grocery stores, but you can also order it online.  In with the flour go salt, yeast and a smidgen of sugar.

Then you turn on the food processor and add 3/4 cup warm water and a tablespoon of olive oil slowly while the processor forms the dough into a nice ball.  Once it's in a ball, continue to run the food processor for about a minute to knead the dough for you.  (I'm lazy - why should I knead? ;D )

Once you have a good soft dough, you put it in a bowl covered in cooking spray, cover it with a damp towel and set it aside to rise.  It'll double in size and you'll get that great moment when you get to punch the dough and knock it back down to size.  You can relieve and stress from that day.

Your dough's now ready to be used for pizza, stromboli, cheesy bread, or whatever strikes your fancy!

We formed individual pizzas for the kiddos, one giant one for me and Laxplays and I let them top 'em till their hearts were content!

Wanna see the final products???

This one's topped with Roasted Veggies!  Yummy!

So the next time you're about to call Domino's or Pizza Hut or Double Dave's....remember there's another way to do pizza night!  The kids will love, love, love it!

*** The recipe for the dough doesn't provide baking instructions, but I usually stick the crust alone in at 350 for about 7 minutes, pull it out, top it and then bake until everything's melted and bubbly!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough 

(Adapted from Eating Well)

And Stolen from Joe's Blog

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine flours, yeast, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine warm water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise about an hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before rolling.

*If you want to knead by hand feel free - knead for about 10 minutes. As made, this recipe makes about 1 pound of dough.

If you would like to make about 12 ounces of dough, here is the ingredient list to follow - the directions to prepare the dough is the same.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (may need slightly more)
2 teaspoons olive oil