Wholewheat Pizza Base | How to make Wholewheat Pizza Base

You like pizza, I know you do! It’s Friday night…you’re watching your favourite rom-com, you scarf down 5 slices of Pizza without pausing for a breath….and then the DOUGH hits you! Hits you hard 😶😶😶 it’s super chewy, hard and weighs you down. Not the best note to start your weekend on, right!?

We are all the same, I am just like you…love to have pizzas…watch movie marathons and hate getting off my couch on weekends! But not at the cost of feeling weighed down and missing the next two meals or so. Hence, my Wholewheat Pizza Base is perfect for satisfying all those pizza cravings in a healthy way 🤗

They are extremely light, crisp on the outside, moist within and taste way better than the all purpose flour ones. And the toppings…well that’s a whole other topic! Play! Yes, simply play with the toppings…veg..non-veg..greens or just plain cheese and herbs! They all work well with this Wholewheat Pizza Base. Although, if you still feel good about a APF pizza base, click here for a detailed, step by step recipe. Also, learn to make your own homemade pizza sauce, absolutely lip smacking and the quickest recipe ever!

A few things to keep in mind when making your own Wholewheat Pizza Base..

1. Yeast – I have used Active Dry yeast. Keep in mind the manufacturing date and the expiration date. Mine is manufactured in June’16 and expires in February ’17. So that’s the window..but I won’t be using this packet after December ’16. The effectiveness of the yeast diminishes with time. So work according to the dates.

2. Wholewheat Flour – I have used Aashirwaad Select flour here. Also, I didn’t seive the flour before kneading the dough. Just measured it correctly by first fluffing the flour, then adding spoonfuls of the flour into the measuring cup and then levelling it off with a palette knife. This is very crucial, so be measure it right!

3. Hydration – Wholewheat flour based breads need slightly more hydration as opposed to the APF ones. I used olive oil and water to hydrate the dough. (You can use regular refined oil too).

Let’s get baking!

Yield: 4-5 pizza bases depending on the size and the thickness. (I made 5 bases of approximately 7″ diameter).

Equipment: a baking tray, measuring cups/ spoons, rolling board, rolling pin, a large mixing bowl, a small mixing bowl, cooling rack, a fork.

Ingredients:

2.5 cups wholewheat flour + some extra flour to dust the board while rolling the dough

125 ml warm water (you should be able to comfortably hold your finger in the water)

25-30 ml water @r.t.

3 tsp sugar

3 tsp active dry yeast

4 tbsp olive oil + 2 tsp extra to grease the dough

1.5 tsp sea salt

Method:

Activate the yeast – take 125 ml warm water and add the sugar & yeast. Mix well. Cover and set aside for 10 mins without disturbing it, to let the yeast bloom. If it doesn’t bloom, discard & start again. Don’t compromise this step.

To make the dough – take the flour in a bowl, add salt and oil. Next add all the bloomed yeast mixture in one go. Start mixing them altogether using your fingers. At first the dough will be sticky but it will come together with 3-5 mins of kneading. Add 25 ml of water and keep kneading until you have a smooth dough. The more you knead, the better the dough shall rise! Grease the dough with 2 tsp oil and knead again for a 2-3 mins. Totally, you need to knead for about 15-20 mins. Cover with a kitchen towel and place it in a warm place for 45-60 mins to rise.

After 45 mins, this is what the dough looked like post the first rise. 

Now, we punch the dough down and divide it into equals sized balls. Cover them again and let them rest for 30 mins for the second rise. The third picture below shows the size of the dough balls post the second rise.

Preheat the oven for 10 mins at 200’c.

Now, dust the rolling board and the pin with some wholewheat flour and roll out the balls into a flatbread of about 3mm thickness and the diameter of about 6″-7″. Prick them well with fork as shown below.

Place the rolled dough on the baking tray and bake for 12-15 mins using both, upper & lower heating elements at 200’c to 210’c. (Please note every oven works differently so keep an eye on the pizza base, once it turns golden on the top side, take it out of the oven).

Once baked, cool the base on a cooling rack for 10 mins. Then apply pizza sauce & add other toppings and cheese and bake for another 10 mins or until the cheese melts. Enjoy!

If storing for future use, cool them completely, wrap them in cling wrap and refrigerate. Stays fresh for 2-3 days under refrigeration.

Do try these out soon…you’ll love them!

Love,

Shreya💖

Rustic Pizza Pinwheels

Everyone loves Pizzas! It’s true…I haven’t ever come across anyone who doesn’t 😉 I can have it everyday! It’s the oozing cheese along with a tangy pizza sauce that really makes all the difference for me….and not to forget…a really good pizza base 😊

Yes…nothing tastes worst than a chewy, rubbery pizza base…no matter how good your sauce or toppings are!! The base or the crust, must have the perfect balance of flavour, airiness & should be light! That is obviously achieved by using yeast in the right proportion & proving the dough with great care. And I have finally perfected the recipe for a perfect pizza base! Learnt the trick from A Spicy Perspective! A few trials & errors have taught me something very important – proportion. It’s the key to getting perfect results! I was so driven to perfect it…that I finally bought a proper kitchen weighing scale too 😬 ….something that I had been putting off for almost an year!

The results are for you to see! A perfect crust with soft, pillowy texture within… I have used this recipe almost thrice now & I am happy each time! So I thought of making something which was lying in my Pinterest folders for the longest time ever! Pizza Pinwheels! I did my take on it and made a bit Rustic..! Hence, Rustic Pizza Pinwheels!

The recipe for the base is adapted from Nita Mehta’s cookbook with a slight change in the ingredients & proportions as well. I did watch many YouTube videos to understand the kneading bit over the last few months!! 😀 So, to make the Pinwheels happen, I followed the recipe for the base & then worked on it with some sauce & fillings of my choice! Pizzas can be so versatile…just play with the toppings…infinite options👌I like my pizza simple…you can easily alter them as per your preference…you can add non-veg fillings as well..or keep it simple with just the sauce & some cheese 😄 Let’s get started with the recipe….

️Yield: makes 8-9 large pinwheels

Equipment: 1 large mixing bowl, a small bowl, a fork, a rolling pin, a sharp knife, measuring cups/ spoons, baking tray, cooling rack.

Ingredients for the base:

2 cups plain flour (Maida/ APF, 1 cup is approx 130 grams)

some extra flour to dust

2+1/2 tsp dry active yeast (1 tsp is approx 3.5/ 4 grams)

2 + 1/4 tsp sugar

3/4 cup warm water (you should be able to dip your finger comfortably)

2 1/2 Tbsp oil + extra for greasing

1 tsp sea salt (use regular salt if you don’t have sea salt)

Ingredients for the filling:

1/2 cup pizza sauce ( I used readymade)

1/4 cup eggless mayonnaise

1/2 tbsp garlic powder (optional)

1 tbsp mixed Italian herbs

sea salt to taste (use regular salt if you don’t have sea salt)

4-5 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese

4-5 tbsp chopped veggies of your choice (I used capsicum & sweet corn)

Method for the base:

Take warm water in a bowl, add the sugar and yeast to it. Cover it and leave to prove & froth for 10 mins in a warm place. Next, in a large mixing bowl, add the flour, 2 1/2 tbsp oil, salt to taste. Now add the entire proved yeast mixture & using a fork mix everything together to make a sticky dough. It will be very sticky but should not be falling apart at all. Now, sprinkle some flour on a work surface, and drop the dough on it,sprinkle some more flour over the dough. Using your palms, start kneading the dough well. Add more flour if the dough feels too sticky or some water if it feels very dry. Keep kneading well for 10 mins. You will have a neat, non-sticky ball of dough. Knead it for a couple of mins more. It should all look like this.

Now, grease the mixing bowl which you have kept aside & place the dough in it, cover with a lid or cling film & set aside in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours to prove. It should be double or more than double in size after proving. It will look like this.

In the meanwhile, pre-heat the oven at 210’C.

Now, punch down the dough, and knead for a min. Then again sprinkle some flour on the work surface & using a rolling pin, roll the dough in a rectangular shape. The thickness should be about 6-7 mm. Dust it with some flour again. Now leaving an inch space on all four sides, spread some pizza sauce, top it with mayonnaise, then the garlic pwd, Italian herbs, salt, grated cheese & some veggies of your choice. Flatten them out carefully. And start rolling from one end, carefully so that the dough doesn’t tear or the filling shouldn’t spill out. Seal the edges by pinching them together. Next, using a sharp knife, cut pinwheels of about 1 1/2″ thickness. Make sure the fillings don’t spill. Grease your baking tray with some oil. Place these pinwheels carefully a little apart from one another.

Bake these for 25 mins @ 210′ C using both upper and lower heating rods. If you see that they are turning too dark, lower the temperature as each oven is different. Once done, remove from the oven & cool for 5 mins on a cooling rack. Serve them warm with any dip/ sauce of your choice! My hubby & I dipped it in some garlic butter…it was pure heaven! 😇

Totally drool-worthy, aren’t they?!!! 😛 These were yummy…..do try soon! They are a great option to serve at kids parties, or as starters…even alongside your favourite soup! 👌😁

Love,

Shreya 💗