The husband is SICK of pizza, and honestly, I think I am too! I’ve been experimenting for months! But this last week I’ve really been trying to finalize the recipe. I promised it for too long and I wanted to finalize it.
Now, I have to be honest. I’ve NEVER worked with yeast before. I NEVER baked a bread and I had NO idea what I was doing when I started this adventure. So I would appreciate any feedback, good or bad.
That being said, I’ve learned a ton and I’ve overcome my fear of yeast. The whole proofing concept kind of scared me and the rising process seemed overly complicated. I hope that you’ll see you can get a good healthy crust without waiting 24 hours to set the dough. It is possible to make 'good for you' pizza dough in about 30 minutes.
Now when I say “good” I mean this dough isn’t your local pizza joint dough. It isn’t “bready” it’s thin, it get’s crunchy, and holds the toppings very well. It also passed the picky husband, the fickle toddler, the good friend and the teenager test! Yes, all of those taste testers have tried and enjoyed pizza made from this dough! My favorite part, the toddler and the teenager asked for seconds!!
So on to the dough! Now I am aware that the moisture/flour amounts may vary depending on the humidity and your elevation. These measurements worked for me multiple times. You’ll also notice I say you can use white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour and that you could add in soy flour. These are all options and what I’ve discovered is…
- Using all white whole-wheat flour will yield the most traditional style dough. It will be more elastic and rise more.
- Using all regular whole-wheat flour will still be elastic but will not rise as much at the white whole-wheat. Still great!
- Replacing/adding ¼ cup of the flour with soy flour will be even less elastic and even rise less but still come out delicious! Plus you have the added health benefit of the soy protein.
You will have to experiment with which one you like the best. (Can you tell I tried a TON of options – I won’t even get into my oat flour experiments! LOL)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup warm water (~120 degrees)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1 & ¼ cups (150g) whole-wheat flour or white whole wheat flour (separated)
- ¼ cup soy flour (28g) (optional)
- 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds (14g)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon cornmeal
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
Mix the water, honey and yeast, let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the flours it will get frothy. (Tip: the water should be about 120 degrees. I use tap water and my digital meat thermometer to know how hot it was. Just fill a cup with warm tap water and submerge the thermometer – worked like a charm!)
Mix ground flax seeds, 1 cup of the whole-wheat flour, soy flour (if using) and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the water mixture and mix using a wooden spoon until dough balls start to form. Then use hands to incorporate all the flour and form into a ball. (at this point you may have to ad a bit more water especially if you used soy flour)
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface using the remaining ¼ cup of flour. You may need it all you may not, just keep adding it while kneading if the dough is too sticky.
Knead for about 1-2 minutes.
Spray medium bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with a towel. Place the bowl of dough and a cup of hot tap water in the microwave (do not turn on, it’s just a nice warn place in there to rise). Let rise 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Spay a cookie sheet or pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with cornmeal.
Once dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll dough out thin.
Place on your preferred pizza pan. I used a pizza stone wrapped in aluminum foil (don’t ask). I sprayed with non-stick spray and sprinkled with corn meal. (I also experimented with a cookie sheet which yielded good results as well – just roll into an oblong sphere and then form in the cookie sheet)
Top with sauce and toppings and bake on the lowest rack in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
I topped mine with leftover Homemade Sauce, 4 oz of finely shredded cheese, tons of veggies (on half of course) and turkey pepperoni.
Note: Nutritional Information is for dough with soy flour (not including toppings).
📖 Recipe
Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup warm water ~120 degrees
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1 & ¼ cups 150g whole-wheat flour or white whole wheat flour (separated)
- ¼ cup soy flour 28g (optional)
- 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds 14g
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon cornmeal
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Mix the water, honey and yeast, let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the flours it will get frothy. (Tip: the water should be about 120 degrees. I use tap water and my digital meat thermometer to know how hot it was. Just fill a cup with warm tap water and submerge the thermometer – worked like a charm!)⅓ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 envelope active dry yeast, 1 & ¼ cups
- Mix ground flax seeds, 1 cup of the whole-wheat flour, soy flour (if using) and salt.¼ cup soy flour, 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Add the flour mixture to the water mixture and mix using a wooden spoon until dough balls start to form. Then use hands to incorporate all the flour and form into a ball. (at this point you may have to ad a bit more water especially if you used soy flour)
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface using the remaining ¼ cup of flour. You may need it all you may not, just keep adding it while kneading if the dough is too sticky.
- Knead for about 1-2 minutes.
- Spray medium bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with a towel. Place the bowl of dough and a cup of hot tap water in the microwave (do not turn on, it’s just a nice warn place in there to rise). Let rise 20-30 minutes.Non-stick cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Spay a cookie sheet or pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with cornmeal.½ tablespoon cornmeal
- Once dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll dough out thin.
- Place on your preferred pizza pan. I used a pizza stone wrapped in aluminum foil (don’t ask). I sprayed with non-stick spray and sprinkled with corn meal. (I also experimented with a cookie sheet which yielded good results as well – just roll into an oblong sphere and then form in the cookie sheet)
- Top with sauce and toppings and bake on the lowest rack in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Nelda
I see you use soy....Soy is so bad for human consumption. My Doctor told me to stop using it. He calls it Death by Soy....You can check on google.
roni
I actually don't use it anymore. This post is 5 years old. 🙂
Pete
We made this recipe on Friday night, and as a weight-watcher I am so pleased we found it! Now we can have slightly healthier pizzas!!
Thank you so much, it was delish!
Amy
This is excellent! Not too doughy or heavy, even with 100% organic whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand). I made it in the food processor, put the dough unrisen in an oiled bowl in the fridge, and assembled / made the pizza the next night. All that involved was pulling the dough out of the fridge an hour or so ahead, transferring it to a room temperature bowl and tucking it in the microwave with a lg cup of hot water. I rolled it out directly on the stone and that was easy too.
Next time I will probably prebake it as we like our crust crispier, but this one was awesome. We've been hooked on the Amy's Organic frozen pizza, and this is way better. Thanks!
Kristin
Wow. This is by far the best pizza crust I have ever tried... thank you! You have made my pizza making life much, much healthier & happier! It's like finding that perfect pair of jeans... I can relax now!
Lon
Made the dough- and Pizzas- for superbowl day. Both my wife and I loved the taste and texture. The Pizzas were great. Thanks again for the recipe. I even had another recipe for my soy flour! Yea
rollercoaster
I tried this recipe and it was so delicious! My dough didn't rise for some reason, going to try more water next time and see if that helps. The flavor was delicious! We also just tried Kashi pizzas and if I compare, the flavor in this dough is MUCH better than the Kashi pizzas. Thanks for doing all the legwork, Roni, and publishing such a delicious healthy pizza recipe!
Laurie Cameron
Thanks I look forward to trying this recipe tomorrow. I read the reviews & is excited to try. Thanks Laurie
Yummers
I made this last night and it was SO GOOD! I used 100% whole wheat. I made two of them and it was perfect for my homemade pesto and homemade tomato sauce. I will definitely be using this everytime I make pizza.
The only thing I did different to make it a little crispy-er was I popped just the crust before the toppings into the oven for ~10 mins. and then put toppings on and popped it in for another 10-15 mins. Definitely helped!
Erin
Hi! I tried your crust recipe and loved it! This was my first time ever baking something with yeast...Have you ever frozen the dough for future use?
Elle
I must say that this was AH-MAZING!!! I used all whole-wheat flour and it turned out great. I've been looking for a healthy pizza dough recipe and this is truly a keeper. It even passed the boyfriend taste test which is a feat in itself. So now for Pizza Friday's I will no longer order from the pizza joint down the road 🙂
Thank you so much for this little gem!
roni
Ok, that is one confusing question! LOL It's 1/4 of the pie pictured. So I guess it's all in how you slice it. Does that help?!?
Bethann
Is your half of the pizza two slices? Or are two slices half of the half you show pictured?
roni
Susie - The 1/4 cup of soy flour is 92 calories, 4g of fat and 2g of fiber.
And thanks for the yeast tip. For some reason I've been avoiding the package. I think out of fear or something! LOL
Susie
I fixed the pizza crust and made pizza for lunch yesterday! I really liked it! I love thin,crunchy crust!
Susie
Roni,
Do you know what the points or nutritional info is without the soy flour? I can't wait to try this recipe.
FYI: Saving money on Yeast:
I buy Fleishman's Instant yeast in the pound bags at Sam's Club (wholesale club). They come with two 1-lb. packages wrapped together for under $5.00. It is a HUGE savings on yeast as opposed to the traditional packets or jars in the grocery store. I think around 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 teaspoons equals one individual packet. I use a LOT of yeast as I make our family's bread. Once it's opened, store it in the fridge or freezer and it will last much longer.
Just my two cents! =)
Taja Kirkaldie
I tried your thin crust whole wheat pizza dough, and it was delicious!!! I mean really delicious and satisfying - my family actually prefers it to the pizza places in town. I used 3/4 wheat flour and 1/2 white flour and omitted the flax because I didn't have any on hand. I will use this recipe again and again!! Thank you!! I will try some of your other recipes in the future.
Jerry
This site is awesome! We recently found out my son(11) has high cholseterol but we love pizza(we are from St. Louis so thin crust is a staple around here). So I found your site while looking to make a bood whole wheat pizza crust and this recipe rocks. My wife and son loved it and we all have sworn off takeout pizza. I will be trying more of you recipes as soon as we can. Thanks for all of you effort.
Lynn
Just made this crust last night and it was fantastic! This recipe will be put into regular rotation! Thanks so much 🙂
roni
Diane - I grind them in one of those little upside down blenders. I also do them when they are frozen, not sure if that helps or not!
Glad you guys liked it (and the bread!)
Diane
Roni, I made this over the weekend too (it was a very rainy weekend here LOL). My question is regarding the flaxseed. My grocery store only had the seed and I tried to grind it with my food processor but that didn't work. Any ideas? I loved it, as did both the toddlers. DH said he didn't care for it and I suspect it has something to do with the whole flaxseed. Any ideas??
Meghan
I made this for lunch this past Friday and it turned out really well. I live in Florida and ended up having to use almost double the amount of water. It also didn't turn out overly crunchy like I was expecting based off previous comments here.
Last night I used it to make your Stromboli and it was soooo good! Even better left over today! Yum!!
Next time I want to try making a double batch and freezing...
Tracy
This is a great recipe. I've been making my own pizza dough for years (the white flour, doughy kind) and have been looking for a solid whole wheat recipe. I worked in an upscale Italian restaurant for years and perfected my dough with the help of the chef there...so I did make one little change to your recipe by adding olive oil. I was making a thin crust pizza with white flour but it was always a little dry in the middle, the chef insisted that I use olive oil (extra virgin or regular, both work) and it completely changed the crust. I know this ups the point value of this recipe, but at least it's a healthy point increase! I added 3 tbsp of oil, but you can add as little as 1...what this does is give it a little bit of chewy in the middle of the crunch.
It's a great recipe with or without the oil, once again I am in your debt for helping me "health" up my kitchen! I love the flavor of the whole wheat, makes going easy on the cheese easier. Thanks Roni!
Amanda
Finally got around to trying this recipe. It was a roaring success...despite my husbands original comment that I will not repeat about flax seed in pizza crust. I didn't use soy flour, but it really worked well. I got the coveted comment, "you can make this again" and both my boys ate it! Thanks for the recipe!
Valerie
I use my bread machine to make my pizza dough so I don't have to mess with the whole proofing/rising thing. I put it in there and forget it. I love making homemade pizza. It isn't nearly as quick as take out and doesnt taste as good as the local pizzeria but it is yummy. The kids love making their own pizzas.
French
Well it's official...I'm stalking Roni's recipes! I've now lost count of how many I've tried, and so far ALL have been "keepers". I can add this one as well. I think it's safe to say DH liked it since he ate 3/4 of the entire thing.
I used soy flour, but didn't increase the water until I realized I had a crumbly mixture that wasn't coming together all that well. I'm dough challenged to begin with. Mine also didn't seem to rise (and I did wait 25 minutes). However, after fighting with it for about 15 minutes (maybe it was really only 5...but it FELT like at least 10) I finally got it "rolled out". Now this recipe...or at least the way I made it, has a built-in, hidden bonus. You get to earn activity points!! I don't care what any of you say/think...I was sweating by the time I got mine rolled out big enough to actually use. So I'm counting those activity points!
I've never tried broccoli on my pizza before so that was a new addition and it will now go on all my pizzas. I added just a touch too much jalapeno to mine so next time I think I'll leave them out and just add after cooking if we are in the mood for them.
So Roni...once again I thank you for your awesome work. DH doesn't eat all that well on his own. In the past I've tried to make "healthy" meals, but they are usually bland and in my case had gotten repetitive. And the fact of the matter is, as a woman working full time, I got lazy and started making what was fast and easy. And most of the time, that does NOT equal healthy. I'm finding your recipes great for either prepping during the weekend and use during the week (spaghetti sauce), or they are quick enough to just got for it during the week. I really enjoyed watching DH eat that pizza crust tonight, knowing that he was eating a very low fat, healthy crust with 6 grams of fiber per serving!
O.k., I'm getting to the point of writing a novel here so I'll sign off. But once again, THANK YOU.
Jennie
Yes please let us know if you happen to come to San Diego 🙂
ronji
I cheat and usually make pizza dough in my bread maker...but I think I may give this a try. By the way you don't need to adopt me...but if you are ever in San Diego I will let you have your way in my awesome kitchen...and I will provide the groceries. I have a pool...and a spa...sound good?? 🙂 Keep it up Roni!!
Noelle Taylor
I should have clarified...white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour are both made from soft white wheat berries (accordking to Flour Power by Marleeta Basey).
I bake all my family's bread, too, using red wheat berries for our sandwich bread and pizza crust and rolls. But I use soft white berries for muffins, quick breads and biscuits. And I mill my own flour.
Rebecca it's so easy to make homemade breads without a lot of added fat. You should try it!
Melissa
I've made the pizza twice now, and I'm in love! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. You are awesome! I second Marta in asking will you adopt me. It's great to see that eating healthy does not have to be boring.
roni
SUZEEQ22 - Sorry I forgot you!! I think it will be ok, but I haven't tried it. Now I have frozen Trader Joe's dough and defrosted it without a problem. Not sure about mine though.
roni
Joy - No, not really. But the NI on the site is for just the crust, that way you can just add in your toppings. Hope that helps!
And Thanks for answering the yeast question!
Michele - I think so but I haven't tried it. It may get really crunchy. When I try I'll let you know.
Noell - WOW I didn't know that!! I have to look into it. And I agree with Rebbecca, Whole Wheat Pastry and White Whole Wheat are different (at least the brands I use). I believe Whole Wheat Pastry is just milled really REALLY fine.
Rebecca
Noelle and whoever else is wondering there is a difference between whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat. They are not the same. I can't give you the specifics I just know they are not They are similar but bake differently. I use the pastry flour for cookies and muffins and the white whole wheat for breads and such. I make Roni's whole wheat banana muffins with white whole wheat and love the results. I think that the pastry flour would not work as well for the pizza crust as the gluten would be less than the other flour.
My mom is an award winning bread baker when I walk into her house I turn into Pavlov's dog when I smell the yeast and fresh baked bread. I never had store bought bread growing up she always made all our own bread. But she does not make low fat options. Thanks for the crust recipe.
Noelle Taylor
Buying yeast in the jar is more economical, just keep it in your fridge and use it all by the date on the jar. And if you use instant yeast you can skip the proofing step.
And for Liza, white whole wheat flour is made from soft white wheat berries (not as much gluten) sometimes called whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat flour is made from hard red wheat berries. All wheat flour should be stored in the fridge or freezer because the wheat germ adds oil that can go rancid.
On my soapbox for a sec to say that commercial all purpose flour is milled the same way as commercial whole wheat flour. Then the wheat and bran is added back in later. There's no regulation as to how much is put back in either...just until it has nice brown flecks. :~) Unless you are milling your own wheat flour at home, you don't really know how "whole wheat" your flour really is.
liza
What do you mean by white whole wheat (does that mean the flour is made with white wheat kernals instead of the red wheat kernals) I'm confused -- sorry, please help because I want to make this. Nobody else seemed to question this. Where have I been? Thanks for working so hard on this recipe it looks so good. I love thin crust pizza it is tasty and lower in calories.
Christie
Yay! I'm SO excited that the dough recipe is finally here! AND I already have all the ingredients! Thanks to you and "the husband" for going through all those experiments for us!
Michele
YAY!!!! Thank you so much, Roni! I can't wait to try this! Do you think I could use this dough to make a calzone or stromboli?
marta
Will you please adopt me? That's all I got.
Joy
Nicole,
From a common brand available in my area:
http://www.redstaryeast.com/products.html
RED STAR® Active Dry Yeast is available in strips of three 1/4 -ounce packets and in 4-ounce jars. One 1/4 -ounce packet of active dry yeast is equal in activity to one 0.6-ounce cake of yeast. Three 1/4 -ounce packets are equal in activity to one 2-ounce cake of yeast. A 1/4 -ounce packet of active dry yeast contains approximately 2-1/2 teaspoons; the measurement will not be exact as yeast is packaged according to weight rather than volume. A packet of yeast is sufficient to raise 4 cups, approximately 1-pound, of flour.
So the short answer to your question is: it looks like packets (at least the ones I would use) contain 1/4 ounce by weight. And that is close to 2.5 teaspoons jarred (by volume). That is just shy of a tablespoon.
I hope that helps.
~ Joy
nicole
roni, that pizza looks awesome, just how i like it with a tonne of veggies! i was wondering, i bought yeast in the jar, not the envelope, so how much is equal to a package? is it around 1 tbsp (15ml)? does anyone know this? thanks, i can't wait to try it this weekend!
Joy
Roni,
It seems like I have a ton of questions today!
Right now, I'm wondering when you calculate the NI for your pizzas - do you bother to include the NI for "free" veggies?
Kristi
Thanks, Roni! I'm going to make this Friday - I also have a pizza addiction, so I can't wait to try this with our favorite topping ... lightened pesto and chicken!
eurydice
wow roni... i love this recipe blog. it's amazing! i want to try EVERYTHING!
Gloria Renfro
Hello Roni, I am so happy I have found your page. You are so optimistic. Look forward to reading your page and your blogs. Gloria
Julie
Wow! This looks amazing!
Thanks for the time and effort...thank you dh & ds too!
Sanjana
Hey Roni I must firstly start by telling you I am a fan of GLB. I tried making the pizza last weekend, I too observed that weren't as chewy and more crusty & crispy than the regular crust.But just the fact that what is entering my mouth isn't sinful is so relieving.I am sure going to try it this weekend using your recipe.
SUZEEQ22
also, I've been a fan of your site and have made many of your recipes...a few are now regulars in my kitchen. Thank you so much for all your hard work and congrats on your success not only with your weight but in the gym! Keep the video's coming too!
SUZEEQ22
Roni, I've been waiting also for your pizza dough recipe. I can't wait to try it this weekend!! Also, have you frozen any of the dough? I was thinking of making two and freezing one...what do you think?
Kathy
This weekend, I promise!!! Roni's pizza dough just in time for me to make homemade pizza to eat while watching the NASCAR race from Bristol! Whole wheat, honey, yeast...crispy crust...what's not to love about that???
Pam
Hooray! Can't wait to try this one. I can't lie - I bought yeast at the grocery store last week in anticipation 🙂