WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH 1 tsp. sugar 1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115F) 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast 1 cup unbleached white flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour 2/3 cup fine semolina or yellow cornmeal 1 tsp. salt 1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, to taste) 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

This recipe is really just for a pizza dough with a crunchy crust, but some topping suggestions are included below as well. Don't be tempted to replace all of the white flour with whole wheat, as it just won't have sufficient gluten to be chewy like pizza crust (it will be more cake-like).

This dough is not a stand in for an all-white flour pizza dough but is an interesting change for an occasional treat.

Dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in warm water with yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes until mixture foams.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, semolina or cornmeal, salt and red pepper (at this stage, you can add a pinch of other seasonings, such as basil, oregano, garlic powder, etc., if you like). Mix until ingredients are well combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir the flour mixture into the center using a wooden spoon or clean hands until the dough begins to come together to form a ball.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour if necessary to keep it from sticking to surface (or knead using the dough hook of your stand mixer for 5-8 minutes).

Brush a large bowl with olive oil and place the ball of dough into the bowl, turning once to coat well with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 90 minutes or more).

Punch dough down. Use within 2 hours or refrigerate until the next day or freeze for up to 3 or 4 months.

To use, when the dough is at room temperature and has begun to rise, stretch it out into as thin a pizza crust as possible leaving a slightly higher ridge along the edges to keep the ingredients in. Sprinkle coarse cornmeal or semolina on the baking pan and spread the stretched dough onto the pan.

Topping Suggestions: Use as many or as few of the following toppings as desired: Top with a thick pasta sauce leaving a 1 inch crust along the edges. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese (or thinly sliced rounds of fresh mozzarella), some shreds of provolone cheese, a tablespoon of grated Parmesan or Romano, finely chopped green or red bell pepper, a pinch of hot red pepper flakes, a few pinches of basil and oregano, sliced mushrooms, anchovies, pepperoni, fried crumbled sausage, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Preheat oven for 15 minutes (at least) before baking at about 475F (or hotter if your oven has a higher setting).

Bake the pizza until the cheese is bubbly and the crust edges are mostly golden brown (it's OK to have some of the higher ridges of the crust become a darker brown).

Serve hot!

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