Pizza dough just got a healthier twist made with 100% whole wheat flour and coconut sugar!
Making a healthier pizza dough is within your grasp and doesn't require a lot of effort. With this recipe you make it once and get two dough's for the one time effort in the kitchen. Easily freezable or refrigerated for up to a week.
This recipe was originally posted back in Dec. of 2011. I wanted to adapt it to make my time and effort for making homemade dough more enjoyable by being able to walk away with two for the price of one!
I also wanted to update the pics of my earlier blogging years as you will see below!
I have tried a billion and one recipes for whole wheat pizza dough. The problem with many of them is they contain sugar as well as a mix of white flour and whole wheat. I've found a few that were purely whole wheat, but the texture was either really dense or just not pliable enough to make into calzones or pizza, to my liking anyway.
OLD PIC!
I'm not a gluten free girl, but I know there are plenty of gluten free flours out there I could have tried. The problem with those recipes was that I would have had to buy an assortment of other ingredients to make the dough work well, which to be honest was not something I wanted to spend the extra money on especially since I don't have a gluten allergy. I do however have a dislike, allergy, whatever you want to call it, to using white flour and refined sugar in my cooking and baking so they are a no go for me. Making dough with half whole wheat, half white flour was not going to make me happy.......ever!
My sweet friend Allison, who has no Italian in her blood whatsoever (not that that's a prerequisite for good dough making, but you get my point) makes a delicious calzone with homemade dough. I asked for her recipe and tweaked it! I am super happy with the results being as there is absolutely no white flour in the dough at all and only a bit of honey to make the yeast work well. Two out of three kiddies liked the pizza, which is a win in my house since my oldest, almost a teen, is the pickiest eater who dislikes all things healthy!
I used my stand mixer for this, so you would have to knead it by hand if you don't have a bread machine or mixer with a dough hook. I LOVE mine which was a gift from my father-in-law almost 15 years ago for our wedding and its still working just as well!
OLD PIC!
Of course if you are comparing this dough to the texture of a white flour pizza you will probably be just as disappointed as my preteen was. BUT if you are looking for a delicious, healthy dough made with whole ingredients for a healthier version of something you love and don't want to give up just because you may be trying to lose weight, than this dough is the dough for you! This makes a small pizza so double the recipe for two small pan pizzas.I prefer to not have any left over pizza as I love it too much and have a hard time saying no to eating it! I made a small square pizza, but you could use a round pizza stone if you have one. I grew up with Sicilian style square pan pizza's and this is how we like them.
OLD PIC!
OLD PIC!
Substitutions:
- brown rice syrup, honey, or erythritol. (I have not tried making this with stevia, but if you do please let me know!)
- I think you could easily swap out the whole wheat flour for a gluten free blend and add a teaspoon of xanthan gum if the blend doesn't contain it.
UPDATE: March 28, 2014
- I doubled the original recipe so I could freeze one dough and thaw it whenever I want. Just cut ingredients in half if you only want one dough.
- I subbed the honey I used originally for 2 tablespoons coconut sugar just to see the difference if there was any in texture. Family thought it was still fantastic so not much difference in using that.
- I followed the recipe until number 6 and after kneading then separated the dough into two balls. I wrapped one in plastic wrap and then in a plastic Ziploc bag to store in the freezer.
- I greased a 12 inch round pizza pan and rolled the dough out onto the pan with a rolling pin. I also used a fork and forked the dough all over to prevent it from creating air pockets in the dough when baking.
- On this new pizza pan I bought at Bed & Bath my pizza cooked a bit longer, 20-25 minutes, but I didn't think the pan allowed it to get as crispy on the bottom as using a regular pizza stone or typical baking sheet. I did end up returning the pizza pan LOL!
- Nutrition Info is for the dough only, not toppings seen here. I was able to make 8 large slices.
- Just for your info the toppings used in the new pictures above was 1 cup marinara sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, ¼ cup grated parmesan and 1 cup fresh chopped spinach along with some fresh basil.
Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 11/4 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
Instructions
- In your stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the dough.
- In a separate small bowl mix oil, honey, warm water. Add yeast but don't stir it and let it sit for about 10 minutes until you see some foam form from the yeast.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined at setting 2 for about 2-3 minutes.
- Once combined change to your dough hook and keep setting at 2 and let the machine go for about 10 minutes or knead by hand for 10 minutes.
- Remove your dough and place into a bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with a towel and let rise for at least half an hour, but an hour is better.
- Once risen, knead by hand for a minute or so then separate the dough into two balls.
- Wrap one in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Use the other to spread by hand onto a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or grease and use a rolling pin.
- Add your choice of toppings and bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Rachael
Hi! I would love to make this dough but I was curious if instead of honey I could use date syrup and get the same effect?
Thankyou!!
Rachael
Ooooh and if changing the olive oil for coconut oil would make a difference?
Brenda
I don't think so.
Brenda
I'm sorry I haven't tried it.
Sarah
I made two batches. One with honey and one with truvia. The honey one foamed up quickly and I got to making it first. The actually sugar free took about 20 minutes to foam more but it still mostly creamy. But they both rose but they both needed an hour. I used regular whole wheat. However I have a question. When you put it the dough in the fridge or the freezer, how do you get it ready for pizza?
Brenda
I just made mine into a mound, wrapped it in plastic wrap and sealed it in a plastic bag for the freezer. Then thaw it in the fridge overnight until you want to prepare it. Then roll it as you would fresh dough.
Brenda
thank you for sharing!
Gaia
Hi!
How much erythritol does it need?
Thanks!
Erika
I have had trouble finding whole wheat pastry flour....would regular whole wheat flour (not pastry specific) work for this recipe?
Brenda
Yes you could use it.
Jen W
I am excited to try your recipe! I use whole wheat pastry flour in place of regular flour all the time, so I'm sure this will be good! One question though, I want to use honey, but I wasn't sure if its 2 tbls like the coconut sugar or 1 tbls as I read in one of the comments. If you could let me know I would appreciate it!
Thank you!
Mary Jo
We loved this recipe. I recently converted my family to sugar free (I think my daughter is insulin resistant) so went looking for recipes. I am very happy I found this one, I made the previous version three times now and each time it turned out perfect. The first time I used brown rice syrup then used honey for the last two times (no difference for us). Yesterday was raining when I made it and I had to put in a few extra tablespoons of flour at about the 5 minute mark. I now prefer this to white flour dough, this one is way more filling and tastes just fantastic, so flavourful. And just so easy to make. Many, many, many years ago I worked in a pizza place and I forgot how easy it is to make dough with a mixer (back then I used a hobart instead of a kitchenaid :P). I used cornmeal at the bottom of my pan and that worked out great. I also used pesto as the sauce instead of tomato which really worked well with the whole wheat. This is now our Friday night go to recipe. Next time I am going to let the kids make their own, I bought mini pans. We are a family of five and because all five liked the dough (a rare occurrence around here) I gave it a 5 star rating :).
Charlotte Moore
We really like the taste of whole wheat. I have been making whole wheat pizza for several months. Just never thought of it before then. I have been grinding my own wheat for several years. I use hard red, hard white and soft white. I am unsure as to which could be used for wheat pastry flour. I know you can't make yeast breads with the soft white. I have been using the hard white and mixed some spelt and kamut with it one time. We love it.
Brenda
Thanks Charlotte. I think regular whole wheat is fine. I've just always had the whole wheat pastry flour on hand as I prefer it for baked goods, like muffins, cakes, etc for the family.
edna
brenda...............once again you have helped an old lady who is diabetic and controlling it with food meaning low carb and no sugar get another food item back into her meals.......................thanks a million...............although we do not eat pizza as often as the younger generation we do like having it a couple times a month and have missed it terribly.............now i can make it myself and enjoy it once again...................what a wonder this tech medium is ...............you are a wonder and i am so thankful for your website..................follow you also on pinterest.....................keep up the fantastic work although i do not know how you do all this with a family to bring up to..................God Bless you and your family..................from midland ontario canada
Brenda
Thank YOU so much Edna for your kind comments! I appreciate your thoughtfulness! I don't know how I do it either but God has given me the ability to do it and happily I continue on. 🙂
Sherry
Came out gr8. Thanks a lot 🙂
Sonya
This turned out soo good! I added some herbs to it. Perfect size, perfect consistency, perfect dinner! Thanks so much; this recipe will be saved 🙂
Jeri
Disappointed - I was looking for sugar-free which your recipe is listed under but you use honey (sugar)! You shouldn't be listed under sugar free.
Brenda
This recipe is not labeled as sugar-free. My site includes natural sugars like honey as well as sugar-free substitutes in recipes. You could try erythritol in place of the honey.
Holly
I'm looking forward to trying this. Do you think brown rice syrup would work as enough sugar for the yeast? Since honey is high-glycemic, it metabolizes the same as refined sugar for me. I've been baking with brown rice syrup & sometimes a touch of stevia since they are low glycemic with good results. Thanks!
Brenda
I think that's a great idea. I wrote this recipe with honey since my children are the ones who mostly eat pizza and have no issues with honey. I would try it with the brown rice syrup or even coconut sugar. Please let me know how it works for you.
Jennifer
Honey is sugar and still gives me migraines. Sourdough can grow yeast with no sugar at all. You shouldn' t advertise this as sugar free.
Brenda
This recipe is not labeled as sugar-free. My site includes natural sugars like honey as well as sugar-free substitutes in recipes. You could try erythritol in place of the honey.
Windy
Just tried this last night. While the taste was surprisingly good (I've often been disappointed with taste/consistency of whole wheat pizza doughs), the recipe as provided was too dry! I had to keep adding water during the initial kneading process... approximately 3/4 cup more.
Jo
Brenda, thank you so much for this recipe - this is what I've been looking for. Saw "Forks over Knives" and felt the need to clean up our diet - too much processed foods, sugars and flours, not to mention meat and dairy. I always make my own pizza dough, but like you, I knew their had to be a way to make it without any white flour at all. I found you by googling for a pizza dough recipe and will now search out your site for other recipes. Thanks!
Brenda
welcome, so glad you found my site!
Holly
Somebody please help. Every recipe I have ever made with yeast doesn't rise. This one didn't either. What am I doing wrong?
Rebecca Besaw
How old is your yeast?
old man
1. proof your yeast, simply put this is a way to ensure your yeast is active and alive. While lots of web sites tell how, just add your yeast packet to 1/4 cut warm (90 to 125) F water with a little sugar and NO salt. let sit DO NOT MICROWAVE for ten minutes. If it does not foam when kept warm, your yeast is dead. Warm being above 75 F.
2. If #1 above fails, try using bottled water. If you are on a well as I am, the minerals in your water may be the problem.
3. If one and two do not work, then try this: buy a small bottle of distilled water, use some to rinse a clean glass measuring cup. Put 1/4 cup of this distilled water and just a small pinch of sugar ( 1/32 of a teaspoon) and a package of yeast into the water and mix with a spoon that has been rinsed with the distilled water, or use a toothpick. Keep warm for 1/2 hour. How to keep warm? Place a cup of water in your microwave and heat it to boiling then leave it in the microwave and put the yeast solution container in the microwave next to the hot water...do not mix them! close the microwave so that it stays a moist warm environment.
If this fails, you are damned.
Nicole
What sized pan did you use? I'd like my pizza to be the same thickness as in the picture you provided.
Brenda
It was a small 9 by 12 pan.
Jessica C
Hi Sugar Free Mom! 🙂
I am planning to use this dough recipe for the cheeseburger calzone recipe you have. I didn't read very well though, and missed that you said whole wheat PASTRY flour!! 🙁 I only have regular whole wheat flour, do you think that work work out ok for that recipe. I realize the pastry part probably makes a lighter dough, but for the calzone I wondered your thoughts for it working out ok or not?
Thanks for all of your help!! I am so happy that I found your site! 🙂
Brenda
Hi Jessica, I'm happy you found my site too! Glad you like the recipes! I have made it with whole wheat flour and it makes a more dense calzone. My picky oldest son didn't like it but my younger son and daughter did. So when i made it with the whole wheat pastry flour he seemed to like it better. Maybe your family won't even notice the difference?
Sue in CA
Doesn't honey count as sugar? Can I keep it out of the recipe if I really don't want any kind of sugars? Tho I guess 1 TB divided by 6 serbings wouldn't be much.
Brenda
It is needed for the yeast, in order to make the dough rise. It's not much and it is less refined than regular white sugar.
Kelly
I was wondering when using a Bread Machine if you put ingredients in as listed in that order! Thank you and I am so glad I found your recipe!!
Brenda
So sorry but I have not used it in a bread machine.
Susan
I am a diabetic and had given up on Pizza because of the high carb level...you are my hero~cannot wait to try this.
Brenda
I'm so glad! Thank you! I hope you love it!
Jessica
Hi! If I wanted to make the dough ahead of time, like in the morning to use that night, would I just refrigerate after kneading the second time, or maybe roll out I to the pan then refrigerate? Thanks!
Brenda
I haven't made it that much ahead for the evening. You could cover it and leave it in the fridge until the evening.
Christy
I am really interested in this recipe! What sauce do you put on this? My regular kind is full of sugar... Any tips would be appreciated.
Brenda
I look at the first five ingredients in a jar or can of tomato sauce, or any product for that matter. If sugar in any form is not listed in the first 5, then that would work for me. Hope that helps!
Corrie
I use the good ole Walmart brand of pizza sauce and sugar is not listed at all.
Stephanie K.
I have always used the recipe for pizza dough from the back of the Hodgson Mill whole wheat flour that I buy at Walmart, but it only uses half whole wheat and half white flour and has white sugar, which does not make me happy. I would love to try your recipe, but I've never looked for whole wheat pastry flour. Is it hard to find?
Brenda
I have never found it at Walmart, but I have found it at Super Stop and Shop, and Shaws market. I am not sure if you ahve a JOBLOT discount store around where you live but I usually buy it there. Also, a health food store will of course will have it. Please let me know how it works out for you!! Thanks!
Kate
I just looked for it and found the whole wheat pastry flour at a Wegmans in the "natural food section". So if you have a Wegmans near you, you can find it there.
Anna
Hi Sugarfreemom!
I read your bio and you are such an inspiration. This whole wheat dough is definitely how I am going to make my pizza and calzones from now on. Thank you to you and your friend Alison for giving this recipe. Is the yeast a good idea for someone who cannot eat sugar?
Brenda
The small amount of yeast in this recipe divided by the amount of servings is very little, I do not think the dough will work without it. I can have yeast in products although I am sugar-free because yeast only grows and thrives on sugar as its source. Overabundance of yeast in the body is what caused me to have a candida overgorowth and horrible PMS. Of course ask your healthcare/nutritionist if you are concerned.And thank you!
Med School Odyssey
The sugar isn't included in those recipes for flavoring, it's for the yeast to digest. Yeast ferment the sugars and convert it into gaseous CO2 - that escaping gas is what causes the dough to rise. If you don't feed the yeast anything, your dough won't rise. Honey and sugar are pretty much the same thing, which is why you can swap them and still get the same result. I've never liked using honey in bread because it is difficult to get repeatable amounts without using a scale.
Incidentally, that's also the reason that baking your crust causes it to expand a bit more - as the temperature of the gas increases, it's volume increases and the bread rises, until the dough hardens.