Best Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe with a Crispy Crust

Instructions

1. Heat the water (or use warm tap water). You know it’s about 100F if it feels warmer than your body temp, but not at all painful to leave your finger in for more than 5-10 seconds.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (like a KitchenAid), whisk the water, yeast, and sugar/maple syrup until combined. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to “proof” the yeast. (That means you should see bubbles.)
3. Once bubbly, add 1 Tbs. of the olive oil (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) and the salt to the bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Use the dough hook. Turn the mixer to low speed and add about 1/3 of the flour at a time. Turn up the speed to medium once all the flour is added. If a ball of dough doesn’t form and pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl, it’s too sticky. Add flour 1/8 or 1/4 cup at a time until it does. Be sure to give the flour a chance to be incorporated into the dough before adding more.
5. Let the mixer do the work for you with the dough hook for 5 minutes on medium-high.
6. Pour the other tablespoon of olive oil on the dough and flip it around a few times with your hands to coat.
7. Cover the bowl with a plate to keep the moisture in and let rise for 30 minutes (hopefully in a warm place). It should double in size.
8. 20 minutes into the rise, preheat the oven to 450F.
9. When ready to bake the pizza, put 2 10-inch cast iron skillets or one large 2-burner cast iron griddle on medium heat.
10. Add a fat like refined coconut oil (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) to the pan and push it around to cover the whole surface. Place the dough in the pan, and with wet fingers, quickly press the dough out to the edges of the pan, pushing a bit up at the edge to form a crust. It gets a little hot, so move fast! Not a job suited for children or wimps!
11. If you don’t like moving quickly, are afraid of the heat, or really want a thinner crust, use a rolling pin to roll out the crust on a flexible cutting board dusted with flour. Flip or shift the dough onto the heated cast iron. (Good luck! It’s very possible but try not drop it…)
12. Set a timer for 2 minutes for the dough to sit over medium heat on the stovetop.
13. Choose:

• Quickly put the sauce and topping on the pizza while it’s on the stovetop, then bake for 7-10 minutes, watching for the cheese to brown. If you can’t get the toppings on before the 2-minute timer, turn the burner off while you finish.
• Pre-bake the crust without toppings (after the 2 minutes on the stovetop) for 5-10 minutes, watching the top closely. When it begins to brown, pull the crusts out of the oven. (If you can’t fit the pans side-by-side on the middle rack, put one on top and one on the bottom and switch after 3 minutes, then 3 minutes again, to make sure the crust doesn’t over-brown on the bottom.) Turn the oven off and set it to broil on high. Add sauce and toppings to the pre-baked crust, then broil for 1-3 minutes, just to brown the cheese to your liking.