Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (2024)

Bless This Mess Recipes Breads Yeasted Breads Pizza Dough

By Melissa

5 from 1 vote

on Jan 12, 2022

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I am a big fan of pizza night and I have the best Whole Wheat Pizza Dough to share. This crust is made with 100% whole wheat flour and it makes a perfectly chewy whole grain crust that everyone will rave about.

There is something magical about making your own pizza dough at home with your loved ones. This particular dough is rested overnight so that the gluten can develop and boy is it worth it! The crust comes out delicious and oh so chewy.

Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (2)

Table of Contents

  • Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
  • 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Whole wheat pizza crust often gets a bad rap but this recipe will not disappoint. It’s an overnight recipe- although it works just about as well if you make it in the morning and let it sit until dinner. Something beautiful happens when you let the dough sit and give the starches time to break down a bit. The texture and flavor is unmatched.

This recipe turns out an amazingly chewy yet tender pizza crust and you’ll never go back to your old recipe (or baking method for that matter) again! Those whole grains are just better for you in general and the fiber aids in digestion and helps everyone feel full a lot longer.

Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (3)

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use besides a baking stone to cook pizza?

If you don’t have a stone you can turn your biggest cookie sheet upside down (so that the flat side is up) or use a rimless baking sheet. If you are using a stone let the stone heat for 30 minutes. If using a baking sheet, let it heat for 10 minutes.

What if I’m in a hurry and can’t wait 24 hours for my dough?

If you can’t wait that long try this recipe you can make my mom’s famous pizza dough recipe (and it’s great with whole wheat flour too!)

How hot should the water be when adding it to the yeast?

Hot water will kill the yeast. Use lukewarm water that is about 105 degrees F. If the water is much hotter than that you can actually kill the yeast, so don’t get it too hot.

Can I freeze pizza dough?

Pizza dough freezes incredibly well. Once your pizza dough has risen you can freeze the ball of dough. Simply spray the dough on all sides with non-stick spray or olive oil and store in a freezer safe bag. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before you use it.

Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (4)

The Crust:

This 100% whole wheat pizza crust has a great texture and is full of whole grain goodness. It’s an overnight recipe (though it works just about as well if you make it in the morning and let it sit until dinner). There’s something magical about letting the dough sit and giving the starches time to break down a bit. This recipe turns out amazingly chewy yet tender pizza crust and you’ll never go back to your old recipe (or baking method for that matter) again! Those whole grains are just better for you in general and the fiber really keeps you (and those kiddos) full a lot longer.

The Sauce:

Ditch the premade which generally has too much sugar and about a million extra ingredients you don’t need hiding in it. Just make this super simple homemade pizza sauce that only need THREE ingredients.

The Cheese:

Love live the cheese. Use your favorite mozzarella cheese for this recipe. You’ll need about 1.5 cups of cheese per large pizza.

Pizza toppings:

Go heavy on the veggies or just keep it cheese, you get to pick. When I let my kids pick what they want on it and then have them help me “decorate the pizza” aka add the toppings, they are much more likely to eat all the veggies. We love all the traditional vegetables – mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers, red onion, and diced tomato top our list.

Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (5)

Pizza Recipes:

  • Pizza Sauce Recipe
  • Quick and Easy Flatbread Pizza Recipe
  • French Bread Pizza
  • Easy Skillet Pizza
  • Gluten Free Pizza Recipe
  • Homemade Veggie Pizza
  • Same Day Sourdough Pizza Crust
  • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

If you’ve tried thisHomemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipeor any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget torate the recipeand leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me onInstagramso I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.

Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (6)

5 from 1 vote

100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

By: Melissa Griffiths

This 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe that you can make ahead of time! It gets more flavorful and chewy but the rising time is flexible!

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Rise Time: 1 day d

Total: 1 day d

Servings: 2 medium to large pizzas

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/3 cups cold water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • pizza sauce, (about 2 cups)
  • fresh grated Parmesan cheese, (about 1 cup)
  • mozzarella cheese, (about 3 cups)
  • toppings

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix to combine. Add the cold water and oil and mix until a soft dough forms. The dough will be sticky to the touch and a lot wetter than a traditional yeast bread dough. This is how it’s supposed to be.

  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days. The dough will not rise much in the fridge and that’s ok.

  • Pull the dough out the the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for one hour before using. While the dough is resting preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

  • If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to heat, too. I would recommend using a stone for baking this pizza. If you don’t have a stone you can turn your biggest cookie sheet upside down (so that the flat side is up) or use a rimless sheet. If you are using a stone let the stone heat for 30 minutes. If using a baking sheet, let it heat for 15 minutes.

  • When the oven is hot, cut your dough in half. Place half of the dough on a piece of parchment paper that is 18 inches long. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough (on top of the parchment paper) into a 12 to 14 inch circle. The dough should be pretty thin (and the thickness of the dough determines the size of pizza in the end). I like mine very thin so I roll it out to about 1/4 inch in thickness. My husband likes a more “bready” pizza so I make one that is about 1/2 inch thick for him. The dough will rise a bit while baking and the very thin does not get crispy. I say try a few thicknesses out and see which you prefer.

  • Top with 1 cup of pizza sauce, 1/4 cup grate Parmesan, 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella, and toppings of your choice.

  • When the pizza is all ready, slide the pizza, which is on the parchment paper, onto a rimless cookie sheet or one that is upside down. This will help you get the pizza to the oven.

  • Open the oven and slide the pizza which is still on the parchment paper, from the cookie sheet onto the hot baking stone or hot cookie sheet. I just tug on the edge of the parchment paper with my hands and slide it on to the stone. BE CAREFUL! Your oven is set to 500. It’s super hot, obviously! Make sure the babies are out of the way and be careful when sliding the pizza into the oven.

  • Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the top is bubbly and the edges are starting to brown. When the pizza is done, tug the edge of the parchment paper and slide the pizza back onto the cookie sheet you used to transfer it to the oven. Again, be careful!

  • Let your stone reheat for 10 minutes. While the stone is heating, repeat the whole thing with the second half of the dough and bake the same way.

  • Enjoy, enjoy enjoy!

  • I serve it right off of the parchment paper (which gets all dark and cooked looking) or I’ll tear off a new piece and serve it on a crisp white sheet of parchment. Very pretty!

Notes

  • This pizza dough can hang out in the fridge a LONG time (up to 72 hours) and it just gets chewier with time, that being said, I’ve skimped on the resting period too and it’s worked fine. If it’s only resting for the afternoon in the fridge, it’ll work too. Don’t get too hung up on the chilling time but do know that it does improve in texture and flavor over time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 16 slices, Calories: 182kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 596mg, Potassium: 198mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 325IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 192mg, Iron: 1mg

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Best Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe | Healthy Homemade Pizza Dough (2024)

FAQs

Does whole wheat flour need more yeast? ›

Because yeast has to work harder to make whole wheat flour rise, we'll use slightly more yeast in this dough compared to my regular pizza dough recipe. You need 1 Tablespoon (8.5g).

Is whole wheat pizza dough better? ›

The real difference between whole wheat pizza versus regular pizza crust isn't the negatives implied by traditional flour—it is the positives that wheat flour brings to the table. For example, most wheat crusts include several beneficial ingredients rich in fiber, zinc, magnesium, potassium, protein and much more.

What is the secret to making good pizza dough? ›

There are many tricks to achieving a tasty, homemade pizza dough that rises into a beautiful pizza crust, such as making sure your ingredients are at right temperature, using half bread flour for a stronger dough and half all-purpose flour for a nice rise, substituting honey for sugar to help caramelize the crust and ...

How do you adjust when baking with whole wheat flour? ›

The solution: When substituting whole wheat for 100% of the white flour in your own favorite yeast recipe, do this: For every cup of whole wheat flour substituted, increase the liquid in the recipe by 2 teaspoons. Once you've mixed up the dough but before kneading, let it rest for 30 minutes.

What do you need to add more of when baking with whole wheat flour? ›

Whole wheat flour tends to absorb more water than its white flour (all-purpose/bread flour) counterpart and will often need more water added, a little bit at a time as you mix in the levain or starter and salt after the autolyse period.

What is the healthiest pizza crust? ›

Both the cauliflower crust and the whole-wheat crust offer fiber and protein, which play a key role in weight loss by helping to keep you feeling full and satisfied after a meal. But if you're not trying to cut carbs and are looking for that traditional pizza pie flavor, the whole-wheat crust is what you want.

What is the healthiest flour to make pizza with? ›

Whole wheat flour is higher in fiber and nutrients, making it a healthier choice. Cauliflower Crust: Create a low-carb, gluten-free pizza crust by using cauliflower rice as the base.

What percentage hydration for whole wheat pizza dough? ›

Vitals
Total Dough Weight2040 grams
Hydration68%
Yield8 x 250g dough balls (8 x 12″ pizze)
Feb 19, 2024

Should you par bake homemade pizza crust? ›

Of course you do. Parbaking, or partially baking the dough to its halfway point in advance can save you a ton of time on pizza party day. You just have to top it and toss it back in the oven before you want to sit down and eat. This is also a great way to get everyone involved in the pizza-making experience.

How do you make a super crispy pizza? ›

As you are rolling out and topping your first pizza, switch your oven to broil. Right before you launch, swtich your oven back to bake or convection bake 500F. The idea is to get your Steel even hotter than 500 F for this thin crust bake. It really helps crisp up that bottom.

Do you cook pizza dough before adding toppings? ›

If you're baking the pizza in the oven, whether on a pizza stone or not, I always pre-bake the dough for 4-5 minutes before adding toppings, to make sure the pizza dough cooks crisp on the outside and soft and airy in the middle. Once you add the Pizza Sauce and toppings, return it to the oven to finish baking.

What not to do to pizza dough? ›

The Most Common Mistakes When Making Pizza
  1. Not Letting the Dough Rest. ...
  2. Not Kneading the Dough for Long Enough. ...
  3. Using a Rolling Pin to Form the Dough. ...
  4. Overloading Pizza Toppings. ...
  5. Not Letting the Pizza Cook for Long Enough.

What is the most important ingredient in pizza dough? ›

Flour is the main ingredient in pizza dough, and the type you use can have a big effect on the end result. All-purpose flour will work fine, but if you want a chewier crumb and a better hole structure, you should consider buying yourself some high protein bread flour.

What makes pizza crust taste better? ›

The more time you allow for slow fermentation, the more flavorful the crust will be. Once you're confident of your slow fermentation technique, experiment with brushing, stuffing and dusting your pies, establishing your own signature recipe for a unique homemade pizza.

Does whole wheat flour need less yeast? ›

Yeast is a microorganism that helps to give bread its light and fluffy texture and distinctive flavor. But when it comes to baking whole wheat bread, does it require more yeast than other types of bread? The answer is yes, whole wheat bread generally requires more yeast than other types of bread.

Does whole wheat flour work with yeast? ›

Fermentation. All other things being equal, a dough made with whole wheat flour will ferment faster than one made of white flour. The reason for this is simple: whole wheat flour contains more nutrients for the yeast to feed on than white flour.

Does whole wheat flour need more kneading? ›

The bran in whole grains is sharp, and can cut the gluten strands responsible for a good, strong rise. To help whole grain breads rise more fully, try kneading them a bit less than you would a loaf made with all-purpose or bread flour.

Does whole wheat rise with yeast? ›

The rule of thumb when using a baker's percentage of 1 percent yeast (remember, that's 1 percent of the flour weight) says you can let whole wheat dough rise for about three-and-a-half hours at 75 degrees Fahrenheit before it attains its maximum volume, according to Ponsford.

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