Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

So I recently discovered WinCo, & more specifically the bulk foods section.  Don't laugh at me...I love that store!  Why had I never shopped there before?  Well, besides the fact that we just moved near one 4 months ago.  The first time my family went, we spent like 1 1/2 hours shopping, mostly browsing the bulk foods.  

I have a confession, I have never used wheat flour in my recipes at home & I thought now would be a great opportunity to get a little bit from the bulk foods, & try it out using my favorite easy pizza crust recipe, but tweaking it to a healthier whole wheat version.  My husband hates wheat bread.  I only buy wheat bread, so he's forced to eat it, but I have never baked anything whole wheat until now, & guess what?  He LOVED this pizza crust, & so did I!  It is really flavorful & that hint of honey just takes it over the top.  

I am so happy about our homemade pizza, that I am even going to share a little secret to how I make my special pizza sauce: 2 parts tomato sauce to 1 part BBQ sauce.  Think it sounds gross?  I dare you to try it!  We love the Bullseye Kansas City BBQ Sauce.  The BBQ adds some sweetness to the sauce & it is just lovely on pepperoni pizza.  Anyway, now that you know all my secrets to homemade crust & my favorite sauce, you need to try it asap!  Let me know what you think!
 

Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Recipe by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

1. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast & honey in the warm water.  Allow mixture to rest 5 minutes until it bubbles up.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil, salt & whole wheat bread flour.  Mix with a spoon giving it about 50 good stirs until it balls up & does not stick to the bowl, sprinkling dough with extra whole wheat bread flour as necessary.  Take dough out of bowl.  Spray the inside with pan-coating & put dough back inside the bowl.  Cover with a towel & let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
3. Spray pizza pan with pan-coating & turn dough out of bowl onto the greased pan.  Sprinkle the top with more whole wheat bread flour & roll into a 12-14" circle about 1/4" thin.  
4. Pre-bake crust at 425*F for 3 minutes to puff up the crust.  Remove from oven & spread sauce over crust, then sprinkle with cheese & toppings.  Return to oven & bake for 11-12 minutes.

Serves 8 slices.

So I recently discovered WinCo, & more specifically the bulk foods section.  Don't laugh at me...I love that store!  Why had I never shopped there before?  Well, besides the fact that we just moved near one 4 months ago.  The first time my family went, we spent like 1 1/2 hours shopping, mostly browsing the bulk foods.  

I have a confession, I have never used wheat flour in my recipes at home & I thought now would be a great opportunity to get a little bit from the bulk foods, & try it out using my favorite easy pizza crust recipe, but tweaking it to a healthier whole wheat version.  My husband hates wheat bread.  I only buy wheat bread, so he's forced to eat it, but I have never baked anything whole wheat until now, & guess what?  He LOVED this pizza crust, & so did I!  It is really flavorful & that hint of honey just takes it over the top.  

I am so happy about our homemade pizza, that I am even going to share a little secret to how I make my special pizza sauce: 2 parts tomato sauce to 1 part BBQ sauce.  Think it sounds gross?  I dare you to try it!  We love the Bullseye Kansas City BBQ Sauce.  The BBQ adds some sweetness to the sauce & it is just lovely on pepperoni pizza.  Anyway, now that you know all my secrets to homemade crust & my favorite sauce, you need to try it asap!  Let me know what you think!
 

Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Recipe by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

1. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast & honey in the warm water.  Allow mixture to rest 5 minutes until it bubbles up.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil, salt & whole wheat bread flour.  Mix with a spoon giving it about 50 good stirs until it balls up & does not stick to the bowl, sprinkling dough with extra whole wheat bread flour as necessary.  Take dough out of bowl.  Spray the inside with pan-coating & put dough back inside the bowl.  Cover with a towel & let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
3. Spray pizza pan with pan-coating & turn dough out of bowl onto the greased pan.  Sprinkle the top with more whole wheat bread flour & roll into a 12-14" circle about 1/4" thin.  
4. Pre-bake crust at 425*F for 3 minutes to puff up the crust.  Remove from oven & spread sauce over crust, then sprinkle with cheese & toppings.  Return to oven & bake for 11-12 minutes.

Serves 8 slices.