The first time I tried this recipe, I’d been on a quest to find the perfect Whole Wheat Pizza Dough for a little while.

I was looking for a crust that, despite being made entirely of whole grain flour, wouldn’t feel heavy as a brick;

It was looking for a crust that would have nice pockets of air throughout;

I was looking for a crust that wouldn’t feel like I was eating a mouthful of bread with every single bite; it had to be relatively thin, but not too thin! I didn’t want a loaf of bread, but I didn’t want a cracker either.

More importantly, I was looking for a crust that would have a nice crunch to it.

As soon as I took the first bite in this one, I knew that my search was over. I had found the perfect recipe to work with. Soon, very soon, I’ll start playing with it. I’ll start adding other grains and seeds. But before I do that, I need to really master this base recipe. I need to be able to make it without even reading the recipe.

And since it seems like every time I make it, I end up asking myself the same questions, I thought I would take a few pictures while making it and give it its very own entry on here, just to make my life easier, you know. And yours, of course, if you ever feel like giving it a try, which I strongly recommend that you do, by the way!

The recipe might look like it’s extremely complicated and extensive to make, but trust me, it’s not. All you need to do is make sure you have plenty of time ahead of you and that you will be able to care for your dough when it needs you.

It’s not an exact science, but you can’t let it go for too long when it requires your attention.

It’s a food of love thing, you know…

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH
Makes four 10-12 inch pizzas

Nutritional Information
Calories per each of 4 servings: 520 calories
Carbs 103g  | Fat 7g | Protein 21g

Slightly adapted from Deliciously Organic

THE PREVIOUS NIGHT (or at least 12 to 24 hours prior to pizza time)

 Soaker (pictured in the green bowl)

  • 1¾ cups whole wheat flour (not pastry flour)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp water
  1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl for about 1 minute.
  2. Cover tightly with plastic film and place in the refrigerator overnight (at least 8 but no more than 24 hours)

Biga (pictured in the blue bowl)

  • 1¾ cups whole wheat flour (not pastry flour)
  • 2 tbsp gluten flour (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon rapid-rise yeast (I’ve had success with active dry yeast also)
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp water
  1. Mix all the biga ingredients together in a bowl until they form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough for 2 minutes, the dough will feel very tacky.
  2. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and then knead it again (with wet hands) for 1 minute. Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil or cooking spray and place the dough in it, turning it over to coat all sides evenly
  3. Cover tightly with plastic film and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 but no more than 24 hours)

At that stage, there is so little difference between the biga and the soaker that I always feel the need to think of a creative way to remember which is which. Not that it matters, really, because you’ll end up stacking both on top of one another, and I don’t think it matters who is on top of who, here. But still. I like to be able to easily tell them apart.

This time, I put the Biga in a Blue bowl. B for Blue, B for Biga. Get it? 😉

So, pictured below is what you see right after you are done with the initial mixing of the doughs, followed by what they look like the next morning (or after resting in the fridge for 10-12 hours) and finally, what they look like after resting for 2 to 3 hours out of the fridge.

 

Final Dough

  • Biga
  • Soaker
  • ¼ cup whole wheat flour (not pastry flour)
  • ¾ tablespoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (I’ve had success with active dry yeast also)
  • 2¼ teaspoons honey or 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (molasses gives a great color and flavor to the dough)
  • 1 tbps olive oil
  • Extra whole wheat flour for adjustments
  1. The next day – Remove the biga from the fridge 2 to 3 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.
  2. Place the biga on a floured surface. Pull the soaker out of its bowl and place it on top of the biga (you will stack the doughs on top of one another).

  1. Using a metal pastry scraper or knife, chop the doughs into 12-18 pieces. Place pieces in the bowl of a standing mixer (*see notes below for instructions to mix by hand).
  2. Add the ¼ cup whole wheat flour, salt, yeast, honey or molasses, and olive oil to the dough. Mix with the dough hook medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes until the doughs become cohesive. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly tacky.


  1. Turn the dough over to a floured working surface and form it into a tight ball. (** see below if you want to freeze or use dough again the next day)
  2. Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil or cooking spray and place the dough in it, turning it over to coat all sides evenly. Cover loosely with plastic film and let the dough rise for 1 hour.


  1. Preheat the oven to 500ºF and adjust rack to middle position.
  2. Turn the ball over onto a floured work surface and cut into 4 pieces and delicately form each piece into a loose ball.


  1. Using a rolling-pin, stretch or roll out each ball of dough to a 12-inch diameter disk. (I like to dust my work surface with corn meal instead of flour at this point, as it gives a nice crunch to the crust.)
  2. Transfer disc to a pizza pan, top with toppings of your choice and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on toppings and desired level of doneness.


Check out that crust!

Care to guess what my next post will be about?

*To mix by hand: Place the dough pieces in a large bowl. Add the ¼ cup of whole wheat flour, salt, yeast, honey or molasses and olive oil to the dough. Knead with wet hands for 2 minutes until all of the ingredients are incorporated. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky.

Dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough in the flour to coat. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, incorporating only as much flour as needed until the dough is soft and tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and oil it with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Knead the dough again for 1 minute. Continue at step 5.

*To freeze or use the next day: If you aren’t going to make all 4 pizzas right away, cut the dough into 4 pieces and form each piece into a tight ball, THEN let however many you want rise individually. Those that you aren’t going to use right away,  wrap in plastic film and keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or put them in the freezer for up to a month. When you plan on making pizza again, just take the dough out of the freezer 2 days prior and take it out of the fridge to rise 2 hours (unwrap and cover loosely) before you are ready to use it. It will be just as good as fresh!