Homemade Pizza with Wheat Crust

I love food in general, but if I had to pick a favorite food, it would probably be pizza. It's probably a good thing that my husband doesn't care for pizza because if he liked it as much as I do, we'd probably have pizza once a week. Instead I try to keep it to once a month for his sake.

I used to buy prepackaged pizza crusts and bottled pizza sauce, but like most things, one day I decided I should try to make my own. I've tried a few different recipes for each, and I finally found recipes that I absolutely love. The best part is that both the crust and the sauce recipes make enough for two pizzas, so I always have pizza dough and pizza sauce in the freezer.

Homemade Pizza with Wheat Crust

Crust:

1 2/3 c. warm water

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. nonfat dry milk powder

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. bread flour

2 c. whole wheat flour 

2 tsp. active drive yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine pan in order suggest by manufacturer. Select dough setting and start. Check after 5 minutes and add 1 to 2 Tbs. of water or flour if needed. While dough is mixing, you can make the sauce. 

When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half (I find a pizza cutter works well), cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. If you're going to freeze half of it, wrap it well in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer bag, and put it in the freezer while the dough you're going to use is resting. Roll dough into a circle to fit your pizza pan. I have a 14-inch pizza stone, so I actually roll my dough out on my stone. It's easier than transferring it, I think. 

Sauce:

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 1/4 c. warm water

3 Tbs. grated Parmesan

1 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbs. honey, or to taste

3/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt, or to taste

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes before using. Use half on pizza and freeze remaining half.

Brush pizza crust with olive oil or spray with olive oil cooking spray. Add pizza sauce and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. 

My favorite toppings include mushrooms, sliced red bell pepper, and pepperoni, or pineapple, jalapenos, and pepperoni. If you've never tried turkey pepperoni, go for it. Trust me, it is not the disappointment that turkey bacon is. I really can't tell a difference, other than my pizza doesn't drip with grease like it does when I use regular pepperoni.