Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Learn how to make the best homemade whole wheat pizza dough with step by step instructions! 

Pizza is one of those meals that I grew up eating every single Friday night. The best pizza nights featured homemade pizza — the kind that uses homemade dough and all of the best toppings.

I still hold homemade pizza in a special place in my heart. That’s why I’m finally sharing this recipe for homemade whole wheat pizza dough on the blog (how did it take me 2.5 years when I eat pizza at least every other week?).

If you’re new to baking with yeast, this is a great place to start because I’m sharing step by step instructions to make the process even easier.

This pizza dough only rises once, which means that you can have homemade pizza out of the oven in less than two hours!

Whole wheat flour gives the crust a richer flavor than traditional flour. It still yields a soft and extremely satisfying crust.

This recipes yields two 12″ pizza crusts. You can use both crusts right away or freeze for later use!

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Ingredients

Whole wheat flour: I use King Arthur flour, but any whole wheat flour will work (Bob’s Red Mill is also a good choice). 

Yeast: Use active dry yeast (I use Flesichmann’s yeast but any active dry yeast will do). Use one packet, or 2 and 3/4 teaspoons of yeast.

Water: The water should be between 105-110 F, or just warm enough that you can stand touching it (I’ve also heard it called bathwater warm). Use a thermometer to double check the temp. If the water is too hot the yeast will die and the dough won’t rise. If the water is too cool it won’t be activated and it won’t rise. 

White sugar and honey: This helps proof the yeast and adds a little bit of sweetness to the crust. To make this crust vegan you can either omit the honey or replace it with equal amounts of white sugar.

Salt: Kosher or sea salt will do the trick. This adds a little bit of flavor to the crust.

Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil for the flavor it provides. You can also use canola oil or any other neutral oil. Unfortunately this recipe hasn’t been tested oil-free, so I can’t vouch for how that would go.

Coarse cornmeal: This prevents the pizza dough from sticking to your pan. It also adds a nice texture to the bottom of the crust. This step is optional but I think it really adds something extra to the recipe!

Step by step instructions

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the sugar and honey to warm water (it should be between 105-115F). Sprinkle in the yeast (image one).

Cover with a cloth and let rest for 5 minutes (image two).

After 5 minutes the yeast will bloom and look foamy (image three). If this doesn’t happen, your yeast might be dead. Double check the water temperature and make sure your yeast isn’t expired.

Once the yeast is proofed, stir in the oil and salt (image four).

You can use either a stand mixer with a dough hook, hand mixer with dough hooks (depending on the strength of your hand mixer, you will likely still need to knead by hand with this method), or you can mix by hand with a wooden spoon. 

Add flour 1/2 cup at a time while mixing on medium speed with a stand mixer, or mixing by hand (image five). Continue adding flour until a scrappy ball forms. The dough should be slightly stick but holding together (image six).

If your dough is too wet to handle, add an extra 1/4 cup flour at a time.

Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, or mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic. This takes about 5 minutes.

Lightly oil a clean bowl (I use olive oil for this). Add the dough, turning to coat in the oil (image seven).

Cover with a cloth and set in a warm area to rise until doubled in size (this takes 30-45 minutes depending on your environment).

To make a warm environment I turn on the oven to the lowest temp (180-200 degrees). Once it reaches that temp I turn the oven off and add the covered bowl. Make sure to shut the oven door to keep the warm air in.

Once doubled in size (image eight), punch the dough down with your fist to deflate.

Slice in half with a bench scraper or your hands (image nine).

At this point, you can freeze the dough or go ahead and use it (see below for how to use frozen pizza dough).

Flatten the dough into a 12″ pizza round. To do this, use your hands to gently stretch the dough, moving in a clock wise position to stretch, pulling from the center. I like to hang the dough in the air while rotating it to allow gravity to stretch it out. Any holes can be patched with a bit of extra dough.

You can also use a rolling pin if you are having trouble stretching the dough. 

Add your favorite pizza sauce and toppings, like veggies (bell pepper, onions, even thinly sliced zucchini!) and vegetarian Italian sausage.

Bake at 475 for 14-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and firm. 

Freezing pizza dough

Freeze your pizza dough after it has risen and doubled in size. Lightly oil the dough to prevent it from sticking to the freezer container.

Freeze in a tightly sealed ziploc bag or freezer safe container. It will be good frozen for up to three months.

When ready to use, transfer the frozen dough to the fridge to thaw overnight. This will take about 12 hours.

Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. This will take about 30 minutes.

Form the pizza crust according to recipe instructions.

Customization ideas

• Half whole wheat: Replace half of the whole wheat with all-purpose for a white/wheat crust. 
• Roasted garlic: Add roasted garlic to the crust for garlic pizza dough. Mix in the roasted garlic (without the skin) when you add in the flour. Learn how to roast garlic in my whole wheat garlic knots recipe. 
• Herbs: Knead in equal amounts of dry herbs like rosemary, thyme and parsley for extra flavor. Use 1 teaspoon per herb.

Looking for more easy baking recipes? Learn how to make the perfect oil pie crust or continue on the comfort food path with my guide to southern style vegan biscuits.