WHEAT VEG PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole wheat flour/atta, 360 grams
1 to 1.25 cups water or add as required
1.5 tsp instant yeast or 2 tsp dry active
yeast
¼ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
some whole wheat flour for dusting
for tomato pizza sauce:
3 medium to large tomatoes, pureed - yields
approx 1.5 to 2 cups of tomato puree, the
tomatoes also can be blanched and chopped
or crushed.
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 to 1.5 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves or
1 to 1.5 tsp dry basil
1 to 1.5 tsp dry oregano or 1 to 1.5 tbsp
chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp red wine (optional)
¼ tsp black pepper or add as required
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper as required
for pizza toppings:
6 to 8 tbsp pizza sauce
1 small to medium onion, chopped in ½ inch
squares
1 small to medium bell pepper, chopped in
½ inch squares
1 small to medium tomato, chopped ½ inch
squares
6 to 7 chopped buttons mushrooms,
sauteed in 1 tsp oil (optional)
7 to 8 olives, chopped (optional)
¼ to ⅓ cup steamed corn kernels or tinned
corn (optional)
½ to ⅔ cup shredded mozzarella cheese or
as required
some olive oil for brushing
whole wheat flour, semolina or cornmeal for
dusting
INSTRUCTIONS

preparing pizza dough:

1. take 1 cup water in a mixing bowl and
lightly warm it. just warm and not hot. the
temperature should be around 40 to 43
degrees celsius.
2. then add ¼ tsp sugar and stir so that the
sugar dissolves.
3. add 1.5 tsp instant yeast.
4. stir so that the yeast dissolves. if using
dry active yeast, then add 2 tsp of it. stir
and keep covered for 10 to 15 minutes till
the mixture has frothed and bubbled up.
here since we have used instant yeast, we
don't need to proof the solution and
proceed to the next step immediately after
stirring the yeast.
5. add 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tbsp olive
oil and ¼ tsp salt. for dry active yeast, add
the flour, olive oil and salt after the yeast
solution has bubbled. mix everything with a
spoon or spatula.
6. then add 1 cup of flour. again mix.
7. lastly add remaining 1 cup flour and
continue to mix and then begin to knead.
8. for ease of kneading, i divided the dough
into two parts and kneaded both of them
separately.
9. then later joined them together and
kneaded again.
10. the dough has to be kneaded really well till
its soft and pliable. add more water if
required while kneading. i kneaded the
dough for about 8 minutes.
11. now rub some olive oil all over the dough
and keep it in the same pan.
12. cover with a kitchen towel and allow the
pizza dough to leaven for an hour or two.
if you have added dry active yeast, then
increase the time to 1:30 minutes to 2:30
hours, depending on the temperature
conditions.
13. so when the dough is leavening, prep up
the other ingredients like chopping veggies,
grating cheese and preparing pizza sauce

preparing pizza sauce:

1. rinse and then chop the tomatoes.
2. puree the tomatoes in a blender or with a
hand blender. keep a few bits and pieces of
tomatoes in the puree. you can also blanch
the tomatoes and then chop or crush
them.
3. heat olive oil in a small pan.
4. then add the chopped garlic and saute for
10-12 seconds on a low flame.
5. add the tomato puree and saute for 4-5
mins on a low to medium flame. if using
red wine, then you can add it once the
tomatoes are cooked.
6. when the tomatoes are cooked, add the
chopped basil, dry oregano, salt and
pepper.
7. stir & simmer for 1-2 minutes on a low to
medium flame.
8. check the seasonings add more salt or
pepper if required.
9. once cooled, use the pizza sauce as a
topping on pizzas or store in a bowl or in a
small jar.

assembling the pizza dough:

1. after the dough has leavened, divide the
dough into two or three parts. lightly
knead each portion and keep covered for
15 to 20 minutes more. two parts will yield
2 pizzas of 8 to 10 inches. whereas 3
parts, will yield 3 pizzas of 4 to 5 inches in
diameter. one 8 to 10 inch pizza is enough
for people. this pizza is more heavy to eat
due to whole wheat flour.
2. before assembling pizza, grease a 9 to 10
inch diameter round pan with olive oil.
dust the pan with some whole wheat flour
or cornmeal of semolina. also preheat your
oven to 250 degrees celsius.
3. the oven should be hot and preheated for
atleast 20 minutes. the preheating time in
microwave oven in convection mode is 15
minutes. the preheat temperature is 200
degrees celsius or 220 degrees celsius,
whatever is the highest temperature in
your microwave oven.
4. take one portion of the whole wheat pizza
dough and lightly dust the dough with
whole wheat flour.
5. with a rolling pin, roll the dough to a round
of 8 to 9 inches diameter evenly.
6. lift the pizza gently and place it in the
prepared pan.
7. brush some olive on the pizza dough.
8. now take 3 to 4 tbsp of the pizza sauce
and spread it evenly all around.
9. add 3 tbsp of the shredded mozzarella
cheese.
10. now top up with the veggies. you can add
your choice of veggie toppings.
11. now sprinkle some red chili flakes and dry
oregano all over. this is an optional step.
12. again top up with 5 to 6 tbsp of shredded
mozzarella cheese. you can add less
amount of cheese if you want to.
13. keep the baking tray in the center rack of
the preheated oven with both the top and
bottom heating rods on. bake for 12 to 15
minutes till the cheese had melted or has
golden specks. for a crisp crust, you can
also bake for a longer time. since oven
temperature vary, do keep a check while
baking the pizza. for baking in convection
mode, use the same temperature that you
preheated your oven at - 200 or 220
degrees celsius.
14. once baked and golden, slice the whole
wheat pizza and serve hot.