Whole Wheat Homemade Pizza

This is a great recipe to make on a Friday night! It is easy to make and will satisfy your craving for a delivery pizza.  You can experiment with whatever toppings you like, for this one we used mushrooms, green pepper, pepperoni, and cheese.  I will show you how to make your crust really nice with butter and seasonings.  This recipe was actually adapted from the recipe in my breadmaker's manual, but can be made easily by hand as well. I hope you try it soon!

Whole Wheat Homemade Pizza
(serves 4 - makes one large pizza)

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust:
6 to 7 ounces filtered water (I use more water in the cooler months)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp exra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Large Pizza:
1 whole wheat pizza crust (see recipe above)
2-3 Tbsp organic (grass-fed) butter
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
1 can organic pizza sauce or homemade
1-2 c. organic shredded cheese (I used organic valley Italian blend)
Optional toppings: zero nitrate pepperoni or sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, chicken, etc. (we used Applegate Farms pepperoni, green peppers, and  mushrooms)

Directions:
1. Make pizza crust - the process will take about 1 hr - 1 hr 30 min, but only about 10 minutes of hands-on work.  In a breadmaker, combine all of the ingredients in the order listed in the bread pan.  Place bread pan back in the breadmaker and turn it on the dough cycle. 

If you do not have a breadmaker, mix the ingredients in order and knead with your hands, until all ingredients become well dispersed and combined.  Let bread sit in a warm place (such as the oven), covered with a towel or plastic wrap until dough is doubled, about an hour.  Punch dough down and refer to instruction #2.

2. When dough has had time to rise or the breadmaker is complete, form the dough into a large rectangle or circle on a large pizza pan or cookie sheet.  I just use my hands for this, until it gets to the thickness I desire.

3. Melt the butter in the microwave in a small dish (about 30 seconds).  Add in italian seasoning and stir to combine.  Using a basting brush or spoon, baste the whole pizza (top and bottom) with the butter/seasoning mixture.

4. Ladle the pizza sauce onto the dough and spread out evenly.  Add toppings to pizza (we used pepperoni, chopped green pepper, and sliced mushrooms).  Follow with a good sprinkling of cheese all over the pizza.

5. Bake in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until to your desired doneness.  Enjoy!! :)