If you are ever in need of a mouth-watering meal with simple ingredients -  this is the one. There is some waiting time while the pizza dough rises but you will finish with two delicious pizzas.

Recipe makes enough dough and tomato sauce for two pizzas.

 

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

1 ½ cups (375 mL) of warm water

1 tsp (5 mL) sugar

1 package of pizza yeast or 1 Tbsp (15 mL) active yeast

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

2 ½ cups (625 mL) whole wheat flour

½ cup (125 mL) all purpose flour plus more for kneading

 

Pizza Dough Preparation:

1.     Stir sugar into warm (not hot) water. When the sugar is dissolved sprinkle pizza yeast over top and leave for 5-10 minutes.

2.     Add salt, oil and flours to bowl and mix until dough forms a ball.*

3.     Sprinkle all purpose flour onto countertop and knead dough until it becomes smooth. This may take up to ten minutes.

4.     Oil medium to large size bowl and add pizza dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for approximately one hour.

5.     Divide dough into two with a sharp knife and let stand for another hour.

6.     Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to the size of your pizza pan.

7.     Preheat oven to 425°F and place dough onto oiled pizza pan.

8.     Top each pizza with ½ tomato sauce (recipe below), thin slices of fresh mozzarella and a light sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. Aged cheddar is a flavorful substitute for the mozzarella.

9.     Cook 12-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust becomes lightly golden.

 

* A mixer with a dough hook can be very useful for this step.

 

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable oil

½ onion, diced

1 tsp (5 mL) oregano or pizza spice blend

½ tsp (2.5 mL) chili flakes (optional)

2 large garlic cloves, diced

1 x 28 oz can (796 mL) of diced tomatoes, low sodium

Piece of parmesan rind (optional)

 

Pizza Sauce Preparation:

1.     Place medium sized pot on medium heat and add oil.

2.     When the oil is heated add the onion, oregano, and chili flakes and sauté until onions are soft.

3.     Add garlic and sauté for two minutes more.

4.     Add full can of diced tomatoes plus parmesan rind (if using) and simmer on low while you wait for your pizza dough to rise.

5.     If you prefer a smooth pizza sauce, remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion blender or regular blender until sauce is at your desired consistency.

 

Cook’s Tips:

·       To save time you can make this dough the night before and leave it covered in your refrigerator the next day until dinner time. Just make sure the bowl is large enough to allow the dough room to rise. When I’m in a rush I’ve skipped the second rising and the dough has still been really good.

·       If you only want to cook one pizza, freeze ½ the dough and ½ the pizza sauce. Thaw both in the refrigerator before using again.

·       Make this pizza your own by adding slices of cooked chicken, sautéed mushrooms, zucchini or any another vegetables before baking. Fresh arugula or chopped basil are great sprinkled over the finished pizzas.

·       Serve with a side salad or veggie sticks. 

 

Recipe by: Lindsay Buchanan, RD