Marinara Pizza with Whole Wheat Base

Who in this world doesn’t love Pizza?  Of course, there might be a few handful people which includes my mom too, haha. But she did change sides when she tasted this homemade pizza by me. I love making pizza from scratch, yes right from the base to making my own marinara sauce to adding my toppings of choice and so on.

This way you can choose whatever you want and control the quality of the ingredients and since it’s so fresh, it tastes divine. I kid you not! Today I will share a recipe for my crispy thin crust and delicious pizza.

Also, if you are absolutely conscious of the calories you are consuming and need an uber-healthy pizza, then this Cauliflower Crust Pizza will be perfect for you. For this healthy whole wheat guilt-free version, here’s all you need and gotta try. Though I do warn you beforehand, it won’t taste like your regular flexible all-purpose flour base, but trust me it’s not as bad as you are probably thinking.

OTHER ITALIAN RECIPES:

If you a big fan of Italian recipes, then these recipes are a must-try :

1. Spaghetti Arrabiata
2. Risotto Milanese
3. Coconut Milk Pannacotta with Plum Compote
4. Whole Wheat Focaccia Bread

PREPARATION TIME: 2 hours
COOKING TIME: 35-40 minutes
SERVINGS: 2 medium pizzas
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

INGREDIENTS: 

For the Whole Wheat Pizza Base-

1. Whole wheat flour  – 1.5 cups
2. Yeast – 1 tablespoon
3. Warm Water – ¾ cup
4. Sugar – 1 tablespoon
5. Olive oil – ¼ cup
6. Salt – 1 teaspoon (or to taste)
7. Dried herbs – 1 tablespoon, optional

For the Marinara Sauce –

8. Onion – 1, medium
9. Tomatoes – 3-4, large
10. Garlic – 2 pods
11. Red Chilli flakes – ½ teaspoon
12. Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
13. Water – 1 cup
14. Salt – ½ teaspoon

For the Toppings & Assembly –

15. Grated Mozzarella cheese – ¼ cup, or more based on preference
16. Tomatoes – 1 large
17. Bell Peppers – 1.3 cup, sliced, optional
18. Mushrooms – 4-5, optional
19. Basil leaves – a few

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

1. Butter Paper
2. OTG

RECIPE:

For the Whole Wheat Pizza Dough –

1. Heat some water and ensure it is lukewarm.
2. Mix a tablespoon of yeast to ¾ cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
3. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes until frothy. This will activate the yeast.
4. In a big mixing bowl, add 1/5 cups of whole wheat flour and add ¼ cup of olive oil to it. Also, add in a little salt.
5. Add in the yeast sugar mix into the flour and knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes non-sticky.
6. The dough should be really soft. Add a little lukewarm water/a little flour, only if the dough is either too hard or too sticky.
7. Cover it and let it rest for 1.5 hours until it doubles in size.

8. Now knead the dough again for a minute and divide it into 2 portions. Roll up the dough to make sure you get 2 smooth buns. Cover again until you are ready to use them.

For the Marinara Sauce –

9. In a heavy bottom pan, add in little olive oil and roughly chopped onion and garlic pods.
10. Sweat the onions for 3-4 minutes and then add chopped tomatoes. No need for finely chopped tomatoes.
11. Add some salt and red chili flakes to it along with a cup of water.
12. Cover this mixture and let it simmer for 30 minutes or so until the tomatoes are mushy and soft.
13. Keep stirring every 10 minutes and keep mushing the mixture.
14. After 30-35 minutes, the tomatoes must be completely soft and cooked. Mash everything to get a sauce-like consistency.
15. Cool before use.

For the Toppings and Assembly –

16. Set the oven to preheat at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
17. Dust your working surface with some flour and make a dough bun and flatten it with your fingers. Make it as thin as you would like it to be.
18. Now take a fork and make small prick marks on it, so that it doesn’t swell up.
19. Drizzle a little olive oil and place it on a butter paper and place that on an ovenproof dish.
20. Cook this for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
21. Once it is half baked, add a generous spoonful of the marinara sauce on the base.
22. Add veggies and toppings of your choice. I kept it classic and added only tomatoes, onion, and basil leaves.
23. Add some dried herbs and grated Mozarella cheese. (use vegan cheese for a vegan pizza)

24. Again keep it in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Enjoy your Marinara Sauce Pizza with Whole Wheat Base hot.