100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Delicious and filling, you’ll love this 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! Easily made in a stand mixer, food processor, or by hand, this homemade vegan pizza dough is fool-proof and sure to become a family favorite. You’ll also learn the tricks for freezing pizza dough for easy homemade dinners.
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Making your own 100% whole wheat pizza dough is so much easier than you could ever believe. Whole grain pizza crust is one of the simplest things you can make yourself. It’s delicious and the perfect dough – crusty on the bottom and soft on top.
If you have been scared of yeasted dough in the past, have no fear! I believe in you and you’re going to totally ace this!
And before you know it, pretty soon you’re going to be whipping up a batch of Overnight Cinnamon Rolls and Homemade Pretzel Rolls like a freaking boss.
Pair the crust with some Homemade Sugar-Free Pizza Sauce, Whole30 Pesto, roasted veggies like Air Fryer Roasted Garlic, and some Whole30 Breakfast Sausage.
Is Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Better For You?
Yes! Whole grains are always better than refined flour for a multitude of reasons. But most of all, it keeps you fuller for a longer period of time.
What Is Vital Wheat Gluten?
Vital Wheat Gluten is a powdered form of the gluten naturally found in wheat. When baking with whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten helps give your final product all the extra bounce and fluff that you’d find in baked goods made from white flour.
It’s a great product to keep around if you plan to do a lot of whole wheat baking. But if that isn’t your jam, the end result will still be plenty tasty but not as soft.
Freezing Pizza Dough
This recipe makes enough dough for two 12-inch (medium) pizzas. If you only want to make one, you can freeze the extras for later. Wrap the ball in parchment paper and then transfer to a freezer bag (I use these reusable silicone bags).
To use: all the dough to fully defrost, making sure it sits at room temperature for a t least an hour.
Even better, if you have an extra pizza pan, you can fully make another pizza and then freeze it unbaked. I allow it to freeze completely and then wrap in foil. Store for up to three months.
You can also refrigerate unbaked dough for up to three days in an air-tight container.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Look for whole wheat pastry flour if possible. It has the softest and finest texture of any whole wheat flour.
- Need to use all-purpose flour? Measurements remain the same, but exclude the vital wheat gluten.
- No stand mixer? You can mix by hand or use the dough blade function in a food processor, pulsing until it forms a ball.
- If your kitchen is on the cool side, you can preheat your oven to 200 degrees F and then turn it off. Place the bowl in the oven for 20-30 minutes until doubled in size. You can also add a bit of olive oil to an Instant Pot and proof it with a glass lid on the yogurt setting for 10-15 minutes.
- I love the crispy crust you get from using a cast iron pizza pan. You’ll never go back to a normal pan! New to cast iron cookware? You can read all about how to use cast iron here.
More Great Bread Recipes You’ll Love
- Check out all these Pantry Staples You Can Make Yourself
- Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
- Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
- Homemade Pretzel Rolls
- Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cheese No-Knead Bread
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 4 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Making this recipe or others?
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You'll love this 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! Easily made in a stand mixer, food processor, or by hand, homemade dough is a fool-proof family favorite.
- 1 cup warm water {`110 degrees F}
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry instant yeast {2 & 1/4 tsp = 1 envelope}
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten {leave out if using all-purpose flour}
- 2.5-3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, add other ingredients, and mix for 2-5 min on low until the dough has cleaned the sides of the bowl.
Remove the dough and drizzle a bit of olive oil around the edges of the mixing bowl, and coat all sides of the dough with the oil.
Cover with a warm damp kitchen towel, and allow the dough to rise until doubled (time will depend on the temp of your kitchen).
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a pizza stone in the oven while it heats.
Sprinkle cornmeal on the hot pan, and spread the dough around with your hands or a rolling pin.
Cover with your preferred toppings. Bake until the cheese is hot and bubbling (usually 15-20 minutes). Check and rotate at 10 minutes.
If your kitchen is on the cool side, you can preheat your oven to 200 degrees F and then turn it off. Place the bowl in the oven for 20-30 minutes until doubled in size. You can also add a bit of olive oil to an Instant Pot and proof it with a glass lid on the yogurt setting for 10-15 minutes.
You can also mix by hand or use the dough blade in a food processor.
Need to use all-purpose flour? Measurements remain the same, but exclude the vital wheat gluten.
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Yum! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe! I often make pizza using bread flour, but this time was a first for me using whole wheat dough. My family enjoyed it. I won’t go back to my old standard dough for oven-baked pizza. Any idea if this would work well for grilled pizza?
Emily, I haven’t made it on the grill but we always talk about it. It *should* be fine. If you do make it, let me know and I’ll update the recipe with your notes.
I am guessing that after a few more goes at making it as oven pizza I will have the feel for the dough a bit better. I can’t wait for grilling season to return to give it a try. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂
Please do! Troy grills year-round like a weirdo.
looks like something I can make with my little man too! I had never thought about making breadsticks with the dough too.
Thank for your recipe. Will try this
Hello! I have been looking for a good pizza dough recipe! Couple questions – what kind of flour do you use? – when you bake for 15 min is that with toppings? (may sound dumb but I’ve heard of people parbaking crust so it won’t get soggy) – what type of pan do you use? My pizzas have all been soggy in the middle and I was wondering if it was the pan. Thanks!
I use 1 cup bread flour and whole wheat for the rest. Add 2 tblsp vital wheat gluten if you use whole wheat.
I bake with the toppings on. If I’m making a pizza that might get soggy in the middle, I pre-bake for about 5 minutes.
I use a basic pizza stone from Costco. Make sure you put the pizza stone in the oven while the oven is heating up. A really hot stone will help keep the crust nice and crispy.
Love homemade pizza dough. This recipe will be tried for sure. BTW-although I do have a Kitchen Aid mixer, for those that do not, pizza dough can be mixed in a food processor. Check your manual for doughs. I’ve used my processor for pizza dough since early 80’s. Now for me,it’s a little easier to get out and use. That being said, I LOVE my kitchen aid and she gets used very much during the holidays!
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Haley I just made this recipe last night, by hand- I worked wonderfully! The dough was sticky- but I rolled it out on a well floured surface, and used oil and cornmeal on the baking pan and it was the BEST pizza crust I have made from scratch.
Thanks for the recipe, Sarah!
Any tips for if I don’t have a kitchen aid mixer?? I have a husband with a strong arm and a bowl, will that work the same?