Description
If you love thin-crust pizza but have just about zero time for cooking it from scratch and you're trying to eat just a bit healthier, this St. Louis-Style whole wheat pizza recipe is for you. Whether you're just really busy or trying to eat a few less refined carbs, this is the perfect quick and easy homemade whole wheat pizza recipe. Forget the hard and dry homemade pizza you've been making. From your first thought of, "Pizza sounds good", to actually sitting down and eating these ooey-gooey crispy squares it takes just 20 minutes from start to finish (really).
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (160g) (sub "00" or all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (3g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (1g)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (15g)
- 1 teaspoon Lyle's Golden Syrup (7g) (sub maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or light corn syrup)
- up to 1/2 cup lukewarm water (118g)
For the sauce and toppings
- 2/3 cup finely chopped canned tomatoes (150g)(sub favorite pizza sauce)
- 2 fresh balls of mozzarella (about 7 ounces) (200g) (sub favorite shredded cheese)
- sliced veggies and/or any meat toppings, to taste
- dried or fresh oregano (or another Italian herb blend)
- grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 500°F/260°C.
- For the preheated baking pan method: Place a baking pan in the hottest location (oven floor for most ovens) and preheat while you prepare the dough.
- For the pizza peel/stone method: Preheat the pizza stone or steel in the oven. Dust pizza peel generously with semolina flour.
- For room temperature pan method (not recommended for best results): Lightly oil a baking pan and leave on the counter while preparing the dough.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Add olive oil, syrup, and half of the water to the flour mixture, stirring using your hands. Add remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough comes together—it should be soft but not wet or sticky. Note: You may not need all water depending on flour humidity. Divide dough in half. For easier rolling, cover and rest the dough 10 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough. On a lightly floured non-stick mat, roll dough 1/8 inch thick for one large pizza or divide for two smaller pizzas. Helpful Hint: Without a non-stick mat, roll between lightly oiled parchment paper, then remove the top sheet, and proceed to Step 5.
5. Choose your pizza-to-oven-transfer method:
- Using a pizza peel: Place rolled dough directly on a semolina-dusted peel and proceed to step 6.
- No Pizza Peel? Use parchment paper: Brush the dough with olive oil and spread it evenly. Cover with parchment paper (slightly larger than dough). Place a cutting board on top, flip it over, and remove the non-stick mat. Now, you're left with a rolled-out pizza dough on an oiled piece of parchment paper that you can now top.
6. Top the pizza. Spread 1/3 cup pizza sauce evenly. Season with salt, oregano, and Parmesan. Add mozzarella and desired toppings. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
7. Bake the pizza:
- Pizza peel method: Slide the pizza from the peel onto the preheated stone/steel. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Baking pan method: Place a cutting board under the parchment paper with the assembled pizza on it to help transport it. Then carefully, slide the entire parchment paper (with the pizza), directly onto the hot baking pan. Bake in the hottest part of your oven (for me this is my oven floor) for 6-7 minutes until the cheese bubbles and the edges crisp. Then move the pan to the middle-top rack for 4-5 minutes to finish cooking. Cool briefly before cutting into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have a pizza stone or pizza peel (or if you only have a small stovetop oven), there are a couple of techniques you can use to ensure a crispy pizza crust. In the absence of a pizza stone (which uses refractory heat to cook), it's important to ensure the surface that your pizza will bake on (i.e. a cookie sheet, etc.) gets really hot before you add the pizza to it. This helps the crust to start cooking on the bottom immediately. So, preheat the oven/stone/steel or baking pan while you're making and rolling out the dough!
Pizza peel users: Dust peel generously with semolina to prevent sticking
Baking pan users: Parchment paper method prevents tearing when transferring thin dough
Dough thickness is crucial—1/8 inch ensures proper St. Louis-style crispiness
Find all the other tips (with photos) in the main post!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pizza
