Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Posted Aug 22, 2020, Updated Mar 25, 2024
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This whole wheat pizza dough recipe is healthy, easy, delicious and made with only 7 ingredients! Whole wheat pizza crust is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, making it the perfect healthy alternative for pizza nights!
My first job at age 14 was working at a local pizza place. I got a workers permit from my junior high school, put on my Doc Martens and I was ready to start earning money.
Working at Angelo’s taught me how to make amazing pizza. As a result, we almost never order pizza, and we always make our own homemade pizza from scratch (never without this homemade pizza sauce).
Our homemade pizza dough is beloved my many, but sometimes I want make a littler more nutritious alternative and whip up this Whole Wheat Pizza Dough instead. It’s the best healthy pizza dough made with only seven ingredients that’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside – just like a great pizza crust should be.
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s chat about the ingredients in this whole wheat pizza dough, as well as possible substitutions.
- Whole wheat flour/all-purpose flour. This recipe calls for an equal amount of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. I find this 1:1 ratio yields the best texture. You can use only one or the other, but if you use all whole wheat flour I recommend using white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter texture (it will be denser if you use only whole wheat flour).
- Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe, I’d recommend canola or avocado oils as the best substitutes if needed.
- Honey. Granulated sugar can be used in place of honey, or maple syrup.
- Active dry yeast. Instant yeast can be used in place of active dry yeast, you will just have a shorter rise time.
How to Make Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
As always, well walk through this whole wheat pizza recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Begin by combining the water yeast and honey in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir and let sit until foamy (about 5-10 minutes). Or you can make the dough in a large mixing bowl by hand.
Once it is foamy add olive oil, flours and sea salt use the dough hook to knead and mix the ingredients together.
Using the dough hook, mix/knead the whole wheat pizza dough until a smooth and slightly tacky ball forms. Or mix by hand until a ball forms, then turn it onto a floured surface and knead by hand.
Once the dough is kneaded well, form it into a ball and place it in a large, lightly greased bowl.
Then, cover the dough in the greased bowl with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 60 minutes).
Towards the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up.
After it has risen, punch the dough down and form it into a disc.
Roll the dough out to the shape and size you want (we make a 14” round pizza). If transferring it to a pizza stone, roll it out on a piece of parchment paper. If baking it on a pizza pan, put the rolled-out dough onto the pan.
Assemble the Pizza
Once the dough is ready, it’s time assemble the pizza. For extra tips on making pizza, check out our post: How to Make Homemade Pizza.
Top with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. You have to make this homemade pizza sauce. It’s amazing.
Bake & Cool
There are two options, you can bake this whole wheat pizza on a preheated pizza stone (preferred) or on a baking sheet.
If baking on a pizza stone, use a pizza peel to transfer the topped pizza to the preheated stone in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and golden-brown. If baking on a baking pan, place it on the lowest rack in your oven and bake.
Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat: preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place pizza on a baking sheet and heat until warmed through.
Freeze
You can freeze this whole wheat pizza dough in many different ways:
- In a dough ball. You can freeze this whole wheat pizza dough after kneading before rising. Simply form it into a ball, lightly grease the inside of a freezer-friendly plastic bag, put the dough inside, squeeze out the air and freeze for up to 3 months. Let dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let it rise at room temperature and follow the recipe.
- Rolled out crusts. To freeze crusts, simply follow the recipe, roll out the dough and transfer to a large round baking sheet. Tightly wrap the whole wheat pizza crust with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature. Top with sauce and toppings and bake according to the recipe instructions.
- Unbaked pizza. After the second rise, roll out the dough, place it on a round pizza pan, add sauce and toppings. Tightly wrap the whole wheat pizza with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, preheat oven 450 degrees F, bake on the lower rack for 12-15 minutes.
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe FAQs
In general whole wheat flour contains slightly more fiber and protein that all-purpose flour. This whole wheat pizza dough also uses honey instead of sugar, which is preferable to many!
You can substitute up to half of the all-purpose flour in a recipe with whole wheat flour and it will still taste great.
No, almond flour is not a suitable substitute for whole wheat flour in this recipe.
Spelt flour, buckwheat flour and chickpea flour are my favorite alternatives.
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Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water 105 degrees F
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water yeast and honey. Let sit until foamy (about 5-10 minutes). Or in a large mixing bowl (if you will mix/knead by hand).
- Once it is foamy add olive oil, flours and sea salt use the dough hook to knead and mix the ingredients together until a smooth and slightly tacky ball forms. Or mix by hand until a ball forms, then turn it onto a floured surface and knead by hand.
- If the dough is too sticky, add up to 2 TBS more all-purpose flour (1 TBS at a time), until it reaches the proper consistency.
- Form the dough into a ball.
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 60 minutes).
- Towards the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up.
- After it has risen, punch the dough down and form it into a disc.
- Roll the dough out to the shape and size you want (we make a 14” round pizza). If transferring it to a pizza stone, roll it out on a piece of parchment paper. If baking it on a pizza pan, put the rolled-out dough onto the pan.
- Top with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is lightly golden-brown and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Cut, serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Flours. I find the 1:1 ratio yields the best texture. You can use only one or the other, but if you use all whole wheat flour I recommend using white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter texture (it will be denser if you use only whole wheat flour).
- Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe, I’d recommend canola or avocado oils as the best substitutes if needed.
- Honey. Granulated sugar can be used in place of honey, or maple syrup.
- Active dry yeast. Instant yeast can be used in place of active dry yeast, you will just have a shorter rise time.
- In a dough ball. You can freeze this whole wheat pizza dough after kneading before rising. Simply form it into a ball, lightly grease the inside of a freezer-friendly plastic bag, put the dough inside, squeeze out the air and freeze for up to 3 months. Let dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let it rise at room temperature and follow the recipe.
- Rolled out crusts. To freeze crusts, simply follow the recipe, roll out the dough and transfer to a large round baking sheet. Tightly wrap the whole wheat pizza crust with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature. Top with sauce and toppings and bake according to the recipe instructions.
- Unbaked pizza. After the second rise, roll out the dough, place it on a round pizza pan, add sauce and toppings. Tightly wrap the whole wheat pizza with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, preheat oven 450 degrees F, bake on the lower rack for 12-15 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We just made pizza using your recipe and method and as one adult daughter said, “This is the best homemade pizza I have ever had.” We all were just shocked how beautiful they turned out and how good they tasted. Extremely impressed and so excited to have found this recipe. I won’t use another recipe ever again and I have tried many.
I am going to try this recipe but have a question. In the instructions it seems like there is only 1 rise time as it says to heat the oven and form the pizza after it has risen. In the timing summary it states 2 hours rising time. This must mean that you let it rise twice and then form the pizza. Which is correct?
I have made this dough 4 times and it comes out amazing!! This is my go to now.
Thank you so much Sarah!
Amazing amazing recipe! The most easy one. I am not a dough person. I don’t like to make dough as I don’t like my hands to get dirty. But this is so easy that I make it again and again. Thank you for this recipe… and oh yes, the pizza sauce recipe as well…just can’t go wrong!
I’m so glad you love it Teesta!