# Pizza Dough



## srm (May 24, 2007)

What do you think of this recipie.  Anything i can do to make it better?  Because of the diet i'm on, i do need to keep with the whole wheat and no white flour though.  

1 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 package quick-rising yeast, such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon splenda
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons olive oil To make:

I find when i make it, it comes out a bit tough, and i have a hard time spreading it out and making the pizza.   I made it 3 times, and i usually have to use a hand roller to spread it out.  It also does not rise a whole lot when i cook it.

I think i may be over kneeding it... ???  I put it in my kitchen aid mixer, with the hook (i barely know how to use this thing) and i put it on level 4 or so for a couple minutes, i add water / flour till it seems like a nice ball.   then i kneed it by hand on a board for a couple min, and shape it nicely into a ball.  It usually does rice nicely though, over an hour it will double in size. 

What spices would be good to throw in there?

Thanks again, this is turning out to be a GREAT forum for me


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## Andy M. (May 24, 2007)

The flour is the problem. If you try a mixture of 50/50 whole wheat and AP flours, you will have better results.

Read through this thread for a discussion of a similar problem.


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## skilletlicker (May 25, 2007)

srm said:
			
		

> What do you think of this recipie.  Anything i can do to make it better?  Because of the diet i'm on, i do need to keep with the whole wheat and no white flour though.


 Andy is right that combining all purpose flour with whole wheat simplifies the problem but you certainly can make 100% whole wheat pizza dough.  The choice of flour is important.  King Arthur Whole Wheat, for example, is a good choice because it is milled from hard wheat and is high in the protein necessary for producing gluten.
Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Graham Flour produces less gluten because it is milled from soft wheat which is lower in protein It is what you'd want for whole wheat pastry crust.  If you're going to use it in a yeast dough you'll probably want to add some vital wheat gluten to compensate.
Those have been the two prevalent whole wheat flours in the grocery stores around here but lately there is also "white" whole wheat flour milled from hard white wheat.  This confuses things a little because "white" used to be how you described wheat flour that wasn't whole grain.  It doesn't have as much "nutty" taste as the traditional whole grain flour milled from hard red wheat  and some people like it better for that reason.


			
				srm said:
			
		

> I think i may be over kneeding it... ???  I put it in my kitchen aid [COLOR=orange ! important][FONT=verdana,geneva,lucida,&quot][COLOR=orange ! important][FONT=verdana,geneva,lucida,&quot]mixer[/FONT][/FONT][/color][/color], with the hook (i barely know how to use this thing) and i put it on level 4 or so for a couple minutes, i add water / flour till it seems like a nice ball. then i kneed it by hand on a board for a couple min, and shape it nicely into a ball. It usually does rice nicely though, over an hour it will double in size.


 You are defintely not over kneading.  In fact, I'd wager just the opposite.  The bran in the whole grain flour literally cuts the gluten strands so more gluten producing proteins are necessary in whole wheat flour to achieve the same result.  Also dough made with only 1 3/4 cups of flour isn't really enough volume to do much kneading in the bowl of KitchenAid mixer.  The way the dough hook works is that while it revolves and rotates inside the bowl part of the dough ball is slapping against the bowl wall, sticking a little, stretching, and finally pulling away.  It is that stretching and snapping back back that is "kneading."  With such a small ball the dough on the hook just doesn't slap the bowl often enough to get the job done.  I often cut bread recipes in half and this took quite a while for me to figure out. I usually knead such small amounts by hand for for 15 or 20 minutes.  Alternatively you might mix and knead with a food processor as is described in this South Beach Diet Recipe very similar to yours.


			
				srm said:
			
		

> i add water / flour till it seems like a nice ball


 Flour, well OK.  Water / flour - not so much . . . may be worth further discussion.


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## bethzaring (May 25, 2007)

srm said:
			
		

> I find when i make it, it comes out a bit tough, and i have a hard time spreading it out and making the pizza. I made it 3 times, and i usually have to use a hand roller to spread it out. It also does not rise a whole lot when i cook it.
> 
> 
> What spices would be good to throw in there?
> ...


 

Do you let the dough rest at least 10 minutes before you try to roll it out?  This helps a lot.  It will be way too springy if you do not give it time to relax before rolling out the dough to fit your pan.  You may want to try adding some wheat gluten to your dough mixture to get it to rise more.

Add oregano or basil or an italian seasoning mix, or garlic powder.

Good luck!


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## srm (May 25, 2007)

sounds good, i'll try teh wheat gluten.  how much approx would you say i should add?


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## skilletlicker (May 25, 2007)

Well, here is a recipe that calls for 1 Tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluton for 3 3/4 cups flour so I'd say try 1 12 teaspoons or so, but my first choice would be to change flour.


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## subfuscpersona (May 26, 2007)

*Whole Wheat Pizza Dough*



			
				srm on 05-24-2007 said:
			
		

> I find when i make it, it comes out a bit tough, and i have a hard time spreading it out and making the pizza... It also does not rise a whole lot when i cook it.


Your problems appear to be three-fold
1] learning how to deal with whole wheat flour
2] shaping
3] tough, under-risen crust after baking

I disagree with adding gluten flour to your dough. With the proper approach to your whole wheat flour, I don't think you need it. Using it may very well contribute to the toughness of the pizza crust.

I see no reason to add Splenda. Why does the recipe call for Splenda?

Especially since you're using only whole wheat flour, I think there is insufficient water in your recipe. (BTW, I'm assuming that one cup of WW flour weighs about 5 oz and that your recipe is calling for a little less than 9 oz of WW flour.)

Here are my suggestions and pointers...

[SIZE=+2] #1 - Dealing with Whole Wheat Flour[/SIZE]
WW flour needs much more time to absorb water than white flour (primarily due to its bran content). Here are my suggestions re (slightly) modifying your recipe and, more importantly, modifying your procedure re making the dough.

*INGREDIENTS MODIFICATION*
Increase your water to 3/4 cup (6 oz); (your dough recipe is on the dry side even for white flour)​*PROCEDURE MODIFICATION - DO A WHOLE WHEAT SOAKER BEFORE COMBINING THE OTHER INGREDIENTS*
> Measure out the 1-3/4 cup ww flour in a separate container
> Put all 6 oz of water in the mixing bowl (it should not be hot; room temperature is fine) and, using the KA paddle, slowly beat in enough of the WW flour to make a very thick batter. Beat with the KA paddle for 5 minutes to develop the gluten. *Let rest, covered, at room temperature for one to two hours to allow the WW flour to absorb water and for gluten development to continue*. (You can do this several hours ahead if more convenient; just put the soaker in the 'frig if you're going to hold it over 2 hours.)
> After this resting period, add the salt, quick-rising yeast and oil to the batter and mix it in with the KA paddle. Switch to dough hook. Add the remaining whole wheat flour slowly and then knead, speed 2, for at least 5 minutes. The kneaded dough should be slightly tacky to the touch, not dry feeling.
> Cover and let rise as usual until doubled in bulk​
[SIZE=+2]#2 Shaping the Pizza[/SIZE]
> The resting period prior to shaping is an excellent suggestion.
> A wonderful home video showing someone's Italian mom shaping pizza dough in an American kitchen was posted at  this youtube.com link. (No rolling pin. No fancy tossing in the air. Check it out, she's the real deal.)
> Let the shaped dough rise for 20-30 minutes before adding your toppings.

[SIZE=+2]#3 Baking the Pizza[/SIZE]
> A flat, tough pizza crust can result from baking it too long and/or on the improper heat. How close it is to the heating element and what you bake it on will also affect the outcome (what are you using? - metal sheet pan or pizza pan? baking stone? something else?)
> For a medium size pizza, try baking for 12-15 minutes at 450F in a preheated oven. (This recommendation was made by a DC member and I have found it to work consistently well.)
=======================
best of luck - post back and tell us how things work out for you...


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## doug55 (May 29, 2007)

I found this recepe for Pizza dough. Looked pretty good...and easy!

FoodDEO Video - Pizza Dough by FoodWishes


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## Charleysaunt (May 29, 2007)

Out of curiosity, why do you need it to be all whole wheat?


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## subfuscpersona (May 31, 2007)

Charleysaunt said:
			
		

> Out of curiosity, why do you need it to be all whole wheat?


It appears that srm is on the South Beach Diet Recipe (Phase 2) so using white flour is not an option.

See the link posted by skilletlicker  in his post #3 in this thread.


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## srm (May 31, 2007)

I am on a diet, it's not the south beach one, but i usually tend to try and stay away from the 'white' foods.  flour / pasta etc..  i suppose i dont absolutely have to though.


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