My favorite whole wheat pizza crust

My family loves pizza. Well, truthfully, I love pizza and my family loves it because they have no other choice. :)  I've always said it is the one food I could probably eat every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. 

Several years ago we bought a nurtimill grain mill to grind our own wheat with. Friends, if you use whole wheat flour regularly, I highly recommend buying a grain mill. The quality of taste, nutrition, and texture is SO much better! It is important to note that freshly ground wheat flour will go rancid in 24 hours if let to sit at room temperature. So make sure you stick any leftover flour in the freezer to use at a later time. I will usually grind about 10 cups of wheat berries (which will equal about 20 cups of flour after grinding) at a time and then stick what I don't use in the freezer. 

I've been making my own whole wheat pizza crust for years.
It's cheaper, healthier, and very easy.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

~ 1 1/4 c. water

~1 tsp. sugar

~1 1/2 tsp. salt

~1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

~ 3 c. wheat flour (freshly ground, if possible)

~ 2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Mix all ingredients together in a bread machine and turn on "dough" cycle. Once the cycle is finished preheat your oven to 425* and turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a couple minutes. Grease a jelly roll pan with olive oil and roll out your dough to fit. Add your desired toppings and then bake for 15 minutes. Be sure to let it sit for just a couple minutes before you cut it or your cheese will start to slide off. 

If I am just making one batch of dough, I mix it in my bread machine but you could easily mix this the old fashioned way too. 

Once it comes out of the bread machine I knead it a little bit and then roll it out to fit my greased pan. This recipe will make 2 circle pizzas or 1 large rectangular pizza.  

Add your toppings. I always just use whatever I have around the kitchen. This time it was pasta sauce, grilled chicken, spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and some italian seasoning. 

Bake at 425* for 15 minutes and then let cool slightly before cutting. Serve with a nice salad and you have a great meal! I have made this crust with white flour as well but I much prefer the wheat. The texture and flavor is so good!

Have you made your own pizza crust before? What are your favorite toppings? I'm always looking for new ideas!