Whole Wheat New York Style Pizza Dough

this post is sponsored by bob’s red mill. thank you for supporting the partnerships that allow brewing happiness to grow and exist. xoxo.

Having a pizza dough recipe on this site has been a LONG TIME COMING. You’ve asked for it. And finally I got my life together enough to perfect a Whole Wheat New York Style Pizza Dough. (Plus, I’ve figured out the best way to make a pizza at home.) So I’m going to share both things with you. I’ll also share my favorite pizza toppings, but of course – you can do whatever you want with this dough!

This is a cold rise dough (based loosely on Feeling Foodish’s method) which means that you are going to have to give yourself 24-48 hours of wait time between making the dough, and making your pizza. The gluten in the flour and the active dry yeast will slowly activate in the fridge together, creating the best homemade pizza crust you can have. (I promise.) So yes,  it does take some planning, but I promise that the actual assembly is nearly effortless.

I used a mixture of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour and Artisan Bread Flour to create a slightly health-ier take on pizza dough. You do need both in order to create the perfect texture of crust. Too much whole wheat flour won’t activate the yeast properly, so you need the combo.

I promise in the future, I’ll work on a gluten-free version of this crust and also a cauliflower crust or some other vegetable-based crust. Starting with and mastering a basic at-home crust felt like the best place to start, though. Plus, I just had to nail the NY style while living in Brooklyn. It is only fair.

Below the recipe I’m sharing my favorite way of making pizza at home (in a cast iron skillet!) So you can scroll down for that method. And if anything in the recipe or the method instructions don’t make sense – watch the video! It’s right below the recipe and it walks you through each an every step. You’ll also get a glimpse into my “research” process for this recipe (aka. eating lots of pizza with my friends lol).

Happy pizza-ing! xo.

More recipes like this: Marinated Mushroom Pesto Pizza + Roasted Veggie Cheeseless Pizza + Polenta Pesto Pizza Bites + Easy Winter Pizza

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Whole Wheat New York Style Pizza Dough

Learn how to make the most authentic Whole Wheat New York Style Pizza Dough at home, plus the best method for making pizza in your own kitchen!

Course Healthy Junk

Prep Time 15 minutes

Chilling Time 1 day

Servings 1 pizza

Author Brewing Happiness

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour
• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp warm water

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Artisan Bread Flour, active dry yeast, coconut sugar, and salt. 

2. Pour in olive oil and warm water. Use a spoon to mix together, until it won't mix anymore.

3. Use your hands to begin to knead the dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes or until all of the flour has incorporated into the dough and it's a smooth texture. 

4. Form the dough into a ball and store it in a ziplock bag greased with olive oil. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. 

5. When ready to make pizza, take dough out of the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 mins before forming dough into a crust shape. 

6. Make pizza according to your favorite directions (see my preferred method below!)

7. EAT UP. 

Recipe Notes

*Recipe adapted from Feeling Foodish.

How to Cook a Pizza in a Cast Iron Skillet

I learned this method from watching and adapting this episode of Bon Appetit’s It’s Alive. I found that this is by and far the BEST method for making/mimicking the pizza oven texture at home. It really centers on a couple of important elements – a VERY hot oven, and a heated cast iron skillet.

My Whole Wheat New York Style Pizza Dough recipe makes a perfect 12″ pizza, but if you wanted a thinner crust you could definitely make a 15″ pizza out of it. Therefore, you either need a 12″ or 15″ cast iron skillet for your pizza. If you don’t already own one, they are an amazing addition to your kitchen (and once you’ve made a pizza in yours you’ll never go back.) They just take a little bit of care, but don’t let that scare you.

The Method

1. Preheat your oven to 500 (or 550 if your oven goes that high). Heat your cast iron skillet along with the oven, so that it is VERY hot before adding in your dough.
2. Create a mixture of 1 tsp cornmeal, 1 tsp coconut sugar, and 1 tsp Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. You’ll sprinkle this on the bottom of your cast iron skillet before adding the dough. It creates a nice crust texture on the bottom and prevents the dough from sticking.
3. After dough has sat at room temperature for 30-60 mins, gently stretch your dough into a 12″ or 15″ inch shape. DO NOT USE A ROLLING PIN. (See video if you want to watch this method in action.)
4. Get all other toppings ready, you’ll want to dress your pizza quickly once the dough is in the cast iron skillet.
5. Pull cast iron skillet out of oven, sprinkle the bottom of the skillet with your flour, sugar, cornmeal mixture.
6. Carefully lay your dough down in the skillet, allowing the edges to lay against the side of the skillet.
7. Top with favorite toppings.
8. Bake at 500 for 11-13 mins. (My optimal time is 13 mins.)
9. Carefully transfer to a serving plate or tray. It should slide right out of the skillet.
10. Top with any additional toppings.
11. Slice and EAT UP.

Haley’s Optimal Pizza Toppings

• pizza sauce (I use store bought!)
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• aged sharp cheddar cheese
• basil (added after the pizza has baked, not before)
• arugula
• microgreens
• hot honey (10/10 best condiment for pizza)
• flaky sea salt
• black pepper
• red chili flakes

The Method

1. Add pizza sauce to the skillet with you Whole Wheat New York Style Pizza Dough. (Don’t add too much sauce.)
2. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/3-1/2 cup).
3. Use a microplane to grate aged sharp cheddar cheese over the top.
4. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and black pepper,.
5. Bake for 13 minutes at 500.
6. Remove from oven, transfer to a plate.
7. Top with fresh basil, a mound of arugula, microgreens, a drizzle of hot honey, and a pinch of red chili flakes.
8. Slice.
9. EAT.

Hopefully I’ve thoroughly motivated you to get in your kitchen and make your own pizza dough. If you’ve never made your own, I promise you it’s fully worth it. This dough will deliver texture and flavor unlike any you can buy in store or frozen. Plus it’s a really satisfying feeling to make a whole pizza from scratch (everyone will be impressed.)

If you have anymore requests for future recipes on BH, PLEASE feel free to leave them in the comments below, or email them to me at haley[at]brewinghappiness.com, or even just DM them to me on Instagram. I am here for you and your recipe needs. xo.