Mr. AT and I are the proud owners of a new Zojirushi breadmaker, courtesy of his parents. So far we are loving it. My hubby is obsessed with making fresh whole wheat bread, and I must admit it's much tastier and more gratifying than store bought.
We've discovered King Arthur's White Wheat, which is an albino version of wheat without the taste drawbacks of regular wheat. I found that many recipes for whole wheat pizza really mix traditional flour with whole wheat flour, which didn't really suit my desire to eat whole grains, so I was thrilled to discover white wheat can replace regular flour entirely. Guilt free pizza!
We have had a couple of misfires with the breadmaker, so it's worth noting that these machines are sensitive. Improperly measured ingredients or opening the machine during the process (or poking the rising loaf as Mr. AT did once) can result in shape and textural issues. We've taken to weighing ingredients instead of trusting measuring cups since overly packed flour can ruin your results.
Fortunately this dough came off without a hitch. The hardest part is actually rolling out the sticky dough without too much of it ending up on your hands or counter. Do not be afraid to dust your hands, your counter and the dough with plenty of flour to make it easier to handle. I loved the chewy texture and light honey flavor of the dough. This is healthier than regular pizza but doesn't taste healthy, which is a good thing in my book! I didn't roll it out enough, so it was a bit thicker than it's meant to be, but even so it was quite delicious, and I was oh so proud of myself for making my very own pizza from scratch.
So many possibilities now that I've got this figured out!
Breadmaker Honey Wheat Pizza Dough (adapted from KingArthurFlour.com - see link for the non-breadmachine version)
Dough
2 teaspoonsquick instant yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (100°F to 115°F)
2 tablespoons honey
3 1/2-3 3/4 cups King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425°F. If you're using a baking stone, preheat the oven to 450°F.
To make the dough: Follow instructions for your breadmaker model. For the Zojirushi: Put water, olive oil and honey into breadmaker. Then add flour, gluten, and salt. Make a dent in the top of the dry ingredients and place yeast there. Do not let yeast touch the wet ingredients. Turn breadmaker on quick rise, dough setting, and let the machine do its magic.
Assembling the pizza: Put flour on your hands before handling the dough. It's sticky! Divide the dough in half, roll each piece on a floured surface into a 13" to 15" round (depending on the size of your pizza pans), and place the rounds on lightly oiled pans. (A 13" diameter yields a thin crust; a 15" diameter yields a cracker-thin crust.) Turn in the overhanging edge to form a rim. If you plan to use a baking stone to bake the pizza, place the dough on two baker's peels, dusted with cornmeal or surfaced with parchment.
Brush each round with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Based on other comments I'd read, I opted to bake just the dough for 8 minutes before putting any toppings on.
Add sauce, cheese and other toppings. There are so many options! I went with homemade tomato sauce leftover from spaghetti night, fresh and grated mozzarella, and a bit of basil as garnish.
2 teaspoonsquick instant yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (100°F to 115°F)
2 tablespoons honey
3 1/2-3 3/4 cups King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425°F. If you're using a baking stone, preheat the oven to 450°F.
To make the dough: Follow instructions for your breadmaker model. For the Zojirushi: Put water, olive oil and honey into breadmaker. Then add flour, gluten, and salt. Make a dent in the top of the dry ingredients and place yeast there. Do not let yeast touch the wet ingredients. Turn breadmaker on quick rise, dough setting, and let the machine do its magic.
Assembling the pizza: Put flour on your hands before handling the dough. It's sticky! Divide the dough in half, roll each piece on a floured surface into a 13" to 15" round (depending on the size of your pizza pans), and place the rounds on lightly oiled pans. (A 13" diameter yields a thin crust; a 15" diameter yields a cracker-thin crust.) Turn in the overhanging edge to form a rim. If you plan to use a baking stone to bake the pizza, place the dough on two baker's peels, dusted with cornmeal or surfaced with parchment.
Brush each round with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Based on other comments I'd read, I opted to bake just the dough for 8 minutes before putting any toppings on.
Add sauce, cheese and other toppings. There are so many options! I went with homemade tomato sauce leftover from spaghetti night, fresh and grated mozzarella, and a bit of basil as garnish.
Bake the pizzas in the pans for 12 to 20 minutes, or until the top and bottom crusts are nicely browned. If you're using baking stones, bake for 15 to 25 minutes (leaving the pizza on the parchment), or until the crust is nicely browned on the bottom. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Yield: 2 pizzas, about a dozen large slices.
To freeze extra dough, roll it in a ball and lightly cover it with olive oil and seal in plastic wrap or a bag. When I was ready to make it, I just took it out of the fridge and rolled it out. It will last 4-5 days if refrigerated, longer if frozen.
Want to try your hand at the Zojirushi? Get yours from the Adventurous Tastes Amazon Store.
