HOW TO MAKE WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA BASE

Pizza base is usually made using all purpose flour or maida. But since maida does not add any nutritive value to food and hence is considered unhealthy, shifting to whole wheat flour is but a natural choice. The taste is slightly different if you use whole wheat flour. But the good news is that you can eat without any worries as it is healthy.


Makes 2 large pizza bases
Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp olive oil (or any other oil)
1 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
Lukewarm water

Method

First, heat water till it is lukewarm, then take a bowl, add yeast, salt, sugar and 1 to 2 tbsp of warm water and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes. The yeast should be dissolved by now. If not, add 2 to 3 tsps of warm water and stir till it dissolves. Then sieve whole wheat flour and baking powder and add to the yeast mixture. Add a few tbsps of water and 1 tsp oil and knead to form a smooth dough. The dough will not be as smooth as the dough made using All purpose flour. Cover the dough with a lid and set aside for 1 to 2 hours till it doubles in size.

Knock down again and knead well for 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will not be very smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls according to your choice and roll to form a circle of about 1/4" thickness. Place it on a tray and cover with muslin cloth. Allow it to rise for about 10 minutes. Then using a fork prick each base, place it on the baking tray, keep the tray in the middle shelf of a preheated oven and bake at 200 degree Celsius with upper and lower rods on for about 8 minutes.

Whole wheat pizza base is now ready. Remove from the oven, add sauce, cooked vegetables, chicken and grated cheese or any other topping of your choice and bake again for 5 to 10 minutes.

The whole wheat pizza base can also be placed in zip lock bags and refrigerated in the freezer for later use.