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Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

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My favorite whole wheat pizza dough recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer, it’s naturally sweetened with a hint of honey, and it’s always perfectly chewy and delicious.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Say hello to my favorite whole wheat pizza dough! ♡

This recipe has been my go-to for homemade pizza nights for many, many years now and has become one of our readers’ favorite recipes here too! It’s surprisingly easy to make either by hand or with the help of a stand mixer, and only requires one 30-45 minute rise (conveniently the same amount of time it usually takes to prepare toppings plus maybe a side salad). Thanks to the use of white whole wheat flour, this crust bakes up to be wonderfully soft and chewy with a mild (not overpowering) whole wheat flavor. And best of all, our friends and family always absolutely love it!

I always use a hint of honey in the dough to give it a touch of sweetness. And if you’d like, you’re welcome to experiment with adding in some Italian seasonings, garlic or Parmesan to the crust too.

Everyone needs to have a great homemade pizza dough recipe in their back pockets. So if you’re looking for a healthier one to add to your repertoire, bring home a bag of white whole wheat flour and gather up your favorite pizza toppings. And let’s make some homemade pizzas together!

Step by step photos for how to make homemade pizza dough

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Ingredients

Before we get to the full whole wheat pizza dough recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need:

  • Warm water: It’s essential that your water is the correct temperature (between 105-110°F) in order to activate the yeast. I always recommend using an instant-read thermometer to double-check.
  • Honey: I prefer to use honey to lightly sweeten the dough, but you are welcome to use sugar or any other sweetener if you prefer.
  • Instant yeast: You will need instant yeast (also known as rapid-rise yeast) to make this crust. Be sure that your yeast is fresh and not expired so that it will properly activate.
  • White whole wheat flour: I love making this crust with white whole wheat flour, which does not have an overwhelming “wheat” flavor and bakes up to be wonderfully soft and chewy. Alternately, you could use traditional whole wheat flour, which will have a slightly different flavor and texture.
  • Olive oil: We will incorporate a bit of oil into the dough as well as brush some on top of the crust before baking.
  • Fine sea salt: To season the dough and bring out its best flavor.
  • Cornmeal: To dust the bottom of the crust and prevent it from sticking.

Pepperoni Pizza with Whole Wheat Dough

Pizza Dough Tips

Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when making pizza dough:

  • Be sure that the yeast has activated: If your yeast does not foam up during step 1, please hit the pause button! The yeast is likely expired and will not perform well in the recipe. It’s best to completely start over again with a fresh batch of yeast. As mentioned above, I also recommend making sure that your water temperature is between 105-110°F. If it is too cold, the yeast will not activate. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
  • Stretching vs. rolling the dough: To achieve the best soft and chewy texture, I recommend gently and patiently stretching the dough with your hands. That said, if you are in a hurry, you are welcome to roll the dough out with a rolling pin. The texture will just be a bit more dense.
  • Aim to start with a round dough ball: The best way to get a round pizza is to start out with a round ball of dough. That way, it will be more likely to roll out or stretch into an even, round pizza crust.
  • Don’t stress about the shape: If your pizza dough isn’t perfectly round, no worries – it will still be delicious! :)
  • Try the orange juice trick: If you would like to minimize the “wheat” flavor in the dough, try swapping in 2 tablespoons of orange juice for 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe. I learned this trick from King Arthur Flour years ago and have found that it really does help!

Homemade pizza with whole wheat pizza dough

Potential Variations

Here are a few ways that you can customize this whole wheat pizza dough recipe if you would like:

  • Use a different type of flour: As mentioned above, you’re welcome to substitute whole wheat flour (in place of white whole wheat flour), but the dough will have a notably different flavor and texture.
  • Add garlic: To make a garlicky pizza dough, add in 1 teaspoon garlic powder in step 2.
  • Add herbs: To make an herby pizza dough, add 1 or 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning in step 2.
  • Add Parmesan: To make a cheesy pizza dough, add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of freshly-grated Parmesan in step 2.
  • Make it vegan: To make vegan pizza dough, use sugar in place of honey.

Slice of homemade pizza with whole wheat dough on plate

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Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 29 reviews
  • Prep Time: 60 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 75 minutes
  • Yield: 1 -2 pizzas 1x

Description

This whole wheat pizza dough recipe is easy to make, naturally sweetened with a hint of honey, and always so delicious. See notes below for stand mixer option.


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Activate the yeast. (See notes below for alternate stand mixer instructions.) In a large mixing bowl, briefly whisk together the warm water, honey and yeast until combined. Let the mixture rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.
  2. Add the dry ingredients. Add the white whole wheat flour, olive oil, salt and stir until a loose dough ball is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it by hand for 5 minutes until smooth.
  3. Let the dough rise. Rinse out and dry the earlier mixing bowl, then mist the bowl with olive oil or non-stick spray. Form the dough into a ball, place it in the greased bowl, then cover the bowl with a damp towel or aluminum foil. Let the dough rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it has nearly doubled in size.
  4. Prep the oven (and pizza stone, if using). Heat oven to 450°F. If using a pizza stone, be sure to place the stone in the cold oven and to allow it to heat gradually. Alternatively, you can bake the pizza on a flat baking sheet, which will not need to be preheated.
  5. Roll out the dough. Turn the dough back out onto a floured surface and use your hands to flatten it into a round disk. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently stretch the dough evenly into a 12- to 14-inch round for a thick-crust pizza, pinching the outer edges up slightly to form a rim. (Alternatively, you can cut the dough in half and roll it into two rounds for two thin-crust pizzas.)
  6. Add toppings. Transfer the crust to a large baking sheet that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. (Or if you are using a pizza stone, transfer the crust to a pizza peel that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.) For an extra-golden crust, brush the outer rim of the crust lightly with olive oil. Add the sauce and toppings in the center of the pizza as desired.
  7. Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven (or slide the pizza from the peel to the stone) and bake the pizza for 16-18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are melted and cooked.
  8. Serve. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Slice, serve and enjoy!


Notes

Water: I recommend double-checking the temperature with a thermometer to ensure that the yeast will properly activate. Also, if you would like to minimize the whole wheat flavor of the crust, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of orange juice for 2 tablespoons of the water. (Thanks to King Arthur Baking for the tip!)

Instant yeast: This is also labeled as rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast by some brands.

Pizza toppings: For the pizza above, I also added about 20 pepperonis, 1 small green pepper (diced), 1/4 of a red onion (thinly sliced), 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup pizza sauce, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes after baking.

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102 comments on “Whole Wheat Pizza Dough”

  1. dough was way to shaggy. Needed much more flour. In the end it was only ok.

  2. Great recipe! 5 stars!!!






  3. Very easy and tastes like the dough that takes all day!






  4. I made it! Very good. My husband really liked it. I was able to make two thin pizza crust






  5. This wheat pizza dough is probably one of the best ones that I’ve found. The honey definitely helps the dough to taste less “wheat-like”. I used a little bit more water, about a tablespoon more as wheat flour usually needs more water. And I added some Italian seasoning to the dough. Really good pizza dough!






  6. Thank you!

    I’m excited to try this recipe tomorrow. I think I’m going to add the active dry yeast and honey at the same time to the warm water tho, as it needs sugars to activate?

    Looking forward to seeing what kind of pizza sauce you create! I’ve seen some skinny white pizza sauce recipes out there but, baby steps…lol.

  7. My family loves this! I tweaked a little for our humidity, makes 3 small pizzas for us, freezes well & also makes great bread sticks.






  8. I made tandoori chicken pizza and it turned out good. I’m definitely following this recipe again.






  9. Super tasty! We did the thicker style crust. It had great consistency! Will make it again.






  10. Is the yeast used in this recipe the (regular) Active Dry Yeast or the Rapid Rise Instant Yeast?

  11. Yummm! I made this yesterday and oh my god, my family really loved it more than anything. My dough was a bit stickier than I thought it’ll be, but it was actually good after letting it to rest. Thank you so much for the recipe !!

  12. My family is trying to eat healthy without giving up all our favourites,this pizza dough was a hit.Thank you!!






  13. This is my new go-to recipe for pizza dough. It was easy to stretch and roll and did not spring back. I doubled the recipe and put a few extra portions in the freezer. It defrosted very well and was easy to work with. Thank you for posting this great recipe!






  14. LOVE this recipe. Comes out great with regular all-purpose white flour too. I do typically have to add an extra 1/4 cup or so or it is too shaggy. Nevertheless, so simple, quick, and satisfying. And the leftovers re-heat in the oven wonderfully.






  15. Can you freeze this dough?

  16. I want to say a big THANK-YOU for this wonderful recipe. It’s the first time when everyone in my family just loved every bite of it. My husband who is not a pizza fan, he also enjoyed this pizza. Thank you again






  17. So good!! I haven’t tried it with white whole wheat flour yet, but it’s great with regular whole wheat flour. Very flavorful. My boyfriend almost likes it more than regular crust!






  18. Recipe was PERFECT. I was surprised but the recipe was spot on, easy to roll out.
    We loved it.






  19. I doubled the recipe to make a pizza for my kids, and one for my husband and I. It was delicious, and my children declared it was the best pizza crust they’d ever had. Better than any white pizza dough, in fact! I used 100% whole wheat flour because that is what I had on hand. Thank you for our new Friday night pizza dough recipe.






  20. came out great. made one with white whole wheat and another with regular whole wheat and they came out equally as good. don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook. made it in my food processor which only has one speed. just ran it for 1-2 minutes. scooped it into the oiled bowl to rest. didn’t roll it out, just pressed it onto my pan. easy.






  21. This was excellent.






  22. The recipe looks great! I saw notes to see below for stand mixer directions but for the life of me I can’t find them. Can you help me out please? Thanks!

  23. Made this for my family last night. I’ve made homemade pizza dough in the past, tried a couple recipes my husband and I liked ok but my kids didn’t love. Gave this one a shot and everyone LOVED it! My two boys said it was better than Papa John’s and the crust was a perfect combination of crunchy and chewy… *(they’re high maintenance when it comes to their pizza). It was a win for sure and I’ve printed it out to add to my recipe binder so I remember it for next time. Thanks for sharing!!!⭐️

  24. Great dough recipe. Easy. I have a question; can I make it in the morning & refrigerate for dinner time? Should I let it rise & then reshape into ball & refrigerate?






  25. We have made a million pizza dough recipes trying to get wheat to work. This is the only one that has not only worked well, but perfectly. The only problem is, I’m no longer allowed to cheat and buy premade shells, because my teenagers think this is the best pizza dough ever. Thanks!

  26. Where are the stand mixer comments?

  27. Can i replace honey with sugar?

  28. Just fantastic. I had some reservations about whole wheat pizza dough but the simplicity and excellent taste of this blew me away. Love the nuttiness and slight sweetness that the whole wheat and the honey add to the pizza. Really impressed.

  29. This looked really promising with the careful instructions, but it didn’t work for me. Made it by weight (the 2x version, so 455 mL water with 565 grams King Arthur white whole wheat flour), and it came out so wet it wouldn’t form a ball.