Mention a recipe that requires a rolling pin and I’ll probably respond with a few blinks. Tell me I have to let dough rise for an hour and I’ll probably say, “Nope, not happening.” I recently won a gorgeous new Kitchen-Aid Mixer, but it’s been hanging out next to my dirty socks in my closet ever since I made a disappointing batch of soft pretzels. I have no patience for fussy baked goods (I always mess them up). Also, I’m lazy.
In my defense, I’d say that my laziness contributes to this blog’s appeal. I gravitate toward simple methods and will search to the ends of the internet to find an easier way that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. Trust me when I say I searched to the ends of the internet to find a simple, foolproof, quick whole wheat pizza dough recipe. I went through a couple of bags of flour in the process. Things got messy.
First, Jim Lahey’s no-knead dough failed me at least three times. I think it was because I was making it with whole wheat pastry flour. (Lesson learned: whole wheat pastry flour and yeast don’t get along.) I also tried Cook’s Country’s skillet dough, which turns out to be fried flatbread. No thanks. Finally, I turned to one of my favorite bloggers and sweetest friends, Melissa of The Fauxmartha. She posted an adaptation of Cook’s Country’s quick grilled pizza dough.
My version is a combination of the two. It’s made with 100% whole wheat flour and is mixed together in the food processor. It requires just a few kneads and a few rolls with a rolling pin, but the effort is minimal. Dinner is ready.
This dough produces a crust of medium thickness that is crisp across the bottom and a little chewy in the middle. It has a lovely, yeasty flavor with just a hint of whole wheat. I’ll admit that this pizza dough doesn’t have the elusive, stretchy, chewy, sourdough texture that I crave in authentic brick oven pizza, but I don’t think we’ll ever achieve that with a quick, homemade whole wheat dough. On the upside, I’ve found a little trick that adds a ton of gourmet, brick oven flavor: smoked salt! You can mimic the aroma of lightly charred brick-oven pizza at home with a light sprinkle of the stuff.
Smoked salt is just what it sounds like—salt that has been smoked. It’s the pièce de résistance for this basic homemade pizza and a delicious addition to a vegetarian pantry. If you’ve ever added chipotle to chili or smoked paprika to roasted potatoes, you’ve gotten a taste of what smoky flavor can add to a dish. Keep in mind that smoked salt is a finishing salt. Just sprinkle it lightly on a finished dish for flavor instead of using it as your principle seasoning.
My favorite so far is my sponsor Artisan Salt Company’s fine grain alderwood smoked salt. It smells like a campfire and imparts a lightly smoky, almost bacon or barbecue-like flavor to anything it touches. So far, I’ve enjoyed it on avocado toast, pasta, fried eggs and smashed potatoes. Amazing on all accounts. I can’t wait to finish a bowl of hearty lentil soup with smoked salt this winter.
If you’re intrigued by flavored sea salts, check out SaltWorks’ other offerings, too. They sent me a bunch to play with: black Hawaiian sea salt, truffle salt, shimmering fine-grain pink Himalayan salt and more. Find them at Saltworks.us (free shipping!), or look for them in your local grocery and gourmet stores.
The Easiest Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 8 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Food processor
- Cuisine: Italian
Whip up this 100% whole wheat pizza dough in your food processor. It hardly needs kneading or rising time. You can make this pizza in less than the amount of time it would take for pizza delivery. Dinner is ready! Yields two medium (11″ diameter) pizzas.
Ingredients
Whole wheat pizza dough
- 1 cup water, heated to 110 degrees (very warm, almost too hot for comfort)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) rapid-rise or instant yeast
- 2 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Toppings
- One 32-ounce can whole tomatoes*, drained and crushed by hand OR about ⅔ cup pizza sauce of choice
- 2 cups shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Additional toppings of choice**
Recommended garnishes
- Smoked sea salt
- Torn fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
- Whisk water, sugar, oil and yeast in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl. Allow yeast to proof for 5 minutes. It should puff up some by then.
- Pulse flour, Parmesan, and salt in food processor until combined. While running the food processor, slowly pour in the water mixture and process until a shaggy ball forms, about 1 minute.
- Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and quickly knead dough a few times until it comes together. Halve the dough.
- On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough into two rounds about 11 inches in diameter. For best results, roll the dough out about as thin as reasonably possible. Aim for even thickness rather than a perfectly round shape. Transfer dough to a baking pan (my baking pan is non-stick, but if yours isn’t, you might want to lightly grease it with cooking spray). Brush the outer 1-inch of the dough with a light coating of olive oil.
- Add drained, crushed tomatoes (crush the tomatoes over the sink to get out as much liquid as possible) or pizza sauce of your choice. Sprinkle with cheese and vegetables.
- Bake on the top rack until the crust and cheese are lightly golden, rotating halfway, about 10 minutes for cheese pizza and 12 minutes for pizza with additional toppings. Sprinkle with smoked sea salt and/or fresh basil and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Fauxmartha’s no-rise pizza crust and Cook’s Country’s quick grilled pizza dough.
*Tomato note: Please use tomatoes that come in a BPA-free can (Muir Glen) or tetra pack (San Marzano). BPA is bad stuff.
**Toppings shown here: You’ll need one medium bell pepper per pizza (I used ½ red and ½ orange). Slice the pepper into long, then strips. Sauté the pepper in a teaspoon or two of olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the peppers are wilting and lightly charred. Transfer to a plate lined with a folded paper towel until you’re ready to top the pizza. Proceed as directed.
Pizza stone option: This crust turns out especially great if you bake it on a hot pizza stone or pizza steel (I have this one) instead of a baking sheet. The pizza will bake much faster on a hot surface, so keep an eye on it and reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Grill option: This dough works great on the grill. Lay it carefully on the grates and avoid touching for the first minute of cooking.
Individual pizzas: Divide this dough into quarters (instead of halves) to make 4 “personal pan” pizzas, each about 6 inches in diameter. Bake about 7 to 10 minutes (or less, if using a pizza stone), until the crust and cheese are lightly golden.
No food processor? Combine the flour, Parmesan, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then drizzle the yeast and water mixture into the bowl while stirring with a large spoon. Stir until all of the flour has been incorporated and the dough comes together, then proceed with the next step.
▸ Nutrition Information
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by SaltWorks®, America’s Sea Salt Company®. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who allow me to serve up more recipes. Opinions are my own, always.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Avneet B.
Wow! I was skeptical at first thinking whole wheat no rising of the dough but this was amazing. So easy. My 11 month old loves pizza so I wanted a healthy alternative. He loved it as well as my husband who generally does not like “healthy” versions of food. Amazing recipe. You never fail to deliver!
★★★★★
Dhanya Tharakan
this looks great! can we omit the parmesan?
Kate
Hi, it may be ok. Let me know. I find the cheese helps with the flavor and how it bakes up.
Archana
I tried it without the cheese. Came out great! I did put in lots of Italian seasoning while making the dough.
Kal
Would using Cheddar instead of the Parmesan work, or should I omit?
Kate
Parmesan works great, but cheddar could be interesting. Let me know how it works for you!
Kal
Hi Kate, it worked really well! The “tang” of cheddar really added something extra.
★★★★★
Ana Zgombic
The worst recipe ever !! Your dough ruined my pizza. All I was looking for was a healthy recipe for whole wheat thin crust .. yours seemed easy enough but then it just didn’t puff up it didn’t even bake it just tasted like dough .. it made me so angry that I spent so much on fresh prawns fresh anchovy crab meat and this ridiculous dough was just the same when I put it in the pan to cook after 20 min still same gross flat dough. Disgusting !!!!
Leanna
Wow Karen, I mean Ana Zgombic. Just, wow.
And Kate, I’m super excited to try this crust for family pizza night this weekend! And if for some reason it doesn’t turn out as wonderful as I’m hoping it does, I will assume that I either missed a step or, I don’t know, it just wasn’t my cup o’ tea. Either way, thank you for the time and effort you went to in order to share a recipe that works well for you.
Kate
Thank you, Leanna. I hope you love it! Be sure to let me know what you think.
Kate
Hi Ana, I’m sorry you were disappointed with this recipe. Are you sure you used fresh yeast, non expired? That can cause issues and if it wasn’t proofed correctly. I appreciate your feedback.
Matthew
I was just about to say that if your dough doesn’t rise, your yeast might be expired. It has happened to me sometimes. If you’re prepping your yeast, it should look frothy a bit and if not, it might be expired. Hope this helped!
Katie
LOVE this pizza recipe!!! Thank you so much for sharing it! By far the best and easiest crust I’ve ever made. Does the nutrition information include the toppings or is it just for the crust?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Katie! The nutritional information is for everything in the ingredients list. I hope that helps!
Aurae
So tasty and easy to make! My 5 year old loves it and my husband. We make one pizza and freeze the other half for another day. It thaws and cooks really well.
★★★★★
Gwen
Everything in the ingredients list, including the toppings? Or just crust? Thank you
Kate
Hi! Everything listed in the recipe, so toppings too.
Gwen
Thank you!!
Archana
This is so easy. I had to cook for 18min though, for the toppings
Freezing the other half. Let’s see how that turns out. I am going to top that with your marinara sauce. Another family favorite.
★★★★★
Sydney Sparks
I was wondering what the nutritional information might look like if I made it into a personal pan size! thanks again(:
Kate
Hi Sydney! I don’t have that information, sorry! If that is something you need, I would suggest entering in your specific ingredients. Or, estimate by cutting the serving information.
Aliya
Turnout great!! Kids approved!!But Next time I’ll use 2 cups of WW flower.
★★★★★
Shailee
Can I proof the dough for few hours? Will that make it even better?
Kate
Hi Shailee, this works great as written. You can let the dough set in the refrigerator longer if you need to.
Darian M.
When I did mine, the dought cannot really hard and was difficult to roll out. Was not saggy or doughy at all.
★
Hyma
I tried this recipe and it came out just as you mentioned. Just took 20 mins from start to end. Loved the taste and guilt free yumminess.
Thank you Kate!
Ursula Bielski
Absolutely delightful. I just made one large pizza instead of two. Nice and crunchy unlike most wheat crusts. I will always make this as our pizza crust in the future. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved it, Ursula. I appreciate you taking the time to review!
Olivia Trudeau
Hi Kate!
Is the parmesan optional?
Kate
Yes, it is!
Deb Hanson
Hi Kate. Have tried this recipe. It is wonderful! If I make in the morning to use for dinner should I refrigerate the dough?
Thank you.
Kate
Hi Deb, I’m glad you love it. Yes! You will want to refrigerate.
Jeanne Kazley
Kate,
Like much of America, I’ve been making meals at home and wanted pizza. My husband requested a whole wheat dough and yours was the recipe I decided to make. The results were great! I knew I was on the road to success when the yeast bubbled! I followed your measurements and directions and did add the Parmesan cheese. The crust didn’t taste cheesy, just very good.
I had recently viewed a Wolfgang Puck pizza video and made that pizza from dough made at a local grocery. The video had you hold dough in the air and pinch it while rotating it to get it thin.letting gravity help stretch it. Then place on floured surface and continue thinning with hands. I did that with your dough too and finished off with rolling pin. Perfect!
I put a little cornmeal on my pizza stone and baked as you directed. Did not ore-heat my stone. Topped my with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, yellow, green, red peppers and mushrooms. The veggies I had all pre-cooked and soft. Sprinkled a tiny bit, maybe a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on top.
Will make your dough, again, again and again.
Thank you! I’m very impressed how amazing this turned out.
Mission accomplished! You took the fear out of something I have been wanting to make at home.
★★★★★
Lisa
This pizza dough was delicious! I liked how I was able to make it come out thin and crispy. Also I baked mine at 550 F because I’ve seen videos explaining how you should use a very hot oven for pizza- as hot as possible. I don’t think I used 1/4 of a cup of Parmesan cheese just because I did not have a lot left so I probably used 1/8 of a cup and I added Italian seasoning as another commentor here suggested.
★★★★★
Lisa
Lovely recipe! I was quite skeptical as I hadn’t had the best experiences baking with whole wheat flour and also this recipe seemed too good to be true, but it works and tastes delicious! We also make home made pizza way more often as this recipe makes the whole process much easier, quicker and cleaner. Thanks Kate :)
★★★★★
dana
HI Kate, I have to limit my gluten intake, so regular flour is better than whole wheat for me- would this work the same with regular flour? Can’t wait to try this recipe. (PS – I visit your blog literally every single day. I just love it and everything turns out so well! Thank you!!)
Kate
Hi Dana! I wouldn’t know without trying it as all purpose flour can vary at times. I would suggest starting with the same amount.
Nimisha
Hi Kate,
I’d like to begin by saying I love your recipes and they have all by far turned out great for me.
I want to ask you about this pizza dough Recipe. Could I use the same recipe if I want to make a refined flour version? Or would the quantities of yeast change ?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Nimisha, I wish I could be more helpful. I wouldn’t know without trying it. Sometimes you can replace whole wheat flour with all purpose 1:1.
Nimisha
Okay thank you! :)
I’m trying this tomorrow, would update you.