Thin-Crust Whole-Wheat Pizza with Pesto and Goat Cheese
By Dan SouzaPublished on May 1, 2013
Time
1½ hours, plus 19 hours resting
Yield
Serves 4 to 6 (Makes two 13-inch pizzas)
Ingredients
DOUGH
1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) whole-wheat flour 1 cup (5½ ounces/156 grams) bread flour 2 teaspoons honey ¾ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 ¼ cups ice water 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 ¾ teaspoons saltPESTO
2 cups fresh basil leaves 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup pine nuts 3 garlic cloves, mincedSalt and pepper ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese4 ounces (113 grams) goat cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
Before You Begin
We recommend King Arthur brand bread flour for this recipe. Some baking stones, especially thinner ones, can crack under the intense heat of the broiler. Our recommended stone, by Old Stone Oven, is fine if you’re using this technique. If you use another stone, you might want to check the manufacturer’s website.
Instructions
- Process whole-wheat flour, bread flour, honey, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, add water and process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.
- Add oil and salt to dough and process until it forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 45 to 60 seconds. Remove from bowl and knead on oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 18 hours or up to 2 days.
- Process basil, oil, pine nuts, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Pesto can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.)
- One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack 4½ inches from broiler element, set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place balls on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic coated with vegetable oil spray; let stand for 1 hour.
- Heat broiler for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using your fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Lift edge of dough and, using back of your hands and knuckles, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon, spread half of pesto in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¼-inch border. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup goat cheese. Slide pizza carefully onto stone and return oven to 500 degrees. Bake until crust is well browned and cheese is partially browned, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through baking. Remove pizza, place on wire rack, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
- Heat broiler for 10 minutes. Repeat process of stretching, topping, and baking with remaining dough and toppings, returning oven to 500 degrees when pizza is placed on stone.
for the dough
for the pesto
Time
1½ hours, plus 19 hours restingYield
Serves 4 to 6 (Makes two 13-inch pizzas)Ingredients
DOUGH
1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (5½ ounces/156 grams) bread flour
2 teaspoons honey
¾ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ¼ cups ice water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¾ teaspoons salt
PESTO
2 cups fresh basil leaves
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
4 ounces (113 grams) goat cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
DOUGH
1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (5½ ounces/156 grams) bread flour
2 teaspoons honey
¾ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ¼ cups ice water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¾ teaspoons salt
PESTO
2 cups fresh basil leaves
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
4 ounces (113 grams) goat cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
DOUGH
1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (5½ ounces/156 grams) bread flour
2 teaspoons honey
¾ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ¼ cups ice water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¾ teaspoons salt
PESTO
2 cups fresh basil leaves
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
4 ounces (113 grams) goat cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a pizza with balanced whole-wheat flavor, we used a combination of 60 percent whole-wheat flour and 40 percent bread flour. To ensure that this higher-than-normal ratio of whole-wheat to bread flour still produced a great crust, we increased the hydration to almost 80 percent, resulting in better gluten development and chew. To compensate for the added moisture, we employed the broiler to speed the baking process and guarantee a crisp crust and a moist, tender interior. Finally, we threw out traditional pizza toppings, which tended to clash with the whole-wheat flavor, opting instead for oil- and cream-based sauces and bold ingredients.
Before You Begin
We recommend King Arthur brand bread flour for this recipe. Some baking stones, especially thinner ones, can crack under the intense heat of the broiler. Our recommended stone, by Old Stone Oven, is fine if you’re using this technique. If you use another stone, you might want to check the manufacturer’s website.
Instructions
- Process whole-wheat flour, bread flour, honey, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, add water and process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.
- Add oil and salt to dough and process until it forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 45 to 60 seconds. Remove from bowl and knead on oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 18 hours or up to 2 days.
- Process basil, oil, pine nuts, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Pesto can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.)
- One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack 4½ inches from broiler element, set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place balls on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic coated with vegetable oil spray; let stand for 1 hour.
- Heat broiler for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using your fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Lift edge of dough and, using back of your hands and knuckles, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon, spread half of pesto in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¼-inch border. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup goat cheese. Slide pizza carefully onto stone and return oven to 500 degrees. Bake until crust is well browned and cheese is partially browned, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through baking. Remove pizza, place on wire rack, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
- Heat broiler for 10 minutes. Repeat process of stretching, topping, and baking with remaining dough and toppings, returning oven to 500 degrees when pizza is placed on stone.
for the dough
for the pesto
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