Whole Wheat Baby Arugala Pizza

January is a busy month.

The end of the semester ends soon, and that means tests are flying left and right.  I'd talk about midterms and class scheduling, but there's no need to bring those stressful things into a food blog, right?

Well, anyway, January is a really busy month.

But that doesn't mean you can't make pizza.

Yeah, so my mom works late this time of year, so I helped out her by making the family some pizza.  The healthy kind.

There's honey, it's completely whole wheat, and the only fat in the crust really is the tablespoon of olive oil.  And it's delicious.  So good.  I threw in some dried herbs to add a nice subtle flavor. It's soft and chewy the way pizza crust should be. It's a great recipe for a week night if you're home around two or three.

So, to save time, I just threw all the ingredients in a bread machine.  You can hand-knead it if you like.  It doesn't really matter. I also kept the dough in a warm oven to make it rise faster after the first rise.

I made roasted red peppers to top the pizza with.  It's one of my favorite toppings and I love the smell of them roasting.  Here's the link.

You can top the pizza any way you like.  I used baby arugula, fresh tomato, roasted red pepper, onions, and roasted red pepper.  I also used store-bought pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella.

Note: Hey, I actually made this pizza last Tuesday and I apologize for not putting it up earlier.  Just a note: next week is midterms for me and I probably won't post anything because I have a ton of studying to do.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Makes 2 thin crust or one thick crust pizza.  Serves about 6

Ingredients

1 teaspoon honey
 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 teaspoon salt
 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbs dried herbs (I used oregano and basil)

Put the ingredients in a bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. (Alternatively, place honey in water and stir until combined.  Add yeast and let sit 10 minutes until bubbly.  Stir in olive oil, herbs and salt, then add flour.  Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until double, about 1 hour.)\

Once the dough is doubled, place it on a floured surface.  Split it into two if you want 2 thin crust pizzas. Form into a tight ball.  Cover in plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double (about 45 minutes).

Preheat oven to 500*F. Prepare a baking sheet or two by putting a piece of aluminum foil on it, greasing it with oil or cooking spray, and then sprinkling on cornmeal or semolina flour.  Place dough ball onto a floured surface.  Press down edges.  Roll with a rolling pin as far as it can stretch.  Then, place the dough on your knuckles and turn it to stretch it more. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake it for five minutes without toppings.  Then remove it from the oven and turn oven temperature down to 425*.  Add desired toppings and bake in oven for additional 13-15 minutes, depending on thickness.