Smart Pizza

My whole married life, I have been on a maddening search.

It consumes me. Well, it badgers my brain, especially when this happens:

"Time for dinner.  It's PIZZA!" followed by three "PIZZA!" screaming kids entering the kitchen and stopping short to ask,
"Is it store pizza, or your pizza?"

My nose scrunches and eyebrows twist, "Well, what difference does that make?"

Violet, my picky and a little-too-honest child says, "Store pizza is 'Yum'; your pizza is...well,... the other word that I'm not allowed to say about your cooking."

"What?!  Yuck?! You think my pizza is 'YUCK'?"

Yep, that's pretty much been my pizza...

up until YESTERDAY!!!!  

You see, I like healthy, 

and,

well,

have you ever had whole wheat pizza crust that didn't taste like it was somehow related to a hockey puck;

or is made from the pizza box that we should have gotten the pizza from?

Yesterday I tried a new recipe, and it caused my kids to go from "Yuck" faces to "Yum."  It's a keeper; so in order to not let it get mixed in with the five other pizza crust recipes I have floating around, I'm going to post it here, on my public-life recipe box, so you can have "Yum" healthy pizza, and so I can know how to make it again.

First of all, I try to find somebody to help keep the recipe card from getting dirty

or dropped on the floor,

or lost in the dough. 

 

 This was not a good choice...

 but that's okay.

Here goes the recipe:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used sprouted wheat flour)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. honey
(I also added 1 Tbs.chia seeds soaked in a 1/4 cup of water: it's a new thing to me: supposed to help brain power, and I need help with my brain power).
( AND, I doubled the recipe for my pizza fans,
because I had high hopes.)

Directions: Oven needs to be 350 degrees: get it there.

( Loving the Alfalfa hair on this child,

but thinking the pacifier is nearing retirement.)

Dissolve yeast in a warm bowl of water and let it sit for about 10 minutes while you get all the other ingredients out.

In a big bowl, dump the flour, wheat germ, and salt.  Stir in the waiting yeast that should look bubbly and frothy and smells like it's gotten morning breath while it's been resting; the honey goes in with it, to help sweeten up yeast.  I added my chia seeds at this point.

 

  (They looked like frog eggs.  Is this normal?

  I hope so.

Do any of you eat chia seeds?)

  Stir it up well to get all the ingredients acquainted and chummy.  Now put the bowl in a warm place so the dough can rise for a few minutes (I gave it about 10).

Roll out the dough and place on the pizza pan.  Poke it with holes using a fork

(Oops, I just realized I forgot this part.  My poor, mistreated pizza).  

And here's the trick: before putting all the goods on the crust, BAKE it FIRST for 5 - 10 minutes, til desired crispiness is achieved.  This is where yeast's morning breath becomes heavenly and my son bursts into the kitchen to find out what's going on.

Rats, where's the rest of the recipe?  I love when I do this. The ending has disappeared.  I must have guessed the end.

Okay, well, for the ending, you just add your ingredients to the mostly baked crust: sauce (I made mine using tomato juice, basil, oregano, lemon juice, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, a clove of minced garlic, a tsp or two of sweetener (I use organic agave nectar) all boiled down til thickened.  Add Cheese and the works.  I added black olives, pepperoni, and shittake mushrooms on the adults' pizza...minus the mushrooms on the kids...because they're gross.  (Not sure they understand what constitutes "gross.") 

Anyhow, just cook it up til the cheese melts and the smell is unbearable: about 10 minutes or so.

Then write back and tell me how your brain is doing.
I haven't noticed any changes yet.

Wait, did you notice any changes in this post?
Did I sound smarter?
Maybe it just takes time.

Nobody noticed the frog eggs. That's always a good thing: healthy and unnoticeable.

That's it! Enjoy the pizza.

  (Oh, and to my Farmer, I wrote this after you went to bed.

This is not the same post I was laughing at when you were down here.

That one is about pancakes, so it will have to wait until I make some.)

Until then, here's something else that makes me laugh...

31 Days of October Favorite Recipes Series

Linking to:

A Bowl Full of Lemons
Hip Homeschool Moms
Women Living Well
Above Rubies