mmm mmm pizza!!!

so, I bought a little sister version of a Kitchen Aid mixer:

the store I got it from, Home Centre, had it for 25% off. so with the discount I got it for Dhs449 ($122.00)!!
the one I really want is from KitchenAid and it sells here for Dhs2,500 ($680.00)…so as long the one I got gets the job done I say I will have gotten a great deal. and I can see how much I use this stand mixer to justify buying whether or not to buy KitchenAid in the future inshallah.
my first test with the machine was to make myself a whole-wheat pizza dough. The mixer did a really good job Alhamdulillah :D
I wanted a thin crust (because of my healthier eating) and so here is how I made it:

Whole-wheat Pizza dough (can make it thin or regular crust):

1 C very warm water

1  tsp yeast 

1 Tbs honey

2+1/2 C whole-wheat flour (white flour if you don't want whole wheat--or you could do about 1/2 to 1 cup of it whole wheat flour for a more chewy texture)
***some extra flour in case you need it

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

add honey to warm water, stir to dissolve then sprinkle on yeast. leave for 10 minutes, till foamy.

add this to a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer and reserve 1/2 cup of flour on the side and then add the rest of the ingredients. kneed by hand,  or with the mixer,adding the rest of the flour in a few batches as you go, for 6-8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Sometimes the dough may not need the full amount of flour called for, but other times it needs more.  The dough should not be very sticky in the end.

oil hands with E.V. olive oil and wipe around the dough ball. cover in bowl with plastic and leave to rest for 45 minutes. You can punch down dough and let rise again for an hour to an hour and 20 minutes (recommended but not necessary)

pre-heat oven to 230C/420F

divide dough in half,

roll out dough to desire shape, then place on flour or cornmeal dusted pizza pan/cookie sheet.

add desired toppings and bake 12-15 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. watch the pizza because as the dough starts to brown, it can quickly get over-cooked and with whole-wheat dough its a bit harder to tell.

you can make a second pizza with the other half of the dough right away, or you can freeze it. just thaw it out before using.  I like to place the pizza on one of the lower racks so the bottom browns up a bit and the dough doesn't get over-cooked.  But every oven is different and the middle rack might be the best place for your pizza.

I made this pizza sauce minus the butter, celery, and fennel seeds:
Ultimate Pizza Sauce
for my pizza, I spread pizza sauce, then topped with sauteed onions, bell peppers, and zucchini, olives, and sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top. I used about 1/3 the amount of cheese I normally would use.
and here is the result:


it was really good Mashallah… though I prefer a doughy, soft and chewy crust---but this crunchy thin one satisfies my pizza craving.
I cut it into 9 pieces…and ate 6—probably a bit much… but I got busy and didn’t eat one of the small meals I was supposed to have earlier so I don’t feell guilty. the other 3 pieces are in the fridge for tomorrow :D
afterwards I remembered I have turkey bacon in the freezer and I could have chopped some really small and sprinkled lightly over the pizza just for added flavor. I can also do the same with turkey pepperoni… just chop it small and sprinkle lightly over pizza…just to get some of the flavor with the least amount of fat.
next time I will try it inshallah with the other piece of dough I froze.
ohhhh sis MOAD… you know what would go perfect with this pizza??? some chicken wings as an appetizer!! good thing I am full now and just thinking about wings or else I would have been CRAVING them!!