Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza | Whole Wheat Pizza Base Recipe

Step-wise picture recipe to make mint pesto whole wheat pizza easily at home – a healthy twist to your favorite pizza! Say good bye to store-bought or pizza take-aways and make amazing fail-proof whole wheat pizza at home.

I love making Pizzas at home, be it simple Margherita Pizza or farmhouse style vegetable Pan Pizza – the taste is incomparable and no pizza take-away comes anywhere closer to this. All it takes is a tiny amount of effort and a little experimentation. Although I have made whole wheat pizzas in the past, I was never satisfied with how it turned out. After a few experiments I made this Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza.

By the way, for those of you who are wondering how would a pizza taste without the traditional tomato based sauce, don’t worry – once you have tasted a pesto pizza, there is no turning back. Pesto is a simple spread/sauce made with greens and nuts. Basil Pesto is quite popular but since I had a fresh bunch of mint/coriander leaves, I made a small batch of mint pesto and that got converted into this super delicious Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza.

Coming to this Whole Wheat Pizza Base recipe, it is the result of one of my experiments using Autolyze method turning out successful. I tweaked my whole wheat bread recipe slightly and this pizza base uses 50% whole wheat flour and 50% all-purpose flour. The result is quite spongy, porous and extremely delicious pizza base that works wonderfully well every single time. Replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour if you are keen on 100% wheat based pizza.

I kept the toppings on this Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza to a very minimum – just sliced onions, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. For a low-calorie version, omit the cheese and still it turns out super yummy! Add any other vegetable of your choice or add no vegetable at all, this pizza would still be a winner! Pizza base plus mint pesto is a match made in heaven and try it to appreciate it 🙂

How to make Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza | Whole Wheat Pizza Base Recipe –

Print Recipe

Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza | Whole Wheat Pizza Base Recipe

Extremely delicious Whole Wheat Mint Pesto Pizza

Course

Breads, Main Dish

Cuisine

Baked Goodies, Italian

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

12 mins per pizza

Passive Time

2 hours

Servings

Small Pizzas

Ingredients

For Whole Wheat Pizza Base –

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 tbsp Active Instant Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cup Water at room temperature
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the Mint Pesto Sauce –

• 1 cup Tightly Packed Mint Leaves
• 1/2 cup Tightly Packed Coriander Leaves
• 8-10 Almonds
• 1 Green Chilli
• 3-4 Garlic Pods
• 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
• Salt as needed

For the Pizza –

• Sliced Onions as needed
• Sliced Tomatoes as needed
• Mozzarella Cheese as needed
• Olive Oil to spread/drizzle around

Course Breads, Main Dish Cuisine Baked Goodies, Italian Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 12 mins per pizza Passive Time 2 hours Servings Small Pizzas Ingredients For Whole Wheat Pizza Base – 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour 1/2 tbsp Active Instant Dry Yeast 3/4 cup Water at room temperature 1 cup All Purpose Flour 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Sugar 2 tbsp olive oil For the Mint Pesto Sauce – 1 cup Tightly Packed Mint Leaves 1/2 cup Tightly Packed Coriander Leaves 8-10 Almonds 1 Green Chilli 3-4 Garlic Pods 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice Salt as needed For the Pizza – Sliced Onions as needed Sliced Tomatoes as needed Mozzarella Cheese as needed Olive Oil to spread/drizzle around

Instructions

Pizza Dough –

1. In a large mixing bowl, add wheat flour, sugar and active instant dry yeast – mix well.
2. Add water and stir it quickly using a spoon. The mixture should be stringy.
3. Leave it in a warm place for 60 mins until it is frothy and bubbly, doubled up.
4. Add all purpose flour along with salt and roughly mix it with a spoon.
5. The dough should come together. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil on the dough.
6. Knead it for 2-3 mins slowly by adding additional olive oil as needed. The dough might be little sticky, add very little wheat flour or oil as needed.
7. Keep the dough covered with cling wrap and rest in a warm place for one hour or until it is doubled up.

Minto Pesto Sauce –

1. In a mixer jar, add all ingredients required to make the pesto and grind it into a smooth paste without adding water.
2. Remove onto an airtight container. The top portion might turn darker shade of green due to oxidation.

Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza –

1. Split the pizza dough into 4 equal parts. Take a ball of dough and press it gently on an aluminum foil greased with olive oil and dusted with wheat flour.
2. Pat it into a thin circle of even thickness – this is the pizza base.
3. Spread a layer of mint pesto sauce evenly on the pizza.
4. Place diced tomatoes, onions and grated/chopped cheese balls. Drizzle olive oil around the edges.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 10-12 mins until the bottom is slightly crisp and golden. The cheese should be bubbling.
6. Serve hot immediately with a sprinkle of pizza seasonings.

Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Mint Pesto Whole Wheat Pizza | Whole Wheat Pizza Base Recipe –

Pizza Dough –

1. In a large mixing bowl, add wheat flour, sugar and active instant dry yeast – mix well.

2. Add water and stir it quickly using a spoon. The mixture should be stringy.

3. Leave it in a warm place for 60 mins until it is frothy and bubbly, doubled up.

4. Add all purpose flour along with salt and roughly mix it with a spoon.

5. The dough should come together. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil on the dough.

6. Knead it for 2-3 mins slowly by adding additional olive oil as needed. The dough might be little sticky, add very little wheat flour or oil as needed.

7. Keep the dough covered with cling wrap and rest in a warm place for one hour or until it is doubled up.

Minto Pesto Sauce –

1. In a mixer jar, add all ingredients required to make the pesto and grind it into a smooth paste without adding water.

2. Remove onto an airtight container. The top portion might turn darker shade of green due to oxidation.

Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza –

1. Split the pizza dough into 4 equal parts. Take a ball of dough and press it gently on an aluminum foil greased with olive oil and dusted with wheat flour.

2. Pat it into a thin circle of even thickness – this is the pizza base.

3. Spread a layer of mint pesto sauce evenly on the pizza.

4. Place diced tomatoes, onions and grated/chopped cheese balls. Drizzle olive oil around the edges.

5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 10-12 mins until the bottom is slightly crisp and golden. The cheese should be bubbling.

6. Serve hot immediately with a sprinkle of pizza seasonings.

Note –

• I used organic wheat flour, specifically from 24 Mantra – always works well for baking.
• Adjust the quantity of wheat flour if the dough is too runny. The dough in general should be slightly sticky for best pizza base.
• Adjust the proofing time depending on the climate and the flours used. It should double up for sure to get best results.
• Different oven brands have different power settings, keep a close eye on the pizza while baking – adjust timings accordingly.

Reach out to me at cookingfrommyheart@gmail.com! Also follow me on:

Facebook – Cooking From Heart

Pinterest – CHCooks

Instagram – CHCooks

Twitter – Cookinfromheart