Homemade Pizza Deluxe

Tonight we had the awesome treat of homemade pizza. Since it was Father's Day, I let the hubs choose dinner, which of course was his favorite! He specified, though, that it had to be monstrous with loaded veggies, so I was happy to oblige. Here's the finished product!

Two towering and loaded pizzas of veggie goodness with some white meat chicken added too. I case you too get a craving for super yummy, healthy pizza, here's the top-notch recipe for the enjoyment of your taste buds:

Whole wheat pizza dough (makes 2 pizzas)

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp oil (I used Grapeseed oil, but whatever you have that is liquid will be fine)
• 5 cups flour (freshly ground is best!)

Toppings:

• Sauce of choice (I just used some bottled organic marinara...organic is best for tomatoes because they absorb pesticides through the skin)
• Various vegetables of choice (I used sautéed onions, red pepper slices, zucchini and basil from the garden, and organic kale)
• Canned chicken, opened and drained, if desired
• Cheese (we not keep Daiya vegan cheese on hand, which is contradictory to the whole canned chicken thing, lol...we still loved it!)

1. If using freshly ground flour, grind wheat grains in mill. In large bowl, pour water, add yeast and sugars, and stir until mixed. Let sit a few minutes for yeast to activate and become frothy.
   
2. Add other ingredients into mix, including flour, and then mix. You can get down and dirty with your hands first, use a whisk first until thickens and then get your hands dirty, or you can pour this all in a mixer and avoid hand messiness completely (I don't have a mixer and I love getting my hands on dough). Knead for at least 5 minutes to activate all the gluten and create a fluffy rise.
3. Sit in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled. I like to heat my oven until preheated and then turn it off, while sitting my bowl of dough on the stove to feel the heat, but not be baked. Once dough is double and fluffy, it is ready.
4. Pour dough onto surface, cut in half, and roll into two pizzas (shape up to you and your pans) or you can wrap and freeze one dough for later use.
5. Slick your fingers with some olive oil and rub it lightly onto the perimeter (crust) to create a crunchy crust (otherwise, avoid this step of you like a soft crust).
6. Begin adding toppings. When using greens on my pizza, I like to put them on first before the sauce because they then get more moisture and soften, rather than get crispy in the oven. Make sure to spread the weight of the toppings all over so that the middle of your pizza isn't too wet and sinks.
7. Preheat oven to 400F.
8. Bake pizzas for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!