Empowering Pizza

I often get funny looks when I suggest pizza as a health food. Although pizzas vary significantly in ingredients and nutrient content, most provide a reasonable balance of carbohydrates, protein, vegetables and fat. I get additional surprised looks when I suggest making homemade dough. It’s not as difficult as you may suspect; it simply takes time.

2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast

1 cup hot water

½ teaspoon salt

Olive oil

3 to 4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon ground oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground paprika

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of hot water in the bowl of a mixer. Add salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 2 ½ cups of flour and mix on medium-low speed in a mixer, with a dough hook if possible, for 1 to 2 minutes. (If you don’t have a mixer, kneed the dough by hand on a flour-coated counter top for 8 to 10 minutes.) Add remaining flour gradually, until it reaches a doughy consistency. If it’s sticky, add a touch more flour.

Remove dough and place it in a large bowl, coated lightly with olive oil. Flip the dough to coat all sides with oil. Let it rise in a warm place, covered, for 60 to 75 minutes, or until it has nearly doubled in size.

Heat your oven to 450 degrees. While it’s preheating, combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until blended. Remove dough from the bowl and press into a baking pan of your choice. (Use a large pan for thin, crispy crust or a smaller pan for thicker crust.) Sprinkle it with Italian seasoning then place in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove crust and add tomato sauce, cheese and other toppings of your choice. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese appears bubbly and golden.

Serves 8