Yesterday morning, I spent some time scrounging through my archives. Even though I've only been blogging our journey for the last six months, it's incredible how things have changed.
My baby is twelve times bigger than she was.
…And we soak all our flours.
Okay, that's about all that has changed, I guess. Not very incredible at all.
We've briefly talked about soaking grains previously, but if you are looking for some good information on it, you can visit:
That being said, we have had to find some new recipes to make our old favorites! Not only are we now soaking our everyday bread, but also our desserts, crackers, crusts, and more! Needless to say, I was very excited to find this pizza crust recipe over at Passionate Homemaking. And I was even more excited when it didn't taste like cardboard, as my previous pizza crusts have. Sometimes, recipes are just a flop. As in, no good. As in, I would rather eat dirt. As in, nevermind. You get the idea.
But this pizza crust recipe wasn't a flop. In fact, it was downright delicious. So, let's give it a go. Shall we?
Homemade Soaked Pizza Crust
*This recipe makes 3-4 pizza crusts, depending on the size you make them. It freezes well, so if you have extra, instead of baking it – just freeze it until you need it!
You will need:
– 8 to 10 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground is best!)
– 3 cups warm water
– 3 tablespoons acid medium (kefir, lemon juice, whey, apple cider vinegar)
– 1/4 cup honey
– 1 tablespoon salt
Additionally:
– 2 tablespoons yeast (see Step 2)
– 1 teaspoon honey (see Step 2)
– 1/2 cup warm water (see Step 2)
Step One: Mix the flour, water, honey, and acid medium together. Let this sit out on the counter for 12-24 hours (well covered as to prevent it from drying out!). This will help break down the phytates present in the wheat. Not only does this makes it easier to digest, but it also makes nutrients more accessible for your body to absorb. Win-win, baby.
(I know this step can seem daunting, but all it takes is a little planning! It only takes five minutes to mix up the ingredients – I swear! Don't fear the soaking! Be the soaking! Love the soaking!)
Step Two: After the soaking period, proof your yeast by combing an additional 1/2 cup of warm water, 2 tablespoons yeast, and 1 teaspoon of honey. After the yeast has proofed (gotten all frothy and active!) add this to your soaked flour.
Step Three: Add in just enough dry flour to make the dough managable. Then, knead for 5-10 minutes, until it's nice and…kneaded.
Step Four: Using a floured roller (and a floured surface!) gently roll the dough into your desired shape. Allow the crust to rise in a warm place for a few minutes (until it gets nice and poofy!) This will help the crust be thick and light. For a thinner crust, skip the rising stage.
Step Five: Bake at 500 degrees for roughly 15 minutes, or until nice and golden. I don't have a pizza stone, but a plain ‘ol oiled pan did just fine.
Step Six: Top with your favorite ingredients! Including (but not linited to): sausage, cheese, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, chives, potatoes, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, avacado, mushrooms, peanut butter, jelly, french toast..
Okay. Maybe not those last few. Perhaps I've gotten carried away again.
Step Seven: After you've got your toppings perfectly placed, return the pizza to the oven until the toppings are nice and warm and melted. Mmm.
Please forgive the fact that I didn't take any “making of” shots on this recipe. I have the following excuses:
1. My camera batteries were charging.
2. I had a baby on my hip half the time I was making it. Therefore, no free hands. Or hips.
3. It could have tasted like cardboard. In which case, I would not want to share the recipe. In which case, taking pictures would have been a waste of time.
4. My kitchen looked like a bomb went off, leaving dishes, crumbs, coffee cups, and toys. Surely not a setting for fine photography.
5. I am trying to convince my husband to get me buy a ridiculously expensive, extravaggent, in no-way-needed camera that I really want. A Nikon D90. Sigh. And by someone not taking “during” pictures, I was “stickin'-it-to-the-man”.
6. I don't think #5 worked at all. He stills says it's expensive, extravaggent, and in no-way-needed. He's right. Sigh.
Here's the man now.
Hey Honey! You know, it's my birthday next Friday. You know what I would LOVE? It's black and it takes pictures and it's realllly expensive.
Do you think that hint was too obvious? Maybe I'll try and be more subtle.
Honey, my life won't be fulfilled until I have a Nikon D90.
There, that was better. I think he'll go for it now. Subtle and sweet, I am.
May your weekend find you in all kinds of picture taking, flour soaking, crust making adventures my friends!
For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.
Homemade Soaked Pizza Crust
- 8-10 cups whole wheat flour ((freshly ground is best!))
- 3 cups warm water
- 3 tbsp acid medium ((kefir, lemon juice, whey, apple cider vinegar))
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp salt
Additionally (see Step 2):
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ cup warm water
Mix the flour, water, honey, and acid medium together. Let this sit out on the counter for 12-24 hours (well covered as to prevent it from drying out!). This will help break down the phytates present in the wheat. Not only does this makes it easier to digest, but it also makes nutrients more accessible for your body to absorb. Win-win, baby.
(I know this step can seem daunting, but all it takes is a little planning! It only takes five minutes to mix up the ingredients – I swear! Don't fear the soaking! Be the soaking! Love the soaking!)
After the soaking period, proof your yeast by combing an additional 1/2 cup of warm water, 2 tablespoons yeast, and 1 teaspoon of honey. After the yeast has proofed (gotten all frothy and active!) add this to your soaked flour.
Add in just enough dry flour to make the dough managable. Then, knead for 5-10 minutes, until it's nice and…kneaded.
Using a floured roller (and a floured surface!) gently roll the dough into your desired shape. Allow the crust to rise in a warm place for a few minutes (until it gets nice and poofy!) This will help the crust be thick and light. For a thinner crust, skip the rising stage.
Bake at 500 degrees for roughly 15 minutes, or until nice and golden. I don't have a pizza stone, but a plain ‘ol oiled pan did just fine.
Top with your favorite ingredients! Including (but not linited to): sausage, cheese, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, chives, potatoes, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, avacado, mushrooms, peanut butter, jelly, french toast..
Okay. Maybe not those last few. Perhaps I've gotten carried away again.
After you've got your toppings perfectly placed, return the pizza to the oven until the toppings are nice and warm and melted. Mmm.
I love my D90! I did have to wait for my 32nd birthday though(my husband said you’ve waited long enough(10yrs), your getting a good camera). I also love that it takes movies too! I LOVE MY D90!
Becky, if I count this birthday, that leaves me 7 more years to save up. Maybe, sigh, just maybe, I will get one by then!
What do you have now? I love your pictures that you take for your blog.
When do you add the salt?
Sorry Stephanie! I didn’t realize I’d missed that! Add in Step Three – the final mixing.
i really want to try this!! i miss pizza since starting the WAPF diet. question, though. if i use kefir or whey, won’t the honey kill the bacteria since it has antimicrobial properties?
Since the honey isn’t too concentrated in the overall mix, it should be fine.
I made this today with a friend and our nine kids. It was so good! But I kept thinking it was missing something…about 8 hours later, I realized I left out the salt. That was it. I’ll definitely do this again, and with the salt next time. Thank you for sharing!
hiya! 1st time pizza/bread/anything soaking maker here. Did you use a hand mixer for the 1st step, or is beating it with a spoon and leaving it in a flour-y mess fine before you add the yeast? We don’t have a food processor, just my own hands here.
Hi, I started this soaking this morning. If I add the yeast mixture tomorrow morning, can I press the crust out and leave it until dinner or will that make it rise way too much? If I need to wait, will it hurt for the crust to soak longer? Thanks
The crust will be fine soaking longer!
I like to make 3-4 pizzas at a time, bake one and freeze the others for quick meals. Pizza dough is the one thing I still use wheat flour for because I can’t get anything else to freeze so well! I’d love to add the soaking step to my dough, but how would you freeze it since you bake it prior to topping? I usually just top my raw dough and pop it in the freezer, think you could do the same here or would it bake really funny? Thanks!
I’ve never frozen it so not sure. You should experiment with freezing after soaking and let us know how it turns out.
Did any experimenting get done on freezing? : ) I’m glad to find your recipe and plan to use it next week, but it would be great to know if you’ve played with this at all since 2015, thanks so much!
I’m new to soaking but have been reading about it for awhile now… I thought I had read somewhere (once a long time ago…) that you shouldn’t soak your flours in a metal bowl? Do you know if this is true? I have a glass bowl I could use… but my largest bowl is metal and I am hesitant to use it (though it would be much more convenient!!)!
I’m not sure… I haven’t had problems with this before.
I may be way off here, but I wonder if I could sub some of my sourdough starter for the whey/kefir/acidic medium? I’m hoping to imbue some of it’s flavor into the pizza crust. Thanks!
You bet!
I accidentally put the salt in with the flour before it was soaked! Have I ruined it? Does the salt prevent the whey from working it’s magic?
What type of yeast do you use?
Thank you!!!
Hi Shaye,
I am just wondering whether we could do a 50/50 flour as in like 50% whole wheat flour & 50% All purpose flour? I have a big bag of AP flour sitting in my pantry & I don’t want it to go to waste.
Best Regards
May
8-10 cups flour, how many pizza does it make? I am one person, Can I half the recipe or would the dough freeze well?