Veggie Pie with a Whole Wheat Crust

Hey everyone, glad to be back after my computer problems of the past couple weeks.  Clicked on a new game site advertised on FB and POOF! a virus embedded in my registry.  Well needless to say, I'm starting from scratch and although it is kinda nice to have a completely clean slate it's also a mighty pain in the arse as well.

So last weekend we ran into a weekly phenomena at Casa Hunger and those of you who have been reading for some time probably know where this is going - PIZZA NIGHT!  Although we didn'/t have a lot of special toppings we were able to muddle through and the lad was content as he usually is to enjoy a traditional cheese pizza but as I had some of my homemade farmer cheese, I had other things in mind...

This is what I ended up with and I must say for a throw together event making do with what's in the fridge...

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

• 3/4 Cup Water, very warm
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 1/3 Cup AP flour
• 2/3 Cup Whole wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoons Kosher salt

1. Combine the water, yeast and oil in a food processor or mixer
2. Add the flour and the salt
3. Pulse in a processor or mix on low in a mixer until all is combined
4. Check for texture, it should be moist and slighty firm, with practice you'll figure out what's perfect but since basic dough like this is so dependent on the weather (moisture in the air issues), these measurements are close but depending on the day may need a bit of tweaking.
5. Kick the processor on or turn your mixer on about medium high and knead for about 4 minutes in a food processor or about 6 to 8 minutes in a mixer.  The dough is done when it pulls nicely in an elastic manner.
6. Cover with a towel in an oiled bowl nd let rest for 40 minutes or so
7. Punch down the dough and divide in half
8. Form half the dough into a ball and on a floured counter push down and then stretch with your hands or roll to the size and shape of your choice; we both like a bit of counded crust at the edge do I typically stretch by hand on the counter turning and pushing down with fists and finger tips until about 9" to 10" in diameter
9. Place the stretched dough on a pizza peel or an an inverted sheet pan covered lightly in flour or cornmeal
10. Top with your choice of toppings and bake on a preheated stone at 550F for about 6 to 8 minutes

This particular pie was topped with olive oil, homemade whole milk ricotta, sliced onions and sweet peppers with sliced mushrooms...deeeelightful if I do say so myself!

Hasta