Whole-wheat pizza dough

I love my bread machine.

Actually, I've not had such great success making bread with it. But I do use the dough cycle to make the dough for two things, every week.

One is the homemade braided challahs I make each Friday for Shabbat. (I'll post that recipe and technique next Baking Tuesday.)

The other thing I make is whole wheat pizza dough. My menu plan has me making pizza every Wednesday night. That day, my daughter has an afterschool activity. It's an easy recipe - I put the ingredients in the bread machine, take her there, and when I come home the dough is just about done. Then I roll out the dough, put on toppings and bake, and with the addition of a salad, dinner is done!

I have a Breadman Plus automatic bread machine. I bought it at a thrift shop for $5.00. It was listed for $9.99, but there was a 50% off sale that day. I haven't cleaned off the price tag so I can remember what a great deal I got!

The ingredient list is pretty short. Add to the bread machine in the order described by your machine's manufacturer:

1-1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. yeast

Sometimes I'll also add dried herbs like oregano or basil, or I'll add Parmesan cheese or garlic powder.

Put the breadmaker on the "dough" cycle. After a few minutes of mixing, check the dough. It should be a firm ball, but not too dry. If it's too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is firm. If it's too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time.

Wait until the end of the cycle - for me, it's 1-1/2 hours. Once it's finished, remove the dough and divide it into two halves. For each half, roll the dough out. I cook mine in two ungreased 13x9 pans, but you could use traditional pizza pie pans. Bake the pizza crusts in a 450 degree oven for 7 minutes. Remove (don't turn off the oven), add your favorite sauce and toppings, then return to the oven for another 7 minutes. Remove (turn off the oven this time), cut into slices (or for me, squares), and watch everyone devour the pizza!