friday night pizza party!

i don't know how it happened.
i guess in the grand scheme of things it seemed like the perfect night for it.
a sort of end of the week beginning of the weekend hooray.
friday night is pizza night.

yes, i have been known on occasion to break down and order delivery.
yes, sometimes you might find costco take & bake pizza in my freezer which i jazz up to serve.
but more likely than not i make big sheet pizza's with sections mapped out for everyone's "special" taste buds.

aydan get's just cheese. this is a victory of it's own.
coop likes cheese with a meat {always bacon if he had his way}.
for the husband and me it's some meat, loads of veggies and a little cheese.

but the thing that makes it, that really makes it for us, is the whole wheat crust.
love it.

one of the challenges i have found out here in the east - compared to whole grain vancouver - is the lack of whole grains in foods. it's getting there but it's not there.
not enough for me.
so i improvise and this is one of those.

and of course we celebrated with chocolate cake. yeah for fridays!!

and as coop always quotes from the immortal words of yo gabba gabba "try it - you'll like it."

whole wheat pizza dough.

3/4 cups warm water.
2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast {or two packets}
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for bowl
1 teaspoon honey {or sugar}
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour - lightened {or spooned and leveled} plus extra & more for kneading
1 cup whole wheat flour - lightened {or spooned and leveled}

place the water in a large mixing bowl. sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit for 5 minutes so it can get all foamy. once that is ready whisk in the olive oil, sugar and salt. then add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook until incorporated - you will have a sticky dough. add a bit more flour...a little at a time...so your dough is not too sticky.

brush another large bowl with oil {psst...i use the same bowl!} then place your dough in and turn a time or two to coat in oil. cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to allow the dough to rise - double in size - for about 45 minutes to an hour. go do your toe nails or finish that book you have been wanting to. or do the laundry - your choice.

once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. knead for about 15 to 30 seconds till smooth......and there you have it!

makes enough for one pizza.

to assemble the pizza: brush your pan with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. now start stretching your dough. this will take a little bit. just keep working it out slowly and you will be amazed that it will fill the pan. place your topping on top. place in a 400 degree pre-heated oven and {depending on your topping and the amount of them} cook for about 30 minutes but do keep an eye on it after 15 minutes. things can go south real quick!

for my pan above- which is a half sheet pan - i use a ball.