Completely Homemade, Healthy Pizza? It's Possible!!

So we all know that Adam and I have been trying new things, watching our portion sizes, and doing some exercise in an attempt for us to become sexy bi***es!!  Well on Saturday I was craving pizza so bad!  Normally we order take-out pizza about once a week and not having it was just tearing me up inside.  I think knowing that I couldn't have it was killing me more than the actual craving.  So what did I do?  I ate pizza, and you can too!  I made my own pizza dough out of wheat flour and everything!!!  Seriously, try this recipe.  It's awesome.  *Note:  You can get in some hubby/wifey bonding time by claiming that you just aren't strong enough to knead the dough all by yourself and watch as your hubby struggles to knead it for you, like I did. ;)*

First things first, the pizza dough!  The best thing about this dough is that there is NO YEAST!  That means you don't have to plan this pizza 18-24 hours in advance and wait for your dough to rise!!!!  It literally only took about 10 minutes to make this pizza dough.

Wheat Pizza Dough
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
2 tablespoons of dried Italian herbs (a mixture of basil, oregano, rosemary, and maybe even thyme)
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1/2 cup of water
1 egg
1 teaspoon of minced garlic


Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the wheat flour, baking powder, sea salt, herbs, garlic powder, and minced garlic.  Use a whisk to mix all of the ingredients together to ensure the flour mixture is fully seasoned.  In a measuring cup, measure out 1/2 cup of water and then add the egg and beat.  Now add your egg and water into the flour mixture and it's time to get your hands dirty!  (Ladies, take off your wedding ring, mixing food with your hands and putting on lotion is the only time this allowed in my book)  Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly and form into a ball.  When I made this recipe I was only trying to make a small pizza so I formed my dough into two balls and froze one of them for future use.  Now that your dough is all mixed, get out your rolling pin and roll and squish and stretch that dough to the pizza size that you want.  Keep in mind, I think this recipe works best when you are trying to make a thin crust pizza.  This dough recipe will come out chewy and tasting like a frozen pizza if you make it thick.  Now that you have a perfectly round pizza dough (yeah right, mine looked like an amoeba!) it's time to put it in the oven so it can get crispy without the toppings!


While your pizza dough is in the oven, multitask and make the olive oil mixture to put on the dough.  This is one step that you DO NOT want to forget.  It gives the pizza so much more flavor.


Olive Oil Flavor Enhancer
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried Italian herbs (the same mix you used in the pizza dough)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


Mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly.  After your pizza dough has been in the oven for about 5 minutes and is starting to bubble up, brush on the olive oil mixture and put back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes.  (Until it doesn't look so wet anymore)  Set aside your pizza crust and start working on your toppings.  I chose to make a ricotta based sauce and then topped it herb-garlic chicken, spinach, and mozzarella.  If you want to have the same amazing experience that my husband and I did, then please follow the directions below...


Herb-Garlic Chicken
Let me just start off my saying this chicken is a staple in our household!  It is so easy to make and good God I just love chicken.  I could eat it every day and feel like I'm having something new every time because chicken is so versatile.  But anyway, you don't care about my love for chicken, on to the recipe!


1 boneless, skinless chicken breast trimmed of fat.
a few drizzles of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried Italian herbs (yep, the same ones you've been using throughout this entire recipe!)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of garlic powder


Cut your chicken breast into smaller-than-bite-size pieces.  Remember, this is going on top of a pizza, you don't want huge pieces!  Drizzle enough olive oil into a frying pan to lightly coat the pan.  Once the pan is hot, put your chicken in the pan and then add the rest of the ingredients and stir and mix until all of the chicken pieces are coated with the seasonings.  Reduce to medium heat.  Keep stirring frequently until your chicken is cooked through and set aside to use later.


Take about 2 cups of raw baby spinach and chop it up!  Set that aside to use later.


Ricotta Cheese Sauce (which isn't really a sauce, it's more like yummy stuff mixed up with ricotta cheese and spread onto a pizza)
1 cup of ricotta cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 more tablespoon of those wonderful dried Italian herbs we've been using
a pinch of sea salt


In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the ricotta, milk, herbs, and salt.  Stir together until the ricotta cheese is melted, your sauce will be thin.  Now add in the mozzarella cheese and stir until your sauce thickens up a bit.  


***AT THIS TIME, YOU ARE NOW READY TO ASSEMBLE YOUR PIZZA!!!!!***


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Take your pre-baked pizza crust and spread several spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese sauce onto it as if it were regular pizza sauce onto a regular pizza crust.  You will probably have leftover sauce, but that's okay.  Just refrigerate it and figure out something else to use it for (like for use as filling in my homemade wheat pasta raviolis).  Now sprinkle the chopped spinach all over the pizza.  Next is all of that yummy cooked chicken that is making your kitchen smell so good right now, and finally a good amount of shredded mozzarella on top.  Bake your pizza for about 15 minutes on the middle rack.  The key to a perfect pizza is keep your eye on it!  When the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown, your pizza is done!  If the crust starts to look burnt before the cheese is bubbly, leave it on the middle rack and turn on the broiler for a few minutes.  It's the perfect way to get  that perfectly golden brown pizza.


And now for the glorious pictures!!!

the toppings before the cheese was put on top

oh yeah!

I sure wish I had a better camera.  Just try the recipe, I promise it's yummy!!

I hope you wonderful people try this awesome recipe!  I do admit, it's probably not the healthiest thing you can eat, but it's a lot better than ordering Pizza Hut or something.  Plus, when you cook at home, you get to spend some great time with your loved ones.  My hubby and I had so much fun making this together!  If you try this recipe, please please please let me know what you think!  ...and TELL YOUR FRIENDS!