Quinoa Honey Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

I loved hearing about everyone’s childhood favorite foods yesterday. Lasagna seems to be the top runner for a lot of you. I do love lasagna but my grandma makes some mean stuffed shells almost every Christmas and I would have to say those beat out lasagna for me.

Another thing that beats out lasagna in my book? Pizza!

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Seriously though…is there anyone out there that doesn’t like pizza?

Warm, fluffy crust topped with flavorful sauce and stringy cheese…

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What’s not to love?

As a vegetarian, pizza is one of my go-to meals. I’m pretty sure you can travel almost anywhere and find a veggie pizza. Plus, some pizzas can actually be made healthy which I personally love.

Like this one. Whole grain flour, rich butternut squash for sauce and slightly tender kale, make for a healthy and flavorful pizza.

Yes and yes.

Quinoa & Honey Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

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  • 1 and 3/4 cup quinoa flour
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast + 1 cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Butternut Squash & Kale Topping

Adapted from Dishing Up the Dirt

  • 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
  • 1 head kale, washed and chopped
  • 1/c cup vegetable broth
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons goat cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend)

Makes two pizzas

*Time saving tip: you can find frozen butternut squash that has already been peeled and diced and microwave it for 5 minutes with a little bit of water. Easy, peasy.

To make the sauce, mash up the cooked squash (or place it in the food processor) and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons goat cheese to it. For the kale, I prepared it by sautéing it my favorite way, with garlic, shallots, and vegetable broth, but you could also toss it in olive oil and put it right on top as Andrea did in her recipe.

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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then combine the yeast with 1 cup warm (not hot) water and set aside for 5 minutes.

Combine all three flours and salt in a food processor pulse until mix together. (You can also do this by hand in a large bowl if you don’t have a food processor)

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Next, add the honey to the water with the yeast and allow it to sit for several minutes.

Stir to make sure the honey is mixed well and then pour it into the spout of the food processor while it is running on low speed. The flour will eventually turn into a ball of dough.

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Remove the dough from the processor and knead into a round ball. Place the dough in a large bowl greased with olive oil, cover with a towel and set aside for several hours so that the dough can rise.

After it has doubled in size, place the dough on a lightly floured surface.

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Divide the ball into two separate halves (or keep as one if you prefer a thicker crust) and smooth them back into round balls with your hands. Then roll each ball out with a rolling pin into desired size and shape for your pizza.

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Carefully transfer the dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and smooth about 1/2 cup sauce on top.

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Then layer the sautéed kale on top of the sauce.

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Lastly, top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

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Cook pizza in preheated oven for 14 minutes, then set oven to broil. Broil on high for about 3 or 4 more minutes, until cheese is golden brown on top.

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**This recipe makes a crust of average thickness but if you prefer a thicker crust, you can make one pizza instead of two. You would probably need to cook the crust first for about 5 minutes before cooking with toppings if you decide to make it thicker.

Brandon and I loved this pizza and ate both of them like there was no tomorrow.

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If you haven’t tried butternut squash and kale together, you should. Like, tomorrow.

Another recipe I love that also combines them is Butternut Squash and Kale Risotto, SO good.

Okay, I’m done babbling for today. Happy Friday Eve! Open-mouthed smile

 

What is your favorite kind of pizza? Do you prefer thick or thin crust?