Whole Wheat Pizza, Trader Joe's style

The other night it sounded fun to make pizza.  And, relaxing to make my own dough...knead it, spread it out, etc.  (Trader Joe's does have great premade pizza dough, if you ever want that!).

I think I talked about how I now love the pizza at Whole Foods.  So I tried to make one as close as possible to that.

Here's the process...

Crust recipe (for 1 ball of dough): 

• In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup warm water and 1 1/8 teaspoon dry yeast (half a package - if using a pkg just double the recipe and make 2)
• Once dissolved, add 1/2 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp. oil, and 1/2 cup flour
• Beat above and add 1 more cup of flour or enough for the dough to become stiff
• Knead well (about 5 min)
• Put in greased bowl till double (approx. 1 hour)
• Stretch to fit your baking sheet
• Let rise another 15 minutes (mine doesn't really rise much this time)

Then, add toppings.  We used...

 

 homemade pesto (basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts)

 

Trader Joe's Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheeses (used less than 1/2 package of each)

 

Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomatoes ($3.69 for the jar - a great deal!)

 

 Sauted frozen bell peppers from Trader Joe's.  You can get a bag for $1.69 and they are awesome.  So much flavor and such a great price!

 

Viola!  (This is pre-baked.)  Bake the pizza at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

And it was really good!  My husband said it was the best pizza I've ever made.  It did taste really good!