In today’s world of conscious, healthy eating, pizza has been dubbed an indulgence, at best, and the very description of a terrible healthy meal choice at worst. However, just as with any other renowned junk food, this is wholly dependent on the food’s constituent parts. Pizza and healthy eating are not necessarily mutually exclusive entities anymore!
How does one go about making a healthy pizza at home using pizza oven? Here’s how to get started:
Before anything else is taken up, the base of the pizza must be established. In most cases, the pizza base is considered the main culprit in keeping pizza as part of an unhealthy diet. Making a few adjustments and altering several ingredients and steps, therefore, propels you toward a healthier outcome in your pizza making endeavours.
For a healthy crust, choose whole grain. Using 100% whole wheat flour rather than simple all-purpose flour ensures that your base acts as a strong foundation for all the good things that will go on top. The simple sugars within simple all-purpose flour may add unnecessary carbs to your diet; whole-grain flour consists of complex sugars which offer fewer carbs in your diet. However, please note that working with whole-grain dough is a little more involving than other dough types. To get the best whole-grain pizza crust that you can, be extra vigilant and do not overlook:
- The consistency of your dough. Do not fret that your dough is slightly wetter than you feel is acceptable. This actually indicates a better chance of a well-risen dough when you get to that point in the process.
- The type of flour. As mentioned above, whole wheat flour is the best choice. White whole-wheat flour is ideal as it is a little easier to utilise.
- The stretch of the dough. To get your dough to stretch in a manner that will transcend your crust’s quality after baking, add some extra gluten. This tip is the secret to transforming your dough. It does not have to be much. In this case, a little goes a long way.
The next step involves sauces. You cannot go wrong with a good, well-made tomato sauce. Here, there is also a split in temperaments. Tomato sauces are notorious for needing long periods to cook for a satisfactory result. While some don’t mind waiting hours for their batch of sauce, there are work-rounds for others that prefer the shorter process. In this case, a jar of store-bought sauce can be elevated using a spoonful of dried herbs and a little fresh garlic.
Before you spread your sauce on the pizza base, it is best to apply some olive oil on the crust.
Toppings and cheeses form the final layer; their selection is just as crucial as what is used for the rest of the pizza. Feel free to add as many vegetables as you would like to your pizza. You only have to be careful not to add so much that you overwhelm the crust and create an unmanageable pizza. You can also add some lean meats for the meat lovers in the family.
Your cheese choices are best kept to the tried and true grated parmesan and whole-milk mozzarella. They are the quintessential duo. Once assembled, place it on a preheated pizza stone, a pizza pan, or a simple baking sheet and bake in an oven for about 5 to 7 minutes. Enjoy!
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