May 2, 2013

Vegan Wholemeal Pizza Dough Recipe


Are you sick of buying cardboardish pre-made pizza bases from the grocery store? Well look no further. This is my tried-and-trusted reliable vegan wholemeal pizza dough recipe... it is easy to prepare with only 5 ingredients! This pizza dough is absolutely amazing because it gets crunchy on the outside but deliciously fluffy on the inside! The wholemeal flour gives the base a really nice earthy flavour and also a nice crunch. When using wholemeal flour, your pizza bases will not turn out as fluffy as the white bases due to its dense, rough and unprocessed consistency. HOWEVER, I believe that it cooks amazingly and tastes so beautiful! It is the best wholemeal base I have ever eaten. Jerome said to me that it is the best pizza dough so far, even better than the white and herby ones. I have tried to write out the steps in a way that will be easy to understand with a few little tips from me. But don't worry, pizza dough is so easy to make and there is no need to fear the use of yeast, the rising or the baking. Once you make it you will not believe how easy it is. I would love for you to try it and tell me what you think. I guarantee that you will never buy a pre-made pizza base again! :D 

Note: You will need to allow approx. 45 minutes of rising time.

I am using the metric system. So, my 'cup' measures at 250ml. Make sure you too are using metric measurements or your pizza dough may be sticky or dry.


makes 2 30cm pizza bases


   2 teaspoons dried yeast
   437.5ml warm water*
   1 teaspoon sugar
   3 ¾ cups (640g) wholemeal flour plus more for kneading
   pinch salt


  1. In a small bowl, add the water, sugar and yeast. Use a metal spoon to stir until combined. Sit for 5 minutes until the yeast has dissolved into the water and is foaming. (*The warm water is activating the yeast so make sure that the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Use water that is warm and able to be touched with your fingers.)
  2. In a large bowl, add the flour and the salt and stir with a metal spoon until combined.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast and water mixture. Stir with a metal spoon until it forms a wet dough. (At this point it will be quite sticky and will stick to your hands and any surfaces.
  4. Lightly flour a clean surface.
  5. Add the wet dough to the floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it is easily rolled into a ball and does not stick to your hands or to the surface. If it is still too wet, add more flour. If it is still too dry add a little bit of water until you reach the desired consistency. 
  6. Spray oil the inside of a large bowl.
  7. Add the dough ball to the bowl and cover with a wet tea towel or plastic wrap and place into a warm place.
  8. Allow to rise for about 45 minutes until it has doubled in size. (This could be more or less depending on the temperature of the surroundings)
  9. Take off the tea towel or plastic wrap and use your fist to punch the air out of the dough. It should be very soft and airy. 
  10. Lightly flour a surface. (Do not over-flour the surface or you will change the consistency of the dough)
  11. Add the dough to the surface and knead for another 1 to 2 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. At this point, the ball will reduce to its original size before the rising. (The dough should be able to be rolled into a ball without sticking to your hands or to the surface. If it starts to stick to your hands or to the surfaces, add a little bit more flour to the surface and knead again for a few seconds and then roll into a ball).
  12. Rip the dough ball into two even pieces and roll them into balls.
  13. Using a rolling pin or a glass, roll them out into pizza base shapes.
  14. Apply them to two lightly-oiled 30cm diameter pizza trays and use your fingers to push the dough into the sides of the tray.
  15. Pre-bake the bases at 200 degrees Celsius for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly browned on the bottom before adding your toppings. Enjoy!
  • I do not use bread flour… just wholemeal plain/all-purpose flour. 
  • *Make sure the water is warm but not too hot. Hot water will kill the yeast. You must use water that is hot but you are still able to touch with your fingers.
  • I am using the metric system. So, my 'cup' measures at 250ml. Make sure you too are using metric measurements or your pizza dough may be sticky or dry.


The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline. Each slice is high in dietary fiber and protein.

18 comments :

  1. Thanks! Will make this with your pesto tomorrow night.

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  2. Yay! Definitely making this. I have been waiting for you to publish your wholemeal version ever since you uploaded the white pizza dough. I am excited.

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    1. Hello Emily! Thanks for the comment. I hope you like it :)

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  3. This looks wonderful :). Looks like we are going to have pizza this weekend Steve! ;)

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  4. Just what I was looking for. Thanks! ^__^

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  5. Im new to dairy free living, whats the cheese subsitute for pizza topping as I miss pizza, was a family fav :-)

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    1. Hi Marie! There are a few types of vegan cheeses that you can purchase. Tofutti does some nice Americana cheese slices that you can buy from Coles or Wooloworths. Or you can buy the Cheezly rolls from your local health food store. They are my favourites so far :D

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  6. This is a great recipe and, even though my dried yeast and water mix didn't froth, the dough came out perfectly. I baked them in 20cm round cake tins and ended up with four pizza bases. I also added some dried herbs and spices before the final knead making it extra delicious. Thank you! I love your blog. :)

    PS. They freeze really well, too. I just added a piece of baking paper between each base and put them in a freezer bag.

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    1. Hi Vee! Thats ok... if you use instant yeast sometimes it doesn't froth. I am so glad that you enjoyed it! It is definitely worth making your own pizza bases... they taste so amazing and it is great that they freeze well! :)

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  7. Perhaps the yeast didn't foam because you forgot to mention putting the sugar in with the yeast. Thanks for this 100% wholemeal recipe. C

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  8. I made these last night, unfortunately with s/r flour, the result was very pleasing although thicker than we like - my mistake not the recipe. So we will definitely use this recipe again - with the correct flour! As an aside I'd like to mention I used the kneading hook on the Kitchenaid as my hands aren't up to kneading worked fabulously. Also do you ever make gluten free food Madison?

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    1. Hi Karen,
      Oh don't you hate it when you make mistakes like that? It is so annoying! But at least it was still yummy. I am glad that you liked it. Oh wow... I would love a Kitchenaid! I don't really make gluten free food but may have a go in the future :) Is that something you would be interested in? :)

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  9. These bases turned out sooooooooooooooooooooooooo well. thanks

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  10. Hi Madison and Jerome, we made these last night and they were so nice and fluffy and were so easy to make than I thought. So tasty. thank you.

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