Freezer Meals: Honey-Wheat Pizza Dough

I've been trying to stock up on simple meals and other food items that will make life easier after the new baby comes this month. I saw a recipe for freezer pizza dough and decided to tweak it a bit to make it a little healthier, but still just as easy. The recipe made enough for 4 pizza crusts, so we baked 2 that night and still have 2 in the freezer... they'll be super-easy to turn into a quick and satisfying meal later on! Everyone LOVED this pizza and the dough turned out just perfectly... and I loved the fact that it was so easy to make. :)

Honey-Wheat Pizza Dough

1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp dry yeast
4 cups bread flour OR all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups cool water
2 tsp celtic OR kosher salt (you can use regular iodized salt if that is all you have)
1/2 tsp ANY or EACH: rosemary, oregano, basil, garlic, and/or onion powder (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil (plus more for greasing the dough later on)
2 Tbsp honey


- In large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water until dissolved. Let stand until foamy.

-Add the flour, cool water, salt, oil, honey, and desired spices into the yeast mixture. Stir well, and knead by hand for 7 minutes (I did this right in the bread bowl). You can also use a dough hook on a stand mixer if you have one; that should do the work in about 5 minutes. (Still waiting on my stand mixer. :) )

-Place the dough in a large GREASED bowl and cover with a small towel. Let rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled.

-Punch down and divide into 4 equal portions. Coat each ball with more olive oil and wrap each in plastic wrap. Place in freezer bags, label, and freeze.

TO USE: Remove from freezer 8-12 hours before using. Let thaw in fridge. After thawing, remove from fridge and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and make your pizza according to your favorite recipe. :)

Tip - Since I don't have a pizza stone to give my crust a nice, crispy outside and chewy inside, I figured out the next best thing... I rub a generous amount of olive oil onto my pizza pan, and then sprinkle that with a light coating of cornmeal. I also lightly brush the entire top crust with olive oil to help keep the sauce and toppings from making the crust soggy. My father-in-law brushed his pizza dough with an amazing garlic-infused olive oil he whipped up, and that was SO tasty!