Stovetop Pizza with Spelt Dough
With the holidays tucked safely behind, I’ve found myself trying to incorporate healthier foods into my family’s New Year diet. There were some subtle groans about the 100% whole wheat flour bagels and bread that showed up in our kitchen January 1st, foreshadowing things to come. After a few weeks of slowly letting go of the white flour, however, no one seems to mind quite as much anymore. Along with the whole wheat flour, I have also been adding spelt flour to many of our baked goods and breads. I’ve always loved the flavor of spelt, and find it easy to work with in most applications. I had forgotten about the Whole Grain Spelt Dough recipe in Artisan Pizza and Flatbreads, and it has been a welcome addition to dinner. My kids didn’t even notice the crust on their beloved stovetop pizza was slightly heartier, and gobbled down their slices without batting an eye.
100% Whole Grain Spelt Dough Recipe for Stovetop Pizza
from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, page 84
3 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon Red Star Platinum yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1/8 cup olive oil
8 cups whole grain spelt flour (I used the half-spelt variation, with 4 cups spelt flour and 4 cups all-purpose flour)
Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or lidded (not airtight) food container.
Mix the remaining dry ingredients using a spoon, a dough whisk, or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Cover, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses, about 2 hours.
The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded container and use over the next 7 days.
On pizza day, start by heating an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stovetop (for a slightly large pizza, I used my braising pan here, which also worked well). Cut off a quarter-pound piece of dough and shape into a ball. Flatten the dough with your hands or a rolling pin, and roll into a 1/8 inch thick round.
Carefully transfer the dough to the preheat pan, and quickly spread olive oil or sauce over the dough, then the cheese and whatever other toppings you are using (I’ve used olive oil, roasted sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and mozzarella cheese here). Cover the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes without lifting the lid (unless, of course, you smell scorching).
When your bottom crust is browned to your liking (check the bottom of the crust by peeking at a corner of it with a spatula), remove the lid, turn on the broiler, and toast the pizza for 1-2 minutes to get a crisp top crust. Remove the skillet from the oven, then take the pizza out of the pan with a spatula. Allow the pizza to cool slightly on a wire cooling rack. Cut into wedges and serve.
You might also be interested in our Mushroom Garlic Thyme Stovetop Pizza.
And don’t forget to check out our Craftsy Artisan Bread in Five Minutes class! Learn the secrets to making fresh, artisan-style breads in no time, from classic baguettes to braided loaves and even hearty sandwich breads.
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Hi Jeff & Zoe,
I went looking for ingredients today, with which to begin my healthy artisan bread-baking adventure. Red Star’s website told me I could find Red Star Platinum Yeast at the Albertson’s grocery stores in my area, so I went there. Unfortunately, the store only had those little packets, which as you know are pretty expensive and won’t make much bread. I googled it and found the Platinum Yeast on Amazon but still only in the little packets, although in a decent quantity. Do you happen to know of another online source, to buy a pint-size jar of the Red Star Platinum Yeast??
BTW, I also had to order spelt flour from Bob’s Red Mill, because neither Albertson’s nor my local Whole Foods store had that. (I was very surprised, because Whole Foods is huge and has a big baking aisle plus a big bulk section, and there was no spelt in any form in either place.) Bob’s Red Mill seems to have pretty good prices. I’m hoping their products will be fresh when I get them – I’m not used to buying foodstuffs online, though I shop for lots of other stuff that way!
Cheers,
Amy
Hi Amy,
That’s a great question, I’m not sure they are producing the platinum yeast in larger jars. I will find out, but you can use the Red Star brand of yeast with great results as well.
Thanks, Zoë
OK thanks – I forgot to say that I’m in Phoenix, AZ, in case your inquiries lead to info about a physical source.
Hi – I found out from the Red Star company directly – they only make Platinum yeast in the little packets so far. (It’s a new product.) They did recommend an online grocer they deal with, which offers packages of 9 or 18 strips of 3 packets each. That page is here: https://www.onlinegroceryoutlet.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Yeast
Hi Amy,
That is fantastic, so glad you got it from the source. I was going to tell you, but they told me they’d already been in touch with you. 😉
Cheers, Zoë
This looks right up my alley! How many pizzas should it make?
Four pounds of dough– that’s about 8 very thin pizzas, or 4 thicker ones. If you do it like above– more like 4
hi, jeff, i have some glueten free flour, can i use four cups glueten free flour in this recipe?many thanks.
Not likely to work with commercial gluten-free flour. If you’re interested in gluten-free recipes, try any from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (on amazon at https://amzn.to/1msOBmY )
I just made the dough using only spelt. It takes one kilo of spelt flour, plus another half a cup or so while kneading. It’s so perfect! We made stove top pizzas and are saving the rest of the dough to make laffas. Thank you for posting such a great recipe!
Hi Chani,
Thanks for letting us know! Enjoy all the pizzas.
Cheers, Zoë
Thank you, Chani. I was looking for a comment like yours. With only 50% spelt it should not be called spelt pizza!
I will try your variation.
Can you use this dough for bread?
Sure! Tell me which of our books you have and I can direct you to good directions for using it.
Found this amazing spelt flour pizza recipe while searching the site for how to use spelt flour in a basic bread dough. I own Best of Artisan Bread. Please tell me what recipe to follow to sub in spelt flour for at least half of the all purpose flour. Thank you!
You can use the master recipe from chapter 5, but you can also use the recipe right here in this post