Deep Dish Spinach Stuffed Pizza (with Whole Wheat Flour)

Deep Dish Spinach Stuffed Pizza; a double layered spinach stuffed whole wheat pizza; a fun and tasty way to have your spinach!

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 to 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour/maida

Semolina or cornmeal and oil to coat the pan

Extra flour for dusting

FOR THE PIZZA SAUCE:

4 to 5 tomatoes

1 small onion

2 to 3 green chillies/jalapenos

1 to 2 cloves of garlic

1 cup tomato puree

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

FOR SPINACH STUFFING:

3 cups of chopped fresh spinach

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

¼ cup finely chopped onions

1 clove of garlic, grated

½ teaspoon crushed chilli flakes

1 to 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese

Salt to taste1 teaspoon olive oil

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

½ cup grated mozzarella cheese for the final topping

Grated Parmesan cheese

FOR THE PIZZA CRUST:

Mix sugar, yeast and warm water (water should be hot to the touch that you can place your fingers in it and still not get scalded).

Leave aside for about 10 minutes until it turns frothy. If it does not, discard and try again. (Either the yeast is old or water temperature is not right).

Stir in 1 ½ cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour, oil and salt until smooth..

Stir in remaining flour as needed to form a soft, smooth and pliable dough.

Knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Grease a large bowl; place the dough in the bowl and turn to grease it fully.

Cover and keep aside to proof and rise for about 1 to 1 ½ hours until doubled in size.

FOR THE PIZZA SAUCE:

While the dough is rising, we can make the pizza sauce.

In a blender jar, add chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and garlic and blend to a fine paste.

Pour into a deep saucepan along with tomato puree, sugar, salt to taste and seasonings.

Mix well.

Bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until very thick. Keep aside.

FOR THE SPINACH FILLING:

Heat oil in a saucepan; add chopped onions, crushed chili pepper and grated garlic; saute for a couple of minutes until the onions turn soft.

Add sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt.

Saute for about 2 minutes till the mushrooms start to wilt.

Stir in finely chopped spinach along with more salt to taste and crushed chili flakes; cook on high for about 2 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium high and cook until spinach is cooked and most of the moisture is gone. Set aside to cool.

Once the mixture is cool, stir in ¾ to 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese.

Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit or 230 degrees Centigrade.

Grease a 9 inch round baking pan (which is at least 2 inches deep) with oil and sprinkle the bottom of the pan with semolina or cornmeal (this makes for a crispy crust).

Punch down dough; divide into 2 portions.

Roll one portion to about a 11 inches circle.

Place the rolled dough over the oiled pan and gently fit the dough into the pan and up the sides.

Prick the dough with a fork (to prevent puffing up during baking).

Sprinkle ½ cup of grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the crust (to prevent the filling from making the crust soggy).

Layer the spinach filling over the cheese evenly to spread until the edges of the crust.

Roll remaining dough to a 10 inch circle and place over the spinach filling.

Pinch the edges of the top and bottom crust to seal the filling inside.

Remove excess dough.

Prick the top rolled pizza dough with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven.

Spread a layer of pizza sauce over the crust.

Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese and return to the hot oven

Bake for about 10 more minutes until the cheese has melted and starts to turn brown.

Bake the baked stuffed spinach pizza out of the oven and place on counter for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy healthy, filling and scrumptious deep dish spinach stuffed pizza with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (optional) and a glass of juice.

Try to roll the crust as thin as possible.

Spice up the filling any way you want with your favorite spices but make sure the mixture is totally devoid of moisture before filling to avoid soggy crust.

Adjust the amount of cheese according to your preference.