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Whole Wheat Pizza with 3 Cheeses



Lately i think i have had extra sugar in my diet that i decided to counter the effects or purge myself off it by having more whole wheat and grains in my diet. Not easy especially if you live with two teenage boys who are carnivorous. My brain tells me to go ahead, i have been "sinning"lately especially after that 2 month trip out of New York.
When you live in someone else's house, you cannot choose your food. Even if you can afford to buy your own, i feel embarrass at the least to buy and cook my own food, it's like telling your host "your food sucks" in a sort of cerebral kind of way. So i try to avoid that.
Just before i left, i already told my mother to tell my Aunt in Sacramento that just in case i drop by, they should not fuss over what i would eat because i have my own special diet etc etc..
Still, it didn't stop them to invite me to pizza dinners which i kindly obliged twice and politely just excused myself the third time. Yes, i do eat a bite of these store bought pizzas every once in a while, but you will not believe how much flavorful homemade whole wheat pizzas are compared to these cookie cutter pizzas.

I have pretty much exhausted my pantry tricks for anything healthier to eat since i arrived here in New York, i thought it would be easier but not. 7 years of shunning away from processed foods fats, sugars etc., sometimes the food that i have been eating just makes me want to gag, the very thought of having a carrot shake even if you add mangoes to them or strawberries, uuugh. I am a cancer survivor trying to survive doubly hard in a place where public transportation is a major bust. If i ran out of cilantro or parsley, i have to shell out $16.00 for a cab ride to get to the nearest grocery. In Fairview, P30.00 (barely a dollar!!!) only and i can get to the nearest supermarket, buy myself some fresh mushrooms or basil, pick whichever you like, Rustan's or SM. Or, and i know you all do this back home, ask someone to get these stuff for us, si Manong or Manang, or when someone is going out, pasabay ng gulay sa driver. Life is so much easier back home.

Spring and Summer is a relief, you can plant your own organic veggies, munch on the freshly picked tomatoes and add the greens to anything. I am lucky that i can cook and bake at the same time. Though dairy is also not allowed, i do love cheese so this is a huge treat for me, have the cheese but not that white flour crust at the bottom. Compromise. I think this is the reason why i am still alive today, hope to G-d i am doing the right thing.

The recipe i used is simple, i just used more seeds and the bran i got from this Amish store which is so cheap, this actually gives the dough a nuttier flavor, crispier too! Mix all the ingredients, rest the dough at least 2 hours before shaping them into rounds, relax again after rounding and you will not have a hard time flattening them. I did not bother to dock the dough because i want them to puff up to create the layers when i use the crust for pizzas.

300 grams of all purpose flour
100 grams of whole wheat
50 grams of cracked wheat
50 grams of bran
20 grams of sesame seeds
10 grams of flax seeds
10 grams salt
10 grams yeast
10 grams olive oil
10 grams of sugar plus about 65% water. I did use a sponge to add to the mix though just to give it that more artisan flavor. With a sponge, i was able to use my Kitchen Aid. Half of the dough was frozen for future pizza crust cravings.






My sponge/starter which i continually feed every time i use it.


I have no idea what the Indians call this round wooden sort of mold for their chapati or paratha i guess but i love it.


Once you have flatten the dough, you can either bake or grill them, i normally bake the Pita or Pizza crusts but this time i decided to just grill them because i want a heartier flavor, more authentic rustic owing to the ingredients that i just used.


The grilled crust now being topped, just a simple veggie tomato sauce and three of my favorite cheeses, smoked provolone, gorgonzola and mozarella, plus onions and garlic. Nothing else.


My favorite part, is the edge crust, it is crispy, nutty and yes, very healthy indeed. I get to eat pizza and not feel guilty about it. Next post is whole wheat sesame pandesal. Promise.

Tentative baking hands on session will be this coming September, G-d willing.
www.breadmakinglessons.yolasite.com
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