My very good friend last night made a whole wheat pizza crust instead of your typical regular dough. I could not even tell that it was whole wheat rather than “regular”. In fact, I might say it was even better than regular!

Her key is adding garlic powder, olive oil, and sugar to the dough, and she thinly rolled it out to about 1/4 of an inch in thickness which really made a crispy crust that I love.

You will need 2-2 1/3 cups whole wheat bread flour, 1 packet instant yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 -1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 3/4 cup warm water.

Combine one cup of flour, your yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder as well (which Jessica recommends). Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well. Gradually add another 1 cup of flour and sometimes you might need to add more to get to the right consistency, stirring until the dough is formed into an elastic ball and pulls away from the sides.

Drizzle in a separate clean bowl generously with olive oil and paint the sides of the bowl with oil as well. Lightly dust your hands with flour and form the dough into a round ball. Jessica suggests prepping the dough for about an hour, while having the dough rolled in olive oil and plastic wrapped tightly. Put in a clean bowl with a towel to cover.

For toppings, Jessica prepped 2 chicken cutlets with garlic seasoning, 3 minutes on each side, 5 slices of bacon cooked to your likeness and cut into small bits, onions thinly sliced, bell pepper, pepperoni, mozzarella and four cheese mix (or whatever toppings you choose).

To finish off your pizza, pre-heat your oven at 425 with a pizza stone in the oven for an even temperature. This recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas, so split the dough in half and lightly knead with a dusting of flour until you get it to about 1/4 inch thickness.

We made one with ranch dressing, chicken, bacon, onion, and bell peppers (DELISH!) and the other with Lentini's marinara, onions, bell peppers, spinach, and pepperoni. Jess's popular favorite: Whole wheat crust with spinach, onions, and mushrooms. Guys, this crust is a must try!