Easy Spelt Flour Pizza Dough
Easy Spelt Flour Pizza Dough- all you need is 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to prep this fluffy whole-grain pizza crust! (vegan with oil-free option)
When someone asks you what’s the one food you could never get sick of, what do you usually say?
Pizza always comes to mind for me. We eat it at least once (sometimes twice) per week in our house and have for the past 13 years. It’s pretty much a tradition at this point. Paired with a jumbo green salad for good measure of course.
It all started back in the day with Amy’s frozen pizzas. The pesto broccoli was a favorite of ours for a long time, then we switched to the Italian sausage one. It’s stupid how much I looked forward to eating those packaged pizzas every week.
When we decided we didn’t want to eat dairy anymore, things got a little tricky. Long story short, I discovered that if I wanted a good vegan pizza, I was going to have to make it myself. No more packaged stuff. I will admit it’s a little more time consuming to make your own but if you have the dough and the cashew parmesan premade then it comes together in a jiffy. Plus it tastes better when it’s homemade.
I like to use spelt flour rather than whole wheat because I find it’s a little less earthy and has a lighter texture. Spelt is also an ancient grain so it’s able to be tolerated by some people that have gluten sensitivities (but not allergies).
I’ve tried using food processors to make my pizza dough in the past but I’ve found that the stand mixer does a superior job. It’s also makes clean up super easy because you’re only using one bowl.
So we start by combining the yeast and coconut sugar with warm water then letting it foam. Then we sprinkle in the flour with salt and olive oil (the oil is optional), form it into a dough ball, cover and let it rise for about an hour.
From there you roll it out with some cornmeal on the bottom for a nice crispy crust, top it with your favorite fixin’s and bake!
See? Told you it was easy. ;)
Easy Spelt Flour Pizza Dough
Yield: 1 (12-inch) thick crust pizza
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 30
Ingredients:
- 1 cup warm water (not hot*)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 2 and 1/2 cups spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, add the warm water then sprinkle the yeast and sugar on top. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, until yeast begins to bubble and foam to the surface. If it isn’t foaming then your yeast is dead and you need to start this step over with new yeast.
With the mixer running on slow speed, add half of the flour then the olive oil and salt. Allow to mix for 10 seconds then add the remaining flour. Once the dough starts to form, increase speed to medium and allow to mix for about 3-5 minutes. It should be smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. If it’s sticking to your hands, try adding a tablespoon of flour at a time while the mixer is running, until the dough is smooth enough to handle.
Transfer the dough to a piece of lightly floured parchment paper (or non-stick surface). Use your hands to form a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl with olive oil, transfer the dough back to the bowl then cover with a towel. Allow to rise for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper dusted with the cornmeal (or a pizza stone). Roll out into a roughly 12” circle.
Spread the sauce and desired toppings on top then carefully transfer to the preheated oven and bake directly on the rack for 15-20 minutes, until thick and golden brown. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
To freeze dough, transfer to a freezer bag after rising. Get as much air out as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost when ready to use.
*Water should be warm to the touch but not hot. If it is too hot you will kill the yeast.
My favorite toppings are chopped mushrooms, green bell pepper and red onion with cashew parmesan. (I use the one from this recipe). Miyoko’s also makes an incredible smoked mozzarella that melts beautifully but it can be hard to find.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
Yum!! For some reason I have had pizza on the brain (for like 2 days!!) so this sounds like literal perfection :)
Pizza is my faaaave! We’ve been doing a lot of naan pizza so we can each make our own. It’s nice because Riley can put whatever meat he wants on his and I put all the veggies on mine!
Yes, naan pizza is the best! I haven’t been able to find naan without dairy though. :(
So funny you shared this because this morning around 1 am I was looking up spelt flour and thinking I need to try some!! Totally going to try this recipe next week. Thanks, Sarah!
That’s too funny! I hope you find it’s easy on your digestion!
I just had an Amy’s pizza for dinner tonight, haha! We eat a lot of pizza in this house too and I’m always trying to make it a little healthier. I love the spelt crust and all the toppings you added! It looks delicious!
Amy’s really is the best when it comes to frozen pizza!
Would you believe I’ve still never used spelt flour before?? I need to get on this ASAP. This recipe looks so easy too! Thanks so much for sharing Sarah :)
I think you love it, Liz!
Oooo yes please!! I’ve been playing around with spelt lately and am totally digging it. We also love pizza night but it’s definitely become a challenge since the whole no dairy thing. BUT! The other day I made one with pesto as the base, tons of veggies and a little vegan parm and it was pretty darn awesome. haha I’m making progress with my experimenting!!
That does sound good! I’ll have to try that version next. :)
Oh I’ll have to try it like that! Sounds amazing!
We eat pizza at least once a week and I always find myself wishing that I could find a whole wheat crust or one that’s more nutritious! This crust looks amazing and I love spelt. I’m really looking forward to trying this — homemade pizza dough is the best!
how can I replace cornmeal?
You can use a bit more flour to roll out the dough instead. The cornmeal just adds a little crunch to the crust to enhance the crisp texture. :)
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You always inspire me, Sarah. This pizza dough looks tasty and I can totally see myself trying a new flour for my pizza base. I’ve baked with spelt several times, but haven’t given it a go in pizza. I think it’s time! Delicious work!
Yummm I love me some pizza too! I usually make it at home & cheat with TJ’s whole wheat dough. Then I use whatever veggies I’m in the mood for – sometimes it’s just broccoli, sometimes I put every veggie that I had in my fridge in there! I’ve never made a spelt pizza dough before.. would love to give it a try!
Yes! I used to buy TJ’s dough all of the time too. It’s good for an easy option but the ingredient list is kind of lengthy and it’s not entirely whole grain. I’d probably still buy it if I lived closer to TJ’s though!
Loved the taste of this dough. I had it rise on a heating pad and it was ready in half an hour. It held up to all my toppings too. Will be making this again. :)
Great idea to use a heating pad, Kelli! Also, I just adjusted it to 1/2 cup flour instead of a 1/3 cup because I think that is closer to the amount you end up using. Prob will still need more but not as much. :)
Thankyou Sarah for reinventing spelt pizza!
I have got Fructose malabsorption, and I hate gluten free gluggy Pizza dough.
But your spelt pizza dough rivals restaurant pizzas.
It is the only spelt pizza dough which did not turn out like a biscuit, and I’ve made heaps.
I made it in breadmaker for 30 minutes and it puffed up beautifully when it was proving when I took it out.
The pizza dough even rose to the occasssion in the ovenans the texture was thick and crispy base. Thankyou for helping me enjoy spelt pizza. From the bottom of my heart.
I’m so happy you enjoy this recipe, Natalie! Thank you for taking the time to write a review. :)
Hi Sarah,
Do some of your recipes contain nutrition information? I need to have that as I am on a special diet now and can only have 10 grams of saturated fat and 2300 mg of sodium per day. Thanks
Grace
Made this pizza whilst holidaying In France!
It was certainly a triumph, but silly to eat as a follow on from Shashimi!
Also defo splitting the dough next time as it came out the thickness of focaccia!
Will definitely use the Recipe back home as I love spelt flour.
Lara
Really helpful instructions and a great idea, I wanted to make a double batch and throw some in the freezer. I doubled the water and flour ( But my dough was kind of sticky still with 5 c I think I added about another 1.5 c), and used the same amount of salt and sugar, bumped up the yeast to a tablespoon. Worked out great though not quite as written.
also used for calzones. They were devoured. Froze well, back here to double check recipe and make again!
So glad to hear it worked with your changes!
It turned out great.
Glad to hear that! Thanks, Micah!
AMAZING RECIPE HAD IT NUMEROUS TIMES AND NEVER HAVE COMMENTED WHEN ITS WELL WORTH A MILLION STARS !!!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING X
FYI – forgot to mention when to add Cornflour but it’s pretty
Obvious I guess x
I’m so glad you like it! I just checked the instructions and the cornmeal is in there…you’re supposed to use it to dust the surface when you roll out the dough. :)
Thanks so much, Sarah, for a seriously easy dough recipe! I made this last night with a few changes based on what I had in my kitchen and it was delicious. It’s easy enough for people like me who don’t have a pizza stone and/or mixer.
1 cup warm water + 1 packet active dry yeast
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp Trader Joe’s everything but the bagel seasoning
2.5 cups spelt flour
(Recipe yields one large sheet pan pizza or 2 individual pizzas if you divide the dough)
Knead by hand until smooth/doesn’t stick to you. Into a lightly oiled bowl to rise (I left it for an 1 hour and 40 min). Heat oven to 450°F with sheet tray inside. On another upside down tray, on parchment paper, stretch and roll dough into a rectangle. The tray and paper combo makes it easy to slide the dough onto the hot tray. Pop the dough in the oven for 3-5 min minutes if your scared of soggy dough like me. Then sauce it up, add your toppings, and watch for the those golden cheesy spots! I topped mine with a garlicky tomato sauce, zucchini, mozzarella slices, kalamata olives, oregano, and a little salt. Once it was done, I tossed some creasy greens (like arugula but spicier) on top and drizzled some balsamic vinegar. The crust was soft but sturdy enough to hold with one hand and the toppings stayed in place. Thank you, again!
Hey Sarah,
This looks absolutely amazing!
I was wondering if I could substitute the cornmeal and if so what can I substitute it with?
Thank you.
The cornmeal just adds texture and a light sweetness to the edges of the crust so it’s not completely necessary. You could use more spelt flour in its place!
Can I use a sugar substitute or regular sugar instead of coconut sugar?
I don’t usually cook with sugar substitutes so I’m not sure!
The best pizza dough recipe I have ever made and I have made many. I loved the texture and the nice ability to stretch the dough to fit my pan. I took a shortcut, I sprayed my stainless steel pizza pan with olive oil, dumped the dough onto it, sprayed the top of the dough with olive oil so it would not stick to me. It was so easy to stretch, everyone raved over the pizza crust. I am about to make and freeze dough balls for easy use. Such a great recipe!
Quick question – what if we don’t have cornmeal? Any other suggestions to substitute? Thanks!
You can just leave it out! That’s just for adding texture to the crust but using more flour to roll it out with is fine. I do it all the time when I don’t have cornmeal. :)
Thank you so much for this recipe! Since we can’t find organic white flour anywhere, we purchased spelt. This recipe made a most perfect pizza crust, and I didn’t even add any oil.
You enhanced our life.
Aw I’m thrilled to hear that! Thank you for your review!
Have made this recipe at least 5X in the past few months and LOVE it!! Making it again tonight. I’ve also subbed organic cane sugar and agave and turned out great (in case anyone else doesn’t use coconut sugar.) Thanks for putting this out into the universe
Thank you for this. First time making pizza with spelt and it was wonderful. Used white spelt and it was great. I did add a little extra as it was quite sticky. Also, used 1 tbsp regular sugar instead of coconut sugar. No need to experiment with other recipes – this is it! 3 year old said (a few times), This is my BEST pizza! Thanks again!
I loved it. I substituted one cup spelt with semolina, and the dough was really nice and crisp. Made two pizzas out of it! Will use this recipe again!
This recipe is fantastic. You would never know the dough is made from spelt. The true test will be whether my kids eat it, but even if they don’t, my husband and I love it.
Hello, this looks amazing! Can I leave the sugar out altogether? Many thanks
Hi there! I was wondering how the quantities of the ingredients would differ if I wanted to double the amount of dough? I would have to double the amount of flour but not the yeast, I’m guessing? It would be great to make some extra to freeze for later ~
Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this last night, doubling the recipe, to freeze dough for another time. Instead of mixing the olive oil into the dough, I spread it on the cast iron pan and on the crust, before baking. I used Rapid yeast. This was so quick and easy to make. It was very good! Everyone, thoroughly, enjoyed it.
I prefer a thin crust. Should I just half the amount of dough I spread on the pan?
That should work!
I made this last night, and after measuring the whole spelt flour carefully my dough was still very wet. I had to keep adding additional flour and cornmeal, it was sticking to the parchment like crazy. I looked up the weight listed on the label on Bob’s Red Mill’s website, 2 1/2 cups should be 300 grams of flour. I’m going to give it another go, as I really appreciate the simple ingredients. I will also divide the recipe into two crusts as this turned out thicker than I personally prefer. Really great recipe, thank you!!