"Pizza is one of the greatest foods ever invented," Amy proclaimed as she started typing this recipe. She's right though - children and adults alike will tell you that it is amazing. So why not make it even better by making it yourself so you know exactly what’s in it? This way, you can have a plant-based pizza that is completely to your taste. Plus, if you want to make it healthier, why not use whole-wheat flour instead?
Ingredients
For the dough (we cheat and use a bread-maker)
250g warm water 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Salt 2 tbsp caster sugar 400g Strong white bread flour (or alternative bread flour) 1 tsp yeast 1 tsp mixed herbs For the toppings: Maggi Sun-dried Tomato sauce Your choice of toppings (we like sweetcorn, mixed peppers, red onion, tomato and free-from pesto) Vegan cheese (optional – we think it tastes great without!)
Pizza using a bread-maker:
If you’re like us, you have a bread-maker stashed away in the back of a cupboard somewhere in your kitchen. It’s time to dust that baby off and find the pizza dough setting!
Put in the ingredients in the order of the list (so that the yeast doesn’t touch the water immediately) and put it on.
Once it has proven, remove it from the bread-maker and place under a towel for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, knead on a floured surface, adding more flour if the dough is still a little sticky.
Roll out the dough, deciding whether you want a thick or thin crust.
Slather on some Maggi sauce (or passata with mixed herbs if none available) and add your preferred toppings.
Bake for 15-20 minutes on Gas Mark 6 until the crust is golden and the toppings are cooked to your liking.
Pizza using your hands:
So you’ve chosen the tricky way and have decided to go it alone…
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the water, olive oil, salt, sugar, mixed herbs and yeast. Then add in half of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Gradually add in the rest of the flour until the dough does not stick to the surface.
Knead on a lightly-floured surface for 10-13 minutes until a smooth and soft dough forms.
Place in a greased bowl and put in a warm place to prove for 1-1 ½ hours
Remove the dough from the warm place and put it onto a floured surface. Let it rest under a clean towel for 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough and decide whether you want a thick or thin-based crust (it will rise a little in the oven)
Slather on some Maggi sauce (or passata with mixed herbs if none available) and add your preferred toppings.
Bake for 15-20 minutes on Gas Mark 6 until the crust is golden and the toppings are cooked to your liking.
Why not try making them into cheesy garlic breads? Forego the Maggi sauce and toppings and instead make yourself a garlic butter (blended butter and minced garlic) and vegan cheese on top. If you’d like to try to be even fancier, you could put caramelised onion on top or perhaps a few teaspoons of pesto. Yum! Share your ideas in the comments below.