Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DOUGH
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 3⁄4 tsp salt
- 1x7g sachet/11⁄2 tsp of fast action dried yeast
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 325ml lukewarm water
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
(If you’re short of time, use a shop-bought passata or dairy-free pesto olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- 1 tin (400g) plum tomatoes
- Pinch of salt
FOR THE TOPPING
- Melting vegan cheese
- Your choice of toppings (eg vegan pepperoni, vegetables, candied walnuts, herbs)
METHOD
FOR THE DOUGH
1 Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well (hole) in the middle.
2 In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar, oil and water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well.
3 Bring the flour in gradually from the sides and whirl it into the liquid using a fork. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.
4 Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.
5 Now remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in clingfilm, in the fridge (or freezer) until required.
6 If using straight away, divide the dough up into as many little balls as you want to make pizzas — this amount of dough is enough to make about 3-4 medium pizzas.
7 Use the dough straight away unless storing. 8 Roll out into whatever shape you fancy until the dough is about 1/2 cm thick. It should be springy but not sticky.
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
1 Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on a low-medium heat and then add the chopped garlic.
2 Cook for a minute or two until the garlic is light golden in colour.
3 Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and leave on a low-med heat for 20-25 minutes.
4 Give it a final stir, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon.
TO ASSEMBLE
1 Heat oven to 250 ̊C/Gas Mark 9.
2 Spread the passata or pesto onto the freshly rolled (uncooked) dough.
3 Add the cheese first (this prevents the toppings sliding off ).
4 Add a combination of toppings.
5 Put in the oven for 7-10 minutes until
golden and crisp.
Recipe by Viva Vegan Recipe Club