Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
For those of us with a dairy allergy or who follow a vegan diet pizza is a rare treat. Homemade pizza is a bit of work but well worth it. This is also a little higher on the calorie count.
This makes 6 individual pizzas at 455 calories. It is roughly equivalent to two pieces of a 16 inch pie. I make them individual because I really need portion control. If you like, you could make this into one 16 inch pie.
Dough:
1 cup warm water (100-115 degrees)
1 package dry yeast (5/16 ounce)
1 3/4 to 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
Place the water in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes or until bubbly.
It is important to measure the temperature of the water. If it is too cool the yeast won't become active. If it is too warm, the yeast will be killed. In either case, your dough won't rise.
Add the flours and salt to the water and yeast and mix well until it forms a ball. Start with 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and add more if your dough is sticky.
You can this by hand but I use my Kitchen Aide mixer. I mix with the paddle and the switch to the dough hook. I need for about 5 minutes with the dough hook and then knead by hand for about 3 minutes. Kneading is about 8 minutes total or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Spray a bowl with spray olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover loosely with a clean towel.
Allow to rise in a warm place until double in size- 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
While the dough is rising make the sauce.
Sauce:
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
To assemble the pizza you will need:
1 recipe of dough
1 recipe of sauce
1 1/2 cups non-dairy mozzarella, such as Daiya
1 1/2 cups non-dairy Parmesan, such as SoySation
1 1/2 packages meatless pepperoni, such as Yves
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
When the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
Then roll each ball into a flat disk with a rolling pin. Then gently stretch until it is 7-8 inches across and roughly round.
Place on pizza stones or baking sheets.
Top each with 4 tablespoons of sauce and spread evenly over the dough.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup each mozzarella and Parmesan.
Top with 10 slices of pepperoni.
Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.
Remove from oven and cut into 4 pieces and enjoy!
Options:
1/6 of the dough alone is 233 calories. Use your own sauce and toppings.
If you leave off the pepperoni the calorie count is 405.
I actually did not bake all of these tonight. I put two unbaked pizzas in the freezer. I think that I can place a frozen pizza in a cold oven, turn it on and by the time the oven is heated the pizza will be thawed and ready to be baked. I will let you know how this works out.
August 22nd update: It worked out well. I placed the frozen pizza on a baking sheet, put it in the cold oven and cranked it up to 500 degrees. About 20 minutes later I had a perfect vegan pizza (Could have been 25 minutes. I lost track of time)
