Vegan Pizza

Today I made two vegan pizzas, one for us (mostly for Nancy, since the pizza is full of those nasty nightshades), and one for a friend. I mostly followed the recipe from the Minimalist Baker http://minimalistbaker.com/my-favorite-vegan-pizza/ 

The pizza crust I made was from the Food Republic website http://www.foodrepublic.com/recipes/best-basic-pizza-dough-recipe/

INGREDIENTS

2 12-14 inch pizza crusts

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into strips

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into strips

8-12 oz button mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt

1/2 cup or more of vegan Parmesan 

Pasta or marinara sauce

For the crusts:

1 cup warm, not hot, water

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing

2-1/2 to 3 cups flour, plus some for dusting rolling pin and surface where roll out

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees F. 

Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven. Add onions, peppers, and seasonings. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, adding mushrooms for final 5 minutes.

Place prepared pizza dough on parchment paper on a pizza pan (the pizza pan is for support before and after the pizza goes into the oven, it does not go into the oven with the pizza). Brush crusts with olive oil. Spread desired amount of sauce on crusts. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan. Add half of sautéed vegetables to each crust. Sprinkle with additional parmesan.

I baked me pizzas separately. Place the pizza and the parchment paper into the oven. Using just parchment paper instead of the pizza pan helps the crust to crisp up better. Bake about 15 minutes.

For the crust:

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Add sugar, oil, and salt. Stir. Gradually add flour, stirring gently as go. When proper consistency for kneading, place on floured cutting board or table and knead for awhile. Crease bowl with olive oil. Form dough into ball and place in creased bowl. Rub some olive oil on top. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in warm place for about an hour.

Cut dough into two. Knead each briefly, then roll out into 12-14 in circle. Place on parchment paper.