Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Pizza! Pizza!

I did it!  I finally made that pizza I was talking about.  And was it good!!!

I used the Daiya Shredded Italian "Cheese" and it was very good.  Melted nicely and had a good flavor.  I'll definitely be using that stuff again! Thumbs up!!

So here's my pizza dough recipe for a bread machine (mine can make 2 lbs):

Tanya's Whole Wheat Vegan Pizza (for bread machine, based on the Zojirushi):


For crust:
1 1/2 cups water
drop of olive oil
1 TB agave nectar
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used ww "bread" flour), minus 2 TB vital wheat gluten
-----so measure the 3 3/4 cups including the 2 TB of gluten.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Italian Seasonings (oregano, basil, etc.)
garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (I bought bread machine yeast)

For sauce:
1 large jar pureed/crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder (or minced garlic)
hot pepper flakes (if you like it spicy)
salt & pepper to taste

Toppings:
green peppers, sauteed onions, sliced mushrooms, etc.
Daiya mozzarella (shredded)


Add ingredients based on your machine's instructions.  Use basic dough cycle. I added 1-2 TB of water during the first kneading cycle, because it seemed just a little dry.  When mine was done, I divided it into 2 and froze half the dough for next time.  For thin crust, the whole amount is good for 2 pizzas.  I made one last night (thus the freezing of the other half).  I think the dough would only last about 2-3 days in the fridge.


I didn't have a rolling pin, so I used an empty wine bottle, with a paper towel around it (thanks Lea!).  For thin crust, you really need to roll it out.  And I happened to have some old foil pizza pans, so I used that.  Maybe one day I'll get a real pizza pan and a pizza stone.  Fit the crust onto your pan, with a bit extra at the edges to keep in the filling.  I think next time I'll try baking the crust first for 5 minutes or so, because it wasn't so crispy in the middle*.  Then put your sauce on top.  Sprinkle your cheese on it (I used the Daiya vegan cheese).  I didn't use a ton....don't like that much cheese on my pizza.  But it's up to you!  Layer your toppings. I used green pepper (from csa), cooked onions (I find cooked onions work much better than raw), and mushrooms.  Then I dabbed a little more sauce on top and sprinkled a little more cheese over the whole thing.  I baked it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Done!!

*UPDATE: After spreading the dough onto your pan (pref. a pizza pan with holes in it), prick it all over with a fork and bake in your 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, then take out and add sauce, toppings, etc.) This will give you a crispy crust!



On another note, I made cabbage salad the other day with that huge cabbage we got at the farmer's market.  It's so easy, it doesn't really require a recipe!  Actually, I got it from my mom....she used to make the best cabbage salad ever.  Of course, I left out the oil.

Shredded cabbage, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt.  There.  Easy, huh?  We'll call it Laura's Cabbage Salad.  Use a lot of lemon juice (pref from a real lemon, not the bottled stuff).  P.S.-notice the cute little snail I found on the cabbage before taking it apart....

Oh, and speaking of simple salads.  I made a great snack last night after 3 1/2 hours of opera rehearsing.  Cucumber salad: sliced cucumbers, lots of lemon juice, garlic powder.  Sooooo good! Do try it!

Eat smart,
T.

Rolling Pin on Foodista

9 comments:

  1. Hmmm... you use ingredients I'm not familiar with, but you have inspired me to see what I can whip up in my bread maker for pizza dough. I have an electric pizza cooker that my hubby had bought me years ago. We've used it for frozen pizza but I haven't tried any from scratch. I'll check out what they have in their included recipe book and compare it to what you made and what I find for the breadmaker. I just always hope that my experiments are at least edible. :)

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  2. Hi Moonshadow!

    If you're talking about the Daiya "cheese", that was also unfamiliar to me until recently. I found it at the VeganStore online. The agave nectar I used as a sweetener and they probably have it at your local chain store. Vital Wheat Gluten is added only because Whole Wheat flour tends not to rise as much as white flour. They now have that at my local store too. I'm not even sure what a pizza cooker is...I'll have to look that one up! Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions :)

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  3. Your pizza looks great! I love your rolling pin substitute...very creative! I'd love to guide our readers to your site if you won't mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to this post and it's all set, Thanks!

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  4. Thanks Alisa. Wasn't sure what I was doing....but I think I did it right!

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  5. Your pizza looks great! When I make homemade veggie pizza, I usually bake the crust by itself for 4-5 minutes before adding any toppings... it definitely gives it a crispier texture. (: Also, brushing the crust with a bit of garlic infused olive oil adds a whole new dimension of flavor...

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  6. Hi Julie,

    Thanks! I think I will definitely bake it then for a few minutes before I put the toppings on. I'm going to skip the oil part.....trying to avoid as much oil as possible :) I've got half the dough in my freezer! I could go for it again right now.

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  7. I finally got around to making my pizza. It's not vegan but I thought you might like to see a pic of my pizza maker. I tried to find a picture of it online but apparently they quit making it some time ago. The company doesn't even exist anymore...
    http://ksborn.blogspot.com/2009/11/pizza-from-scratch.html

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  8. So that's what a pizza cooker looks like! And that yellow tomato sauce actually looks really good :)

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  9. I still make it once in a while, Tanya,; the cabbage salad, that is. Thanks for the credit. And reminds me I need to make it again.

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