VEGAN PIZZA My best yet!

Choice of two toppings

Saturday is pizza day in our house - and today, I think I excelled myself.

I wanted a variety of toppings, so I covered half of the pizza with a rich tomato sauce and the other half with three layers: First I spread it with Pateole mushroom spread, then Meridian pesto and finally topped it with a layer of hummus.

I then scattered mushrooms, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and a few pieces of vegan cheese (Violife). I neglected to add a sprinkle each of nutritional yeast and dried oregano, but, no matter, the pizza was absolutely gorgeous.

I have to say that, of the two toppings, the mushroom pate/pesto and hummus combination just edged it for flavour. I've used these three ingredients in different pairings before, with very good results, but the three together are absolutely amazing!

Ingredients:

200g (1 mug) strong white flour

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

125ml (1/3^rd mug) lukewarm water

1 teaspoon fresh yeast, crumbled

Good splash of sunflower oil from the jar of s-d-tomatoes

Topping(s):

1 half: Rich tomato sauce

2nd half: Mushroom pate, pesto and hummus

Slices of mushrooms, tomato, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato and vegan cheese

Nutritional yeast

Oregano

Method:

1. Place flour and salt (if using) into a mixing bowl. Measure the water in the same mug and add 1 teaspoon of yeast. Stir to dissolve then add to the flour.

2. Have a little water to hand to add if necessary, remember, it is better for your dough to be wetter (slack) rather than drier (tight). Begin to mix by stirring the ingredients together with your fingers. Stir round in big circles, pulling the flour off the sides of the bowls into the middle. As it forms into a solid mass, keep turning it over and pressing it down to pick up the flour at the bottom of the bowl – but make sure it stays soft. Don’t be afraid to add more water to keep it soft! When all the flour has been mixed in, wipe the bowl around with the dough, turn it out onto the worktop and begin to knead.

3. Knead by flattening the dough out, folding it over, stretching it out and so on and so forth. Once the dough is smooth either leave it, covered with a dry tea towel, for an hour or so, or go straight to step 4.

4. Without knocking it back (that is; kneading a couple of times), form the dough into a round bap shape. Have plenty of flour to hand and scatter flour over the dough and worktop. With a rolling pin, roll it into a circle around  25-30cm (10-12”) across. Keep turning the dough around and refreshing the flour. The dough should slide on the flour.

5. Cover the base with your chosen toppings, finishing of with a sprinkle of oregano, and leave to rise - on your worktop is fine.

6. When the dough at the edge of the pizza has become puffy, place in a hot oven, 220C, 425F or gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes. When they're done the pizza will lift up all along one side when you check underneath, using a palette knife or similar. The bottom should be browning from the edges.

Notes:

To get a crisp bottom to the pizzas, there are several things you can do:

• Make sure you keep the wet topping away from the edges – and don’t overload the pizza;

• Have a heavy metal tray at the bottom of the oven to use as a pizza stone. If you do this, have your pizzas on baking parchment on an up-turned tray – then you can just slide the pizzas into the oven.

• Finish them off in a large, dry, frying pan.