Cheese Crust Vegan Margherita Pizza with Homemade Dough
Ingredients
Pizza dough:
2 tsp (packed) fresh yeast or 1 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast
1 ¾ cups warm water
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted.
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp coarse salt
Pizza toppings:
Tomato based pizza sauce
~100g of Angel Food Dairy-Free Mozzarella
90g basil
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Steps to make Cheese Crust Vegan Margherita Pizza
Pizza dough:
If using fresh yeast, mix the water and yeast together in a bowl until the yeast is dissolved. If using active dry yeast, mix water and yeast in the bowl and let sit until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes, stir to mix if necessary.
If using a dough hook:
2. Using a dough hook, beat in flour and salt and mix until smooth, slightly elastic dough forms, approximately 2 to 3 minutes; do not knead. Skip to step 5.
If mixing the dough by hand (recommended):
3. In a large mixing bowl, gradually beat in ⅔ to ¾ of the sifted flour, all the salt, and the yeast water mixture, until combined. The dough will start to separate from the bowl - if it’s still too sticky and the dough isn’t holding shape, then add a little more flour (but not too much!).
4. Sprinkle some flour on your bench and knead the dough for 10mins (it’s worth it!), adding more flour as you go until the dough is no longer sticky (if you’re unsure how to knead dough then check out this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9avZp3xFNU).
5. Place the dough on a large oiled plate, turn dough to coat, cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate for at least 24 hours; recommended 48 hours to proof.
6. Once proofed, divide the dough into 2 or 4 equal pieces depending on the number of pizzas you want. Shape each piece by using the palm of your hand to rotate the dough clockwise until a tight, compact ball has formed. Turn dough over. Working from the outside in, pinch and twist the edges of the dough into the center to make a very tight ball. Put dough on a baking sheet or oiled plate and return to the refrigerator to rest for at least 4 hours, and up to 12 hours.
7. When you are ready to make pizzas, heat the oven up to its hottest temperature (~250°C) on fan-bake with the pizza stone or oven tray in the oven. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (take the dough out of the fridge while you preheat the pizza stone/oven tray). If the dough gets too soft, stick it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to give it a chance to firm up. Shape and flatten your pizza dough on baking paper using a pin roller or by hand.
8. Cut 1cm thick strips of Angel Food Dairy-Free Mozzarella and place around the edge of your pizza. Roll the pizza dough over the cheese towards the centre of the pizza, twice, and pinch down to form the cheese crust. Coat with some olive oil.
Pizza toppings:
Lather a generous amount of tomato-based pizza paste on the centre of your base, avoiding contact with the cheese crust. Sprinkle some garlic powder on top.
Add slices of Angel Food Dairy-Free Mozzarella, basil leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the pizza in the oven and cook for approximately 10 to 13 minutes or until cooked.
