National Pizza Day 9th February
I don’t think we need an excuse to enjoy pizza.
Pizza is one of the worlds favourite food, enjoyed often and is so versatile that you can pretty much enjoy any ingredient as a topping and get as creative as your heart desires.
Here is my foolproof recipe to create your own pizza dough, at home, and top it with all the mouthwatering ingredients you love. Get the whole family involved and make a night of it.
Ingredients
Dough (makes enough for 2 large, 4 medium or 8 mini pizza bases)
500g strong bread flour
2 tsp yeast
1.5 tsp sea salt
1.5 tsp sugar
4 tbsp olive/sunflower oil
300ml warm water
Toppings
Pretty much any ingredient you love (mushrooms, peppers, olives, tomatoes, fresh herbs, fresh chilli, tofu, tempeh, seitan, sweetcorn, pineapple, capers, jalapeños,
Plant-based cheese that melts well
Sauce
1 cup of tomato passata
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp olive/sunflower oil
2 tbsp soya sauce
Pinch of mixed herbs
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional: add more or none)
Method
Prepare the dough by mixing all the dry ingredients first before adding the water and oil
Mix well (I find using a glove helps the mixing process without get bits stuck on fingers and in nails)
Leave somewhere warm, covered with a tea towel for 1 hour (until it doubles in size). TIP: this can be made in the morning ready for lunch/dinner!
Prepare all vegetables (wash and chop)
Prepare the sauce
When the dough is ready, pre-heat oven to 190C/380F
Roll out the dough to desired shapes (round, oval or rectangular) and place on greased baking/pizza trays
Top dough with sauce
Top with cheese
Top with ingredients (leave fresh and dried herbs until the end)
Add more cheese if desired
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes
Enjoy with salad
If you are short on time and can’t make the dough, you can simply take a wrap (gluten free wraps work well too) and top with your favourite toppings (see 3rd picture below for a version of this that works well)!
