There's something about pizza that's
oh-so-comforting. Though we don't indulge often, when we do, we like to make it
count and prefer homemade to restaurant prepared. Pizza is easier than you'd
think and it's also a great dish for cleaning out the fridge. By incorporating
a bit of whatever vegetables you happen to have left over from last night's
dinner, a handful of olives from a recent appetizer board, or a couple
tablespoons of hummus or even harissa from a jar in the pantry, you can
customize your pizza to any flavor profile and utilize what's already on hand.
Though I was skeptical, as I prefer to make dough from scratch,
Ryan recently found premade vegan pizza dough at Trader Joe's and I have to
say, it did not disappoint. With dinner ready in 15 minutes, the hardest part
was all the chopping. That being said, for those who prefer dough from scratch,
I have also included a fail proof recipe for homemade dough and sauce from a
Tom Douglas cooking class below (scroll all the way down for those).
Clean Out the Fridge Vegan Hummus Pizza
Ingredients
1 homemade or Trader Joe's pizza crust
4 tablespoons hummus
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded kale
1/2 cup sliced marinated artichokes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
1-2 teaspoons each of basil, oregano, and thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, or according to the package
directions if using the Trader Joe's crust. Drizzle or brush the crust with
some olive oil. Then, spread a thin layer of hummus on the pizza. Layer with
the other ingredients, except the balsamic glaze.
Bake on a baking sheet or pizza stone (without parchment paper)
for about 5-8 minutes, or until the desired amount of brownness is achieved on
the crust.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze after slicing and enjoy!
Tom Douglas Pizza Dough
Serving
Size: 4 10-in pizzas (so, you’ll want to cut it down if cooking for a smaller
crowd)
Ingredients
1 ½ cups
lukewarm water
2 teaspoon
active-dry or instant yeast
4 cups (5
ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons
salt
Method
Set the
oven to 500°F or as hot as it will go and let it heat for at least half an hour
before making the pizza. If you have a pizza stone, put it in the lower-middle
part of the oven now.
Combine the
water and yeast in a mixing bowl, and stir to dissolve the yeast. The mixture should
look like thin miso soup. Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix until
you've formed a shaggy dough.
Turn the
dough out onto a clean work surface along with any loose flour still in the
bowl. Knead until all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is smooth and
elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky.
If it's sticking to your hands and countertop like bubble gum, work in more
flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth.
If you have
time at this point, you can let the dough rise until you need it or until
doubled in bulk (about an hour and a half). After rising, you can use the dough
or refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Cover the
dough with the upside-down mixing bowl or a clean kitchen towel while you prepare
the pizza toppings.
When ready
to make the pizza, tear off 2 pieces of parchment paper roughly 12 inches wide.
Divide the dough in 2 with a bench scraper. Working with one piece of the dough
at a time, form it into a large disk with your hands and lay it on the
parchment paper.
Work from
the middle of the dough outwards, using the heel of your hand to gently press
and stretch the dough until it's about a 1/4-inch thick or less. For an
extra-thin crust, roll it with a rolling pin. If the dough starts to shrink
back, let it rest for 5 minutes and then continue rolling.
The dough
will stick to the parchment paper, making it easier for you to roll out, and
the pizza is baked while still on the parchment. As it cooks, the dough will
release from the parchment, and you can slide the paper out midway through
cooking.
Spoon a few
tablespoons of sauce into the center of the pizza and use the back of a spoon
to spread it out to the edges. Pile on all of your toppings (varies depending
on pizza).
Using a
bread peel or the backside of a baking sheet, slide your pizza (still on the
parchment) onto the baking stone in the oven. If you don't have a baking stone,
bake the pizza right on the baking sheet.
Bake for
about 5 minutes and then rotate the pizza, removing the parchment from under
the pizza as you do so. Bake for another 3 to 5 minutes until the crust is
golden-brown and the cheese looks toasty.
Remove the
pizza from oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Repeat with shaping, topping,
and baking the second pizza.
Let both
pizzas cool for about five minutes before slicing and serving.
Tom Douglas Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons
Red pepper flakes
½ tablespoon
Sea salt
½ bunch
Parsley
½ bunch
Basil
½ onion,
diced
1
tablespoons Olive Oil
6 cloves
Garlic
3 28-oz
cans of tomato
Method
Combine
ingredients and simmer over low heat on the stove for 30-60 minutes. Cool to
room temperature before spreading on pizza. Combines well with homemade pasta!
Note: This
yields a pretty large batch. You’ll want to cut it down if you’re cooking for a
smaller crowd.