The Perfect Pizza

Perfect dough! And yes, the husband eats his with a fork and a knife… O.o

Do you know a single person who doesn’t like pizza?

Me neither.

At the first few years of my vegan life the pizza disappeared from my diet. I didn’t bother to make any at home and on the very rare occasions of ordering one it was without cheese – hence, “Sad Pizza” (as my sister named it).

However, not so long ago, a new German vegan cheese entered my life: Wilmersburger and although I was very suspicious about vegan cheeses I gave it a try and was happy to discover that the shredded cheese is perfect for pizzas; texture and appearance wise and above all, taste. [More about Wilmersburger]

Once the cheese factor was solved I only had to findthe perfect pizza dough and was lucky enough that the recipe found me… I came across a recipe at my friend Gil’s blog (“Cooking & Eating” in Hebrew). Gil is a king in the kitchen and can create things I am not even thinking of yet, but his dough looked simple – it had dry yeast – and even though I do not have a blender like he does, I decided to give it a chance.

The first time I tried Gil’s dough I had tears in my eyes; my pizza came out AMAZING! And since my husband is a big pizza fan I make it quiet often (more often than I should!) and each and every time I am amazed how simple, quick and tasty this dough is.

It is with Gil’s permission that I am bringing you here the recipe for a perfect pizza, and I promise you, it won’t let you down!

A few points before we start:

It is always good to have dry yeast at home
I do not have a blender and knead the dough with my hands
I do have an oven stone and although it is heavy it is really a great asset for making a lovely pizza – and other doughy things like pitas!
Pizza toppings are like science on one hand– the right combination is very important – and like anarchists on the other – use what you love and have
Sometime it’s better to make two small pizzas than one big one – toppings wise it saves those who do not like pineapple on their pizzas…
Pizza dough can be freeze once ready – I have done that a few times – you will need less than an hour to defrost it

Dough (from Gil’s recipe for White Pizza):

Ingredients – for two rather big personal pizzas

500 gr flour – I use white simple flour
One bag of dry yeast – in Germany it says on the bag “for 500 gr of flour / it’s 2 teaspoons of yeast / almost 10 gr
1 ¼ cups of lukewarm water
1 spoon of olive oil
½ spoon of sugar (Gil puts one spoon, I think half is enough for me)
2 teaspoons of salt

Directions:

Mix flour and yeast
Add water
Add sugar
Knead knead knead knead knead
Add salt
Knead till a smooth yet sticky dough is formed
It is OK if the dough stick to the bowl a bit – if it is too sticky add a bit flour
Cover the bowl and hid in a warm dark place
The dough needs maximum two hours to rise to double of his original size

Sauce:

You can buy a jar of your favorite tomatoes sauce and save some time and dishes. My favorite is the Brilla Tomato & Basil sauce that has the following as ingredients: Diced, Tomatoes, Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste) Onions, Olive Oil, Basil, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Natural Flavoring. Good enough for me!

Or you can make your own using: onions, garlic, grated fresh tomatoes, tomatoes paste/juice, olive oil, salt & pepper, dry oregano, dry basil and dry thyme – just cook it all in a big pot till it reaches the desired consistency.

And while the dough rises and (maybe) the sauce is cooking we can prepare the toppings; no rules here, just use what you love and have.

This is my favorite combination:

Onion
Tiny bit of fresh garlic
Tomatoes
Artichoke hearts
Olives
Mushrooms
Green olives

Pineapple is for the husband!!!

Once the dough is ready we can start heating the oven – on the highest temperature for at least 30 minutes (mine is 275c / 530f). If you have a baking stone that’s the time to put it on the bottom of the oven.

Then:

Spilt the dough into two equal parts
Roll each piece on a floury surface (or a baking sheet), using a rolling pin – I like thin crusty dough so I roll it as thinly as I can – you can roll it to a thicker dough and even create a cheesy crust if you wish
Lay the dough on a baking paper on a pan

Add sauce
Add toppings
Add spices / dry herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, chili flakes etc.)
Add vegan cheese
Brush the edges of the pizza with some olive oil

Bake for 10-15 minutes – on the stone (with baking paper so it won’t get dirty), or on a pan, on the lower part of the oven until the crust is brown and the cheese is fully melted

Here is Václav waiting for the pizza…