#252 The Case of Margherita Pizza

This one is special because it has homemade fresh "mozzarella". Or sub in thinly sliced, vegan feta, broken into wide pieces.

 

1 cup very warm water (120ºF - 130ºF)
1 rounded teaspoon salt
1 envelope instant yeast
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
olive oil

1 cup raw cashews, soaked uncovered in plenty of water for at least 4 hours then drained and rinsed

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

vegan pasta sauce

vegan Parmesan

cherry tomatoes, halved

vegetable seasoning

fresh basil

balsamic glaze

In a large bowl, whisk together the water, salt and yeast.

Whisk in 1 cup of the flour until a loose batter forms. Stir in the remaining 2 cups flour and mix until a dough forms. You may need to add more water, up to 1/3 cup.

Start kneading the dough in the bowl and then transfer to a flat surface and continue kneading for a total of 6 min.

Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a deep, oiled bowl. Turn the dough a few times until it's coated in oil. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap, then a damp tea towel. You can refrigerate the dough overnight at this point, or allow it to rise in a warm place (which can be your oven heated for 5 min. at the lowest temperature when it's cold outside and a sunny window just won't cut it) for 2 hours until doubled in size.

 

In the meantime, in a high-speed blender, blend the cashews, water, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, salt, coconut oil and lemon juice to form a soft "mozzarella" cheese.

Preheat oven to 500ºF.

Punch down the dough and divide into 4 smaller balls. Shape each ball into a disk with your fingers. On a flour-dusted surface, roll each disk into a 10-1/2"-12" circle about 1/8" thick.

Lay on an oiled pizza pan. (Pans with ventilation holes in the bottom crisp the crust.)

Spread with sauce, grate Parmesan on top, scatter with cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with vegetable seasoning, and dollop with the fresh "mozzarella". 

 

Bake for 12 min., bottom rack.

Cut into slices and slide onto a plate.

 

Finish with the fresh basil, tearing the larger leaves, and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Makes 4 personal 12" pizzas. 

♥ Becki