Pizzas drive us crazy and crazy. Because of the dough, the ingredients or everything together, what began to be known as fast food now It is part of the diet of many people. In any supermarket we can find dozens of varieties of very cheap refrigerated and frozen pizzas and rarely a full cart does not contain at least a couple of varieties.

Pizzas can be an acceptable meal or they may be bad choices (such as processed and packaged ones), it will depend on the ingredients we choose. A commercial pizza is not the same as a homemade one.

It is not that the homemade one is better because it is “homemade” but because we can choose healthier ingredients and control at all times what we want them to contain or not.

A delicious vegan pizza from the dough to the toppings

At home we can make pizzas that you will never find in the supermarket: with kale chips, with homemade tomato sauce, with a whole grain and legume base, with vegan cheese, with nuts…

The dough

Choose better whole grain flours to make homemade dough. Whole wheat flour for example, but it can also be combined with others such as corn flour, quinoa flour, spelled flour, buckwheat flour, etc., legume flours such as chickpea flour, add soy or pea protein powder, or even put seeds in the dough.

Find a pizza dough recipe you like and customize it to your liking. It’s a matter of adding more water or more flour as needed. To add seeds Do it at the beginning, with the flours. For example, you can put a tablespoon of broken flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, etc.

If you don’t have time or space to knead too bases can be made without kneading or buy flat breads that can serve as a base (even if they are not the same), such as whole wheat or corn tortillas, chapatis, large whole grain pitas, etc.

Vegan pizza base dough recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of warm water
• 1 and a half teaspoons of baker’s yeast
• a pinch of salt
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

1. Mix the flour with the salt and yeast and add the warm water. Mix it well, cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes.
2. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it has a fairly smooth surface although it is a little sticky. You can add a little more flour to knead.
3. Make a ball with the dough, cover it with the oil (distribute it over the entire surface with your hand), cover it and leave it in a warm place until it doubles in size.
4. Take out the dough, shape it (it makes 4 medium pizzas or 2 large ones) and put the pizzas on baking trays lined with baking paper.
5. Preheat the oven to 210ºC with heat up and down.
6. Add the toppings you want and bake each pizza at medium height, at 210ºC for 15 minutes or until it has risen and golden brown.

The sauce

It is usually put first a thin layer of tomato sauce. Make homemade tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and spices and use it on your pizzas.

Don’t put too much, like this we prevent the dough from getting too wet and ended up soft instead of tender.

If you want to innovate swap the tomato sauce for a light hummus or a guacamole shaken with the blender. Spread a thin layer over the dough just as you would with tomato sauce.

The toppings

Choose seasonal ingredients preferably. Cut the vegetables into thin slices so that they cook and brown in the oven.

If you use potatoes or sweet potatoes You will have to steam or cook them first because they require more time and they would be raw if we put them directly on the pizza.

Use what you have at home and you like. Mushrooms, green asparagus, zucchini, cauliflower, onion, peppers, corn, kale, sliced ​​Brussels sprouts, walnuts, pine nuts are great.

By On top you can sprinkle with a pinch of salt for more flavor and to facilitate browning and roasting in the oven.

Instead of minced meat uses fine textured soybeans. You just have to hydrate it and brown it in the pan with the ingredients you want before putting it on the pizza. I like it with thyme and soy sauce.

Don’t make beginner mistakes. Tofu, although it is called “tofu” is not really that, it is called that because it is made in a similar way to cottage cheese, but putting tofu as it is in slices is not going to give it the flavor or texture of cheese.

If you want it to have cheese on topyou can choose to make homemade vegan cheeses or buy some commercial vegan cheese, preferably one that can be melted.

Don’t overload the pizza of ingredients or the dough will hardly rise at all in the oven. Sprinkle on top with oregano or other spices you like, for example black pepper.

You can also put sauce on topmaking sure it is not too much. For example barbecue sauce (form a spiral from the center of the pizza with a tablespoon of sauce), vegan bechamel, etc.

If you want the vegan cheese to melt better You can put heat only on top or gently gratin the last 3-4 minutes of cooking. Bake the pizza until the dough is done and looks lightly golden.

You can add more ingredients Once the pizza is made, for example fresh avocado, olives, carrot strips, sprouts and sprouts… combine colors, flavors and textures.