Easy Vegan Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
Homemade pizza dough
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour plus 1/2 to 1 cup more
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
Sauce and toppings
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- pinch sea salt
- 1 cup Homemade Vegan Mozzarella or store-bought
- 1/2 cup basil fresh, finely chopped
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast. Gradually add 1.5 cups water while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir until well incorporated. Knead dough gently with hands to form a ball. Add more flour if needed until it's no longer sticky. It should be plush and dough-like.
Transfer dough to a large clean bowl. Cover with reusable wrap and let rise at room temperature, in a draft-free area, until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and the dough has doubled in size, approximately 6-10 hours. If not using right away, dust dough ball with flour and cover in reusable wrap. Store in fridge and bring back to room temperature before use.
Transfer dough to a floured work surface and shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into two equal portions and mold into a ball.
Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Place dough balls each on a baking sheet and flatten with hands, until it covers most of the sheet. If the dough springs back, let it rest a few minutes, then try again.
In a smaller mixing bowl combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic and sea salt. Slather tomato sauce onto pizza dough and top each with vegan mozzarella. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pizza crust is golden and bubbly, and the bottom is cooked through. Check by lifting up with a spatula. Sprinkle pizza with fresh basil and slice into 8 pieces.
Tips
Use about 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is sticky.
Let the dough rise overnight for convenience.
