VEGAN PIZZA
Julie Hasson
Andrews McMeel
September 2013
$14.99/Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1449427122
Julie Hasson is the author of eight cookbooks and has over twenty years of experience in the food industry, including serving as a private chef for celebrities and high-profile clients. Julie opened the original Babycakes Bakery in Los Angeles (a wholesale artisan bakery). She authored Vegan Diner, 150 Best Cupcake Recipes, The Complete Book of Pies, 125 Best Cupcake Recipes, 125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes, 125 Best Chocolate Recipes, and 300 Best Chocolate Recipes. Julie has contributed extensive articles and recipes to Bon Appétit, Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, VegNews,and Family Fun magazines, and is also the host of the popular Internet cooking show Everyday Dish. Julie has been featured on numerous TV and radio shows across the country, including the Cooking Channel, Better Portland, Good Day Oregon, and Martha Stewart Living Radio. She was one of the hosts of the cooking show 15 and Done, and was the Healthy Cooking Expert on More Good Day Oregon. Julie currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where she co-owns the food cart Native Bowl with her husband, Jay. She also runs Julie’s Original, a company specializing in delicious gluten-free baking mixes.
Vegan Pizza is loaded with modern pizza recipes from easy-to-make doughs to creamy dairy-free cheese sauces, creative toppings, and flavored spreads. With a bevy of inventive toppings and pizzas that run the gamut from comfort food pizzas such as Barbecue and Eggplant Parmesan Pizza to garden-fresh vegetable-laden pizzas such as Sweet Potato and Kale, and even dessert pizzas, no one will need to order out for pizza ever again.
Cowboy Pizza
Makes 1 large (14- to 15-inch) pizza or 2 individual (about 11-inch) thin-crust pizzas
I have to believe that if cowboys were vegan, this would be their pizza of choice. Bold, smoky, and a little spicy, there is nothing like a little barbecue sauce, jalapeño, and Cheddar to get you going.
1 batch pizza dough (see below)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded vegan Cheddar- or mozzarella-style cheese
1 1/2 cups Sweet and Smoky Soy Curls (see below), or store-bought vegan crumbles, or 2 to 3 vegan sausages, cut into slices
4 ounces broccoli florets, chopped into smaller pieces
1 to 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced (optional)
About 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Preheat the oven, preferably with a pizza stone inside, to 500°F for 30 minutes, while getting the pizza ready.
Divide your dough into 2 even pieces. Keep 1, and return 1 to the bucket, cover, and refrigerate for later use. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll out your dough into 1 large or 2 small rounds, as thin as you can get it. I like to make my small pizzas about 11 inches and my large between 14 and 15 inches. Don’t worry if your dough tears. Simply patch it back together with your fingers. Lightly dust with additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Try not to use too much, or your crust will be very dry. Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to a large sheet of parchment paper.
Spread the barbecue sauce (about 1/4 cup for each small pizza, and about 1/2 cup for a large) evenly on the pizza, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce, and top with the Soy Curls. Sprinkle the broccoli and jalapeños, if using, over the Soy Curls. If making 2 small pizzas, repeat with the remaining pizza.
Carefully transfer the pizza and parchment paper to the pizza stone, if using. Otherwise, place the pizza on a baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven. If making 2 small pizzas, repeat with the remaining pizza.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust looks fairly darkish brown. If it’s not done, continue baking for a few more minutes.
Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top, cut into slices, and serve right away.
Tip: The Sweet And Smoky Soy Curls can be left off, if desired.
Easy-Peasy Pizza Dough
Makes 2 large (14- to 15-inch) or 4 individual (about 11-inch) thin-crust pizzas
3 cups (408 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
2 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (277 grams) warm water (110° to 120°F)
2 tablespoons (20 grams) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (32 grams) agave syrup, or 2 tablespoons (24 grams) light brown sugar, packed
In a large bowl or a food-safe 4-quart plastic Cambro bucket, combine the flour and salt, mixing well with a fork. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the dry mixture, and add the warm water, olive oil, and agave or sugar, and stir with a fork until everything is combined well and there are no traces of flour left. If the dough seems dry, add a little more water as necessary to make a soft, moist dough. There is no need to knead this dough.
Cover the bowl or bucket with plastic wrap or a fitted lid, and set aside in a warm place to rise for 2 to 3 hours (or up to 6 hours). At this point, you can also refrigerate it, covered, for up to 5 days, or divide the dough into 2 or 4 pieces and freeze them in a sealed zip-top bag (with room for dough expansion) for up to 2 weeks. Thaw the frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before shaping.
Shape and bake the pizza according to the recipe directions.
Variation: For even more flavorful dough, reduce the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon, and let rise for about 18 hours before using or refrigerating to use at a later time.
Sweet and Smoky Soy Curls
Makes about 2 cups
Sometimes you want just a little sweet and smoky flavor to play off the other flavors on your pizza. Well, this is it, and these Soy Curls are so good, you’ll find yourself using them every chance you get. Leftover Sweet and Smoky Soy Curls will keep for several days, so you can make a batch ahead of time, and toss them on a pizza when the mood strikes. They are also lovely tossed in a salad, tucked into a sandwich, or just eaten out of hand.
4 ounces Soy Curls
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Olive oil
In a small bowl, combine the Soy Curls and boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the Soy Curls, pressing out as much water as possible. You want them very dry.
Toss the Soy Curls with the tamari, liquid smoke, maple syrup, nutritional yeast flakes, sesame oil, and salt.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the Soy Curls and cook, stirring often, until they are nicely browned, 10 to 15 minutes. The Soy Curls should have a nice chewy texture at this point. If necessary, drizzle in a little more olive oil as needed.
The Soy Curls are now ready to use on your pizza. Alternatively, let the cooked Soy Curls cool, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Tip: Soy Curls are great to keep on hand, as they are a dry product, and only need to be rehydrated before using.
These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipes from Vegan Pizza by Julie Hasson. (Andrews McMeel; September 2013; $14.99/Trade Paperback; ISBN-13; 978-1449427122). http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/
Contact: Andrea Shores
800.851.8923 x 7499
ashores@amuniversal.com