Dreamy Dairy-Free DIY Pizza

Takeaway pizzas may be a thing of the past, but don't despair, pizza night is still yours to enjoy!

Making your own pizza is a lengthy but rewarding journey. You literally get to watch a ball of dough grow and mature into an irresistible pie, glazed with a tantalising tomato sauce and topped with a vibrant array of vegetables...delicious!

Pizza has always been a crowd favourite of mine and I was simply heartbroken when I realised I would never order from Domino's or Pizza Hut again. In fact, during my first day as a vegan, I did actually order a cheeseless Domino's - it was quite possibly the most disappointing meal of 2016 (regrettably also my first meal of the year). Could it have been that my cheese addicted brain was experiencing withdrawal symptoms?If you're going to remove one vital ingredient from a classic recipe, be prepared to substitute it with something else. True, you can make a fabulous pizza without cheese (which I will also show you in this recipe), but there are some kick-ass cheese alternatives on the market right now.

If you're like me and aren't a massive fan of processed foods, you can instead make an amazing "parmesan cheese" from cashew nuts and nutritional yeast!The key to a great tasting vegan pizza is a fantastic base and a mouth-watering pizza sauce. The flavour has to come from somewhere, so if your sauce sucks you're letting the entire pie down. I like to make a garlic and herb base, but you can omit these ingredients from your pizza if you wish to.

Please note: Although the method is relatively easy, the recipe itself has been split into four sections (base, sauce, toppings, "cheese"). Make sure to read all sections to avoid disappointment!

Pizza Base

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: 3-3 1/2 cups strong white flour 1 (7g) sachet of fast acting yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon basil or mixed herbs 1 cup water, very warm 2 tablespoons olive oil

Note that you can get a lot of pizza dough out of this recipe, so you can either make a massive pizza to share around or divide the risen dough in half and make two personal pizzas.

Method

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and seasonings. Add warm water and olive oil, then knead for about 5 minutes. 2. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and seasonings. Add warm water and olive oil, then knead for about 5 minutes.

3. The dough should have formed into a ball by now. Get a damp warm tea towel, cover, and leave to rise for 10 minutes in a warm place.

4. Once risen, you can choose if you want to divide the dough to make two personal pizzas. Roll out the dough to fit on a pizza pan or tray. You need to bake the dough for 10 minutes before you can put any toppings on.

Whilst the dough is baking, lets make the pizza sauce!! Don't forget to set a timer on the oven, the pizza sauce will take around 20 minutes to make and you don't want a burnt base.

Awesome pizza sauce

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

2 Cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

2 x 400g tinned plum or chopped tomatoes

Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Heat a large non stick-frying pan and pour in a generous amount of olive oil. Add the garlic and saute until lightly brown. Add the basil and tomatoes. Use the back of a wooden spoon to squash the tomatoes as much as possible.

2. Season with salt and pepper. When the sauce comes to the boil, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the sauce through a coarse sieve into a ball, using your wooden spoon to push bits of tomato through. Discard the remaining garlic and basil that will be left in your sieve.

3. CHECK ON PIZZA BASE!!!

4. Pour the sauce back into the pan and bring to the boil once more. Then, turn down the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.

If you find that you have more sauce than you need, you can store it in the fridge for about a week or even freeze it. This sauce works great for pasta too!

So, your pizza base should be out of the oven now, fantastic! Now we're getting onto the exciting part. You can spread your freshly made sauce onto your base, staying about an inch away from the edge so that you have a clean crust. Hey, you can even try and make yourself a stuffed crust by putting mozzarella style cheese about an inch away from the edge and folding the edges over!

Now your base is ready for toppings - this part is entirely up to personal preference.

I like to top my pizza with spinach, sweetcorn, onion and rocket. If you wish to top yours with these ingredients too, I recommend topping them in that exact order, saving the rocket for AFTER the pizza is good because it ends up just burning (unless crispy rocket is what you're

into)

I like to add rocket because I feel it intensifies the flavour of the pizza. Try drizzling some balsamic vinegar on top, it sounds crazy but trust me, it tastes insaaaane.

For me, the leafiness of the spinach and rocket makes up for the lack of cheese. However, if you want to top your pizza with vegan style cheese, make sure to put it on straight after the sauce and also go for a good quality melting cheese. I highly recommend Sainsbury's mozzarella style cheese - it's definitely the best supermarket find for good flavour and melting ability.However, if you want you can try making your own homemade parmesan for a different approach. You will need a blender or food processor for this.

Vegan parmesan: Prep time: 5 minutes 1/2 cup raw cashews 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until it turns fine. You can store the remainder of the parmesan in a fridge for up to two months. 2. You can either sprinkle the parmesan on top of the sauce before the rest of the toppings or on top of the baked pizza.

Once your pizza is topped to perfection, it'll need to go back into the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for another for a further 10-20 minutes.

So there you have it! Homemade pizza is a mission but in return, you do get a truly delicious meat and dairy free pizza. There are so many possibilities with pizza, get creative and let me know what combination of toppings you like best. If you don't feel like tackling this challenge by yourself, why not get a friend or family member involved? That way it will be twice as fun!

Thank you for reading my longest recipe so far, and stay tuned to find out what I'm making next week. xo