Vegan Pizza

Ingredients for  4  Servings

• For the Dough

• 200g

  Strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1½ tsp

  Fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp

  Caster sugar
• 1 tsp

  Salt
• 125ml

  Warm water
• -

  Olive oil, for greasing
• For the Topping

• 400g

  Chopped tomatoes
• 100g

  Chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 100g

  Quartered or sliced artichoke hearts in oil, drained well
• 1

  Small onion, finely chopped
• 2

  Garlic cloves, crushed
• 16

  Green or black olives, or a mixture, drained well
• 4 tbsp

  Ground almonds
• 1 tsp

  Dried oregano
• ½

  Red or yellow pepper, seeds removed, thinly sliced
• ½

  Large courgette, very thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 tbsp

  Extra virgin olive
• -

  Large handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
• -

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approximate Times

• Preparation :

  1 to 2 hours
• Cooking :

  10 to 30 minutes

Method

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the yeast, sugar and sea salt. Stir the water into the flour with a large wooden spoon until the dough comes together and forms a soft, spongy dough.
2. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. (The dough will feel very sticky to begin with). Place in a greased bowl and cover with lightly oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
3. While the dough is rising, make the tomato sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Stir regularly and add the garlic for the last minute of cooking time.
4. Tip the tomatoes into the pan and add the oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Place over a fairly high heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
5. Divide the dough into two even pieces, form into balls and flatten slightly. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough ball out on a well-floured surface until around 25cm diameter – large if you like a very thin and crispy pizza.
6. Place the dough onto two baking trays, each lined with non-stick baking paper. Spread with the tomato mixture, leaving a 1.5cm border around the edge. Leave to prove for 30–40 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 240°C/Fan 220°C/Gas 9.
8. Arrange the pepper, courgette, mushrooms and artichoke over the pizzas. Sprinkle with the ground almonds and top with the olives.
9. Bake for 9–10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just cooked and the dough is golden brown. Cook one at a time or one above the other. (If cooking at the same time, you may need to leave the pizza on the lower shelf in the oven for longer.) Garnish with lots of fresh basil leaves and drizzle with a little more olive oil before serving half a pizza per person.