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I can't tell you how long it has been since I made pizza crust from scratch. For me, it's one of those "why bother?" cooking projects-there are so many good readymade crusts to be found in natural foods stores. It's so easy to throw together a simple, creative pizza. While it's in the oven, a big tossed salad can be prepared, and just like that, you've got a great meal perfect for a busy weeknight or a Friday night movie-and-pizza night at home.
3 to 4 servings
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- One 12- to 14-inch good-quality pizza crust
- 3 to 4 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, optional
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups grated vegan mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup sliced black olives, preferably oil-cured
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the eggplant and garlic in a medium skillet with a small amount of water. Cover and steam until the eggplant is tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure there is enough water to keep the bottom of the skillet moist.
Place the crust on a pan. Arrange the tomatoes on the crust, and sprinkle with the eggplant-garlic mixture. If desired, season with a little salt and a few grindings of pepper. Top with the mozzarella; sprinkle the olives on last.
Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, and cut into 4 to 6 wedges to serve.
Basic Pizza Dough
Makes enough crust for two 12- to 14-inch pizzas
- 2 envelopes active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup safflower oil
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Combine the yeast with 2 cups of warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes to dissolve. Stir in the oil and sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours the salt. Make a well in the center and stir in the yeast mixture. Work everything together. first with a wooden spoon and then your hands, to form a dough.
Turn it out onto a well-floured board and knead it for 8 minutes, adding flour until the dough loses stickiness. Place the dough in a floured bowl, cover it with a tea towel, and put it in a warm place. Let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Punch the dough down. divide it. and form into two rounds. Roll out each round on a well-floured board and stretch it to fit a 12- to 14-inch round pizza pan. Lightly oil the pans and sprinkle them with cornmeal. Lay the rounds on the pans and make a lip of dough around the edge. Arrange topping of choice on the dough. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, until crust is golden.
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