I’ve not lived a life where pizza was a big deal for me. Growing up, I never liked cheese, so I would always just eat the crust.
Now that I’m vegan, we eat pizza more than we did when we weren’t vegan, oddly enough. It’s one of the easier things to make vegan when you’re at a restaurant. If you’re thinking “OH MY G-D, pizza without cheese is just bread”, well, one, I love bread. Two, try it one time, you’ll be surprised to know that it’s amazingly satisfying and delicious without the cheese. Also you’re less likely to experience that “oh my gosh, I ate too much” feeling.
One tip I recommend if you’re ordering a pizza without cheese is to ask for “light” sauce. Sometimes the pizza maker will overcompensate for no cheese with extra sauce. That is just not delicious. Even if you love tomato sauce, it’s just a soggy hot mess. Don’t do it.
For the past couple of months we’ve been making pizza at home using this dough recipe from Melanie Makes. I follow the recipe as it is, although I will say that I prefer it, personally, when I use all purpose flour vs. bread flour. They’re both delicious, but for me, the crust is easier for me to bite when I use all purpose. Hey, I have braces, I’m allowed to like a softer crust.
That’s a picture of tonight’s pizza. Crust, pizza sauce, sliced green olives, steamed broccoli, and on half of the pizza, sliced Gardein Meatballs. These were leftover from last night’s dinner. Intentionally. This is three meatballs, sliced, then scattered over half the pizza. I think two meatballs is the proper number for this pizza, for reference. Hubs loved this! They crisped up a bit along the edges, so that was a nice bonus for him.
We use a perforated pizza pan. In a toaster oven. This pizza is perfection. We can have the idea of wanting pizza to slicing that pizza in less than 30 minutes. It’s so easy to make and so delicious that there is no way that you’ll go for delivery again once you try this recipe.
Here are a couple things I’ve tried with this pizza, all to great results.
- Drained some olive tapenade to use as olive topping. Kept the oil that drained off to use in the dough recipe. It calls for two tablespoons, and if the tapenade doesn’t produce that much, I just supplement. It adds a nice boost of flavor to the crust.
- Use this slicer to produce thin pieces of yukon gold potato. They crisp while cooking and are just delectable on pizza. I also use this tool when I slice mushrooms for pizza, because I want them to cook evenly.
- Place a couple of basil leaves on the pizza for the last minute of cooking. Just to wilt, not to brown.
- Take the pizza out of the oven, sprinkle arugula on it, let it sit for a minute. Devour.
My only issue with this pizza is that I don’t have a pizza cutter. Have one that you love or know one to recommend? There are many to choose from, but I just can decide if I want a wheel, a rocking blade, or should I just stick with my santoku knife? If you have an opinion on that, I’d love for you to comment.