When I decided to change my household to quasi-vegan most transitions were smooth. However, changing to plant base diet and being able to maintain our favorite Friday pizza dinner did not. The Dick is our favourite take out joint and sadly, they do not have vegan cheese, their sauce contains Parmesan.
However, the vegan mozzarella from store that looked like dairy was too expensive and not up to par. It appeared there had to be a far more superior strategy. Naturally, I approached my phone and typed in "DIY vegan mozzarella." Thankfully, this was the Holy Grail. This is the quickest, cheapest homemade vegan mozzarella you will ever come across, and it doesn't have weirdo ingredients in it, and it taste a hundred times better than the store bought ones. Most importantly, it's hot and gooey which I believe is the right definition of a pizza night in this fabulous cheesy pizza vegan recipe.
Dough and Sauce: Vegan by Default
Veganizing pizza from the tweens is not that tough. The majority of pizza dough and pizza sauces, even the ones bought in stores, fall squarely into the "vegan by process of elimination" camp. However, to be on the safer side, I suggest going through the label and ensure the product is vegan.
This recipe is especially useful to me because I cannot find a good refrigerated pizza dough where I live. I make it the day before our planned pizza night, shape it into balls then leave it to rise in the refrigerator during work so when I get home it's ready to bake.
DIY Vegan Pizza Cheese: A Game Changer
Now, on to the pay dirt: the cheese. Old school vegans will remember when mozzarella style shreds were rocky until their early incarnation but are still hesitant to properly melt. And their cost has increased in a way that is inconsequent with their quality.
I've made fancypants nut based cheeses at home, I've fermented them. They're good they're not cheesy. I wanted homemade vegan cheese for basal pizza pleasure deliverers – melty and goopy.
The food blog School Nite Vegan offered a brilliant solution: just use tapioca flour to make what is, in effect, a pre-melted confection. The culinary use of tapioca flour increases its stringy nature once it is boiled with the liquid though it imitates the like of melted cheese. So, nutritional yeast is used for the flavor, while neutral oil is used to give it that richness. You simply combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and what you end up with, doesn't sound like it could have come from such ingredients. It also takes a very short time to prepare; you can prepare it whilst waiting for the oven to heat up.
The vegan pizza cheese is soft and melty, there's no need to grate it – you simple 'blovate' it on the pizza and bake. Any leftovers, if you have any, keep in the fridge for a few days, so you could have a lunchtime quesadilla or two.
For the purpose of this paper, it is fine to use store bought cheese!
You don't have to be a superstar and make your own vegan pizza cheese, just check this out. You are already winning it big time with homemade pizza. Being the product that melts the best, the Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds has been determined to be the meltiest shreds. My boyfriend has been a vegan for as long as I've known him and this is his favorite.
If one wants more of a Margherita-style pizza, shredded or finely cubed Miyoko's Cashew Milk Mozzarella will do the job.
Toppings for Vegan Pizza
As much as I would love to indulge and have a full meal out of every type of pizza, I prefer it when it's less filling. Adding more toppings to the pizza results to a soft crust. Consider the following toppings:
- Vegan pepperoni slices
- Mushroom: raw fine slices (the mushrooms need not be cooked, but use them sparingly, as they will release lots of water when cooked on the pizza).
- Fried mushrooms (in these you can add more, because you cooked them)
- Small cups of baby arugula or spinach – since it shrinks after baking
- Whole or halved pitted olives
- They used drained, jarred piquillo peppers or Calabrian chiles, cut into ribbons
- A few basil leaves, and a good olive oil drizzle after the pizza is hot out of the oven
- Broken up and fried vegan sausage meat, or Tyson vegan sausage patties, already cooked and sliced
In case you can be preparing the homemade vegan mozzarella you are going to have leftovers. It'll keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for 4 days. It's great on loaded quesadillas.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pizza dough making it at home or from a local store or pizza parlour.
- For greasing the pizza dough and the baking sheet olive oil can be used.
- Flour for dusting the counter
- Cornmeal, for dusting the board, the tools used when tossing the dough or the surface of the baking pan or pizza peel.
- 3/4 to 1 cup of pizza sauce of your making or of good quality store bought vegan sauce.
- 1 batch homemade vegan mozzarella (see below) OR 7 to 8 ounces vegan mozzarella-style shreds
- Optional toppings: fresh basil, vegan pepperoni or well cooked vegan sausage, mushroom
Easy vegan mozzarella
- 5 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons of nooch.
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 6 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.
Method
Divide the dough:
Usually one or more hours prior to the actual preparation of the pizza, grease an oven baking pan using olive oil. Roll it into 2 portions (if you want to make two 14 inch pizzas and four portions if you want to make four 8 inch pizzas). Pull the outer skin of each dough piece till it taut and pinched at base before oiling lightly before placing the dough seam down on the sheet. Cover and let rise until double in size, though it will take more time if left in the refrigerator, about 8 hours; If left on the counter, it will only take an about 1 hour.
Simple Tip! I prefer to divide the dough in the morning and let it rise in a refrigerator. The dough for the cold pizza is also less deformed, or sticky and thus easier to build.
Preheat the oven:
P/xhtml/css/attrs about 20 to 30 min prior to the intended baking time for the pizzas the oven should be preheated to 500°F. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and place a baking stone or the inverted rimmed baking sheet inside, preheat.
Make the cheese:
At the same time, if you're making your own homemade vegan mozzarella cheese prepare this while the oven is pre-heating. Add the tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, sugar, and salt into a deep middle sized cooking pot. Now add the water, the oil and the vinegar and mix it up. Turn the burner to medium-high, and cook the mixture occasionally whisked. To observe the stages of the gelation process, simple add the water and start stirring after 3-5 min the mixture will become from less viscous to more viscous like bouncy.
Reduce heat to medium and to continue cooking while stirring constantly, as soon as there are large bubbles forming and appearing to move up the side of the pan. When it's ready the cheese will be that sticky, gooey mess that clings to everything. While it may not resemble an appealing substance, do not fret it will set nicely once baked on the pizza. They are taken off the heat and allowed to stand aside.
Shape the pizza:
On a lightly floured surface roll one dough ball with your hands starting from the centre. In case you prefer to have many holes in the crust once it has been baked, you should avoid pressing the dough flat at its edges. If it springs back – leave it and take a little break and move on to the other crust while waiting for it to rest.
If you're making two pizzas, shape a circle that is about 14 inches in diameter. When making 4 more petite pizzas, the ideal wheel shape should be 7/8 to 8 inches.
Sprinkle pie dough with corn meal on a pizza peel or an inverted cookie sheet and then move one dough round to the table.
Simple Tip! If you are uncomfortable placing the pizzas directly unto the baking stone, roll the pizzas into squares of baking paper; they will smooth to the oven without sticking. The parchment will burn at the edges when you place it in the oven but it will not harm the pizza crust.
Top the pizzas:
In the case of the large pizzas transfer 6 tablespoons of sauce per pizza and spread it over the surface of the dough up to half an inch to one inch from the edge. In the smaller pizzas, use 4 tablespoons per pizza.
If you're using vegan cheese shreds, you don't have to spread them around, just sprinkle it on top of the pizza.
If you made the homemade cheese, use a tablespoon to place cheese in drops on the pizza at the same distance. This cheese mixture will collapse from the spoon in rubbery blorps. As such I suggest that you make sure to achieve as close to equal coating of sauce with occasional bare areas showing. For one small pizza you will be about 4-5 tablespoons of cheese and in total you will be using half cup for large pizza.
Simple Tip! This particular section may invite you to really go over the top with homemade vegan cheese. Don't give in! A little also goes a long way and it will give a better texture if added in the oven when in small thin portions.
If desired, add the rest of the toppings you would like, but hold back slightly. If a pizza is overloaded it cannot be baked well, it comes out stack and well done.
Bake the pizzas, then serve:
Scoot the pizza on the preheated stone or an inverted baking pan. Large ones will have taken approximately 15 to 20 minutes, the small ones will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
If you are baking the pizzas on the pizza pans then they will take a little longer.
To test the readiness check the bottom with a metal spatula to see whether it sparingly browns with the crust. They should be of a brown color on the top crust. This is because if you're using your homemade vegan mozzarella it will bubble up in certain spots.
Simple Tip! If you are using vegan mozzarella shreds, some of the brands such as vegan mozzarella that is thick and gooey melt but do not brown.
When the pizza turns out to be slightly brown on the bottom, remove it from the oven and place on a plate for cutting, and then cut immediately.
Prepare, bake and build the rest of the pizzas.
If you are going to have a surplus, it is advisable to store them, in an aluminum foil or plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for not more than 3 days. My favorite method for reheating slices is in the air fryer for 5-7 minutes at 375°F while you can also heat them on a skillet.
