I know many of my fellow PD editors are ready for fall--we're an autumnal bunch (chai + blankets + books...)--but none of us can ignore the fact that summer has some of the best, most colorful produce. Tomatoes! Eggplant! Basil! It's a vegan's paradise walking through the farmer's market awash in the hues of the rainbow. Even I admit that same walk in the chilled air of October or November, when the bins are full of root vegetables and onions, is not quite as thrilling.
As an homage to this season I love to hate, I made a greatest-hits mixed tape of a meal: pizza. In the past, I've not had great luck with making my own dough for things, including cookies and pies, and yet this homemade dough courtesy of the one and only Smitten Kitchen is something even I could tackle safely. It doesn't require hours of rising time, and it was easy for me to adapt it to be gluten free by using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour.
My baking sheet was on the smaller side, which I recommend because it allowed the crust to be solid enough to support this hefty load of veggies. (I was actually surprised it did, and I had been prepared to do an entire redo as I layered on the toppings...#recipetesting.) If your sheet is bigger, though, just use slightly fewer toppings (I'd recommend skipping the peppers and using fewer tomatoes if that's the case), or, as Deb suggests, doubling the dough recipe.
This pizza is pretty simple--there's no "sauce" or cheese, even the vegan kind--so if you're craving something more traditional here, sprinkle some nutritional yeast on your slice for a cheesy flavor. But honestly, the fresh flavors of summer shine as bright as the sun that grew them, and deserve to be enjoyed in their purest form--while they last!
YIELDS
6 slices
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1-1/2 cups gluten-free flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for veggies)
- 3 cups kale
- 3/4 cup corn (kernels from 1 ear)
- 1 medium red pepper
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1/2 large heirloom tomato
Directions
For the dough:
1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl. Add water and oil. Combine gently with hands, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball for a few minutes.
2. Drizzle some olive oil in your bowl to coat it lightly, then toss the ball of dough back in to coat the sides with oil. Cover with saran wrap, and place the bowl on the stove or another warm place to rise for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size, roughly.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and press out the air with your hands. Knead again, reforming the ball, and replace it in the bowl, cover, and let set for another 20 minutes.
For the pizza:
4. While the dough is rising (you'll have plenty of time!), prepare the vegetables. Remove stems from kale and chop; cut the kernels of corn off the cob (it's helpful to place the ear in a bowl, to catch the jumpers); thinly slice the pepper, onion, and tomato.
5. Place the corn, onion, and pepper in a bowl and toss with a bit of olive oil and salt. Set aside.
6. When the dough is all set, press it into your baking sheet. Be precise and patient with this; it won't be even, but there shouldn't be any especially thin places.
7. Top dough with the onion, pepper, and corn combination. Bake in a 500-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the crust starts to turn just golden on the edges.
8. Add the tomatoes and kale (it's okay to go heavy with the kale; since it shrivels up, it can look like a green blanket). Bake for another 5-6 minutes or until kale is crispy. Turn off the oven, and leave the pizza in the oven for another 5 minutes so it settles without the crust turning too brown.
9. Top with additional spices (oregano, basil, nutritional yeast), if you must. Enjoy!
1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl. Add water and oil. Combine gently with hands, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball for a few minutes.
2. Drizzle some olive oil in your bowl to coat it lightly, then toss the ball of dough back in to coat the sides with oil. Cover with saran wrap, and place the bowl on the stove or another warm place to rise for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size, roughly.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and press out the air with your hands. Knead again, reforming the ball, and replace it in the bowl, cover, and let set for another 20 minutes.
For the pizza:
4. While the dough is rising (you'll have plenty of time!), prepare the vegetables. Remove stems from kale and chop; cut the kernels of corn off the cob (it's helpful to place the ear in a bowl, to catch the jumpers); thinly slice the pepper, onion, and tomato.
5. Place the corn, onion, and pepper in a bowl and toss with a bit of olive oil and salt. Set aside.
6. When the dough is all set, press it into your baking sheet. Be precise and patient with this; it won't be even, but there shouldn't be any especially thin places.
7. Top dough with the onion, pepper, and corn combination. Bake in a 500-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the crust starts to turn just golden on the edges.
8. Add the tomatoes and kale (it's okay to go heavy with the kale; since it shrivels up, it can look like a green blanket). Bake for another 5-6 minutes or until kale is crispy. Turn off the oven, and leave the pizza in the oven for another 5 minutes so it settles without the crust turning too brown.
9. Top with additional spices (oregano, basil, nutritional yeast), if you must. Enjoy!
Also by Jennifer: Raw Vegan Superfood Chocolate Smoothie
Related: Vegan Thin Crust Pear Pesto Pizza
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Photos: Jennifer Kurdyla
