There is nothing quite like a takeaway treat on a Friday night and everyone loves pizza! I have always loved making my own pizza as it tastes better and is a lot healthier than the greasy fast food kind. Yes, it takes a little more effort than simply jumping onto ‘Uber eats’ and clicking a button but it won’t leave you with that bloated, regretful feeling at the end of the night! (And you’ll save quite a bit of money). 👍
I have always used the Jamie Oliver pizza dough recipe as it’s so easy and lately I have adapted it to make a 50% wholemeal version (trust me, you won’t know the difference but it’s better for the waistline!) Yes, you could always buy pizza bases from the supermarket and simply decorate them if you’re short on time, but if you can be organised enough to make your own dough you won’t regret it! It only involves around 10-15 minutes of hands-on time and my recipe makes six pizza bases which you can freeze for a later date!
When it comes to toppings, go wild! At first, I thought that making a vegan pizza might be challenging as my favourite toppings are cheese, pepperoni and anchovies. But then I realised that as long as I have plenty of salty toppings, I don’t feel like I’m missing out! Nick and I aren’t really keen on store-bought vegan cheese as it doesn’t really melt and we try and avoid processed foods as much as possible. So instead I make my own using a very simple recipe that my friend Rosie shared with me (it takes 5 minutes in a blender and 25 minutes to cook). If you don’t have time for this extra step just leave it out (but trust me, it is worth the effort and leftovers can be used on pasta dishes, sandwiches and salads!)
The other magic ingredient is JACKFRUIT. I absolutely love it. It is so versatile and it’s perfect as a meat replacement on pizza. When marinated it is absolutely delicious and if you want a BBQ flavour you could even mix in some BBQ sauce. Other toppings we use are peppers, mushrooms, olives, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. The olives and the sun-dried tomatoes provide the salty flavour that makes pizza so moreish and when you combine it with the homemade vegan cheese it’s so scrumptious!
I have broken the recipe down into steps. Don’t be daunted! This recipe is a lot easier and quicker than it looks and is perfect for a Friday night or weekend when you need to use up leftovers and want a tasty treat.
STEP 1: Prepare the jackfruit. (5 minutes)
Spicy Jackfruit Recipe
- Ingredients:
- 400g can of jackfruit (drained and rinsed)
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ garlic powder
- ¼ mild chilli powder
- ¼ salt
- 1-2 TBL BBQ sauce (Optional)
Method:
- Place the drained jackfruit into a bowl.
- Combine all the spices in another small bowl and mix together
- Tip the spices into the bowl with the jackfruit and stir it all together so everything is well coated
- Optional: You could also add a couple of TBL of BBQ sauce if you want that flavour!
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
STEP 2: Make the pizza bases (10-15 minutes)
Pizza Base Recipe: (Makes six individual bases)
Ingredients:
- 250g White bread flour or white spelt flour (or a mix of the two!)
- 250g Wholemeal bread flour or wholemeal spelt flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp quick baking active yeast
- ½ TBL sugar
- 2 TBL extra virgin olive oil
Method:
- In a jug, mix together the yeast, sugar and oil with 325ml of lukewarm water
- Mix together the flour and salt on the kitchen counter
- Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and work together with your hands
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it’s smooth and springy.
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a teatowel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour until it’s doubled in size
- Once it’s doubled, spend a minute ‘knocking back the dough’ before dividing it into six balls. I weigh the balls to make sure they are even!
- If you’re not using the dough straight away, wrap the balls in cling film and refrigerate up to three days. Or pop in the freezer and they will last a lot longer!
- If you’re using the dough straight away, flour the surface and roll out the dough as thin as possible. I then use a silicone mat in the oven as it’s non-stick! But if you don’t have this, use a flat baking tray with a little oil to prevent sticking.
STEP 3: Make the cheese while the dough is resting (5 minutes)
Baked Almond Snacking Cheese Recipe
*Please Note: The measurements are in US cups. I use a retro measuring cup that has both UK and US measurements and it’s so handy! Click here to buy your own.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons water (more if needed)
- 2 teaspoons miso (the beige coloured one or whatever you have)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½- 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast (optional)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Lightly grease a small oven-safe bowl or you could just use a silicone mould. I use a ramekin dish.
- Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender, stopping to scrape the sides down as needed, until it’s as smooth as possible. If you need to add more water, do!
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared ramekin, use a spatula to compress firmly, and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate or keep it in the ramekin and serve frim there! It freezes well or you can keep it in the fridge to flake on pastas and salads!
- When using it on the pizza, wait until it’s cool and then flake onto the top using your fingers.
STEP 4: Prepare the toppings (10 minutes)
While the cheese is baking, start chopping and prepping your ingredients!
Toppings Suggestions:
- Jackfruit (see recipe above or use leftover mexican pulled jackfruit
- 250g tin of chopped tomatoes
- ½ red onion
- ½-1 pepper (any colour)
- ½ punnet mushrooms
- Olives (to taste)
- Sundried tomatoes (to taste)
- Homemade vegan cheese (see above for recipe)
- Empty the tin of tomatoes into your blender and add in whatever seasoning you’d like! I add a little salt, garlic powder, dried chillies and Italian herbs. Pulse it for a few seconds until it is smooth. This is the tomato sauce for the base.
- Chop all other ingredients!
STEP 5: Make the pizza (5-10 minutes)
Roll out the dough using plenty of flour to prevent sticking. Top with the tomato sauce, jackfruit, veggies and vegan cheese!
STEP 6: Cook the pizza (10-15 minutes)
Cook pizza on the top shelf of the oven at 250 degrees c (480 f) for 10-15 minutes.
STEP 7: Gobble it up!! (2 mins!!)
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