Introduction: Fast, Easy, Yeast-Free Vegan Pizza!

By
About: Where there's a will, there's a way! Never give up, never give in...BE the good you want to see in the world. :)

If you've ever made traditional pizza dough from scratch, you know how long of a process it can be. Waiting just for it to rise can easily take over an hour to an hour and a half (and this doesn't include prep or baking times)! And store-bought, frozen pizzas can take up to 25 minutes just to bake in the oven...so this is FRESH, from scratch, and delicious for just as quick!

Now, I'm the kind of person who has to have quick (but delicious) recipes on hand for any plethora of cravings my family has, plus I can't pass a good recipe that is not only quick, but has fewer ingredients (means I save money and time!) and/or is easy to substitute things I already have on hand. This recipe is all that and a bag of Doritos! ;) So try it for yourself and tell me whatchya think...

Yes, you read that title correctly. This pizza is vegan, the dough does not have yeast in it and only requires FIVE ingredients, and from start-to-finish it only takes about 30 minutes! Let's getting cooking...

(NOTE: This recipe is designed to utilize what you already have on hand, thus saving you money.)

Step 1: What You'll Need...

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

(NOTE: This recipe makes one 12" round pizza or about 3/4 of a baking sheet-size rectangular pizza. If you want to make multiple pizzas, DO NOT double or triple, etc this recipe and then try to equally distribute it over multiple baking sheets. This will be an epic failure. Instead, pull out a few bowls, and place one whole recipe in each separate bowl.)

FIVE-INGREDIENT DOUGH:

1 1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (I use a sea salt grinder and it's about 10 twists of the grinder)

2 tablespoons olive oil (or unsweetened applesauce)

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other non-dairy milk, or water)

DELICIOUSLY EASY SAUCE:

1 can tomato sauce, crushed or pureed tomatoes, or the like...I've even used tomato soup slightly watered down! (any cheap stuff you already have on hand)*

(*or you can use your favorite pizza sauce--if so, then omit the following ingredients)

Salt (and optional pepper) to taste

Onion Powder to taste (start with about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon--or a hearty pinch/sprinkle--then taste and add accordingly)

Oregano to taste (again, start with a small amount like 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, then add more to taste)

TOPPINGS:

Whatever pizza toppings you enjoy! The great thing about making a pizza homemade is you can load it up--unlike how they tend to skimp or make you pay more to put on extra ingredients at a pizza place.

Some of our favorite toppings include:

  • Nutritional Yeast (even my hubby, who isn't vegetarian/vegan, likes the "cheesy" taste this gives the pizza)--sprinkle a good amount over the entire pizza
  • Alternatively, you can make a delicious vegan Parmesan by food-processing or blending these four, simple ingredients: 3/4 cup cashews, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder--tastes just like real Parmesan! (Recipe from Minimalist Baker: http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parme...)
  • Bell Peppers
  • Onions
  • Pineapple (sounds weird, but it gives it a little sweet with your savory...just make sure to drain it well if canned)
  • Vegetarian bacon (like Morningstar brand frozen bacon strips--I pull them out of the package in the exact over-lapping way they come and keep them facing horizontally, then cut them into little strips by slicing them vertically and sprinkling these frozen strips over the pizza)
  • Cherry/Grape Tomatoes (or you could use any other kind of tomato including sun-dried tomatoes)
  • Organic Spinach (when you don't have the grease from dairy cheese to make cooked spinach soggy, this spinach comes out beautifully crisp...and I specify that it's organic because spinach, and any greens, are on the Dirty Dozen list as being some of the most highly sprayed with chemicals/pesticides, yuck!)
  • Green and Black Olives (even some Greek/Kalamata olives are a nice treat)

Etc...the sky's the limit!

My husband's favorite pizza is Taco Pizza...where you forego the traditional pizza sauce altogether, put refried beans and vegan cheese/nutritional yeast as the base, cook this til melted or warmed, then top it fresh with taco ingredients such as lettuce, tomato, onion, bell and/or jalapeno pepper, salsa (verde/green salsa is delicious!), and optional avocado/guacamole (could even do lime juice and cilantro, too), and serve.

And as a special treat, I love some homemade vegan pesto on mine in place of tomato sauce!

Here's a vegan pesto recipe using nuts: http://food52.com/recipes/22291-simple-vegan-pesto and one that's nut free: https://thekeenkitchen.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/ve...

Be creative and have fun with it :)

Step 2: Making the Dough

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).

2. Add in the oil (or applesauce) and the milk (or water). Stir--I like to use a baking spatula--until you get a soft, non-sticky dough.

NOTE: Even when the dough is slightly sticky, I just put a little flour on my hands and rolling pin and it never comes out doughy or under-cooked. This dough is VERY forgiving :)

3. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface (only flour the surface if your dough is slightly sticky, otherwise it's not necessary), and knead it no more then 10 times, or until it starts to get elastic-y (whichever comes first).

4. Form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl with a clean hand/dish/tea towel over it. Let this sit for 10 minutes.

NOTE: The towel should NOT be damp or wet. We are not rising any dough here, we are simply letting the dough rest.

Step 3: Making the Pizza Crust

1. Turn out your dough ball (after the ten minutes) onto your flat surface again. Begin rolling it out into a circle or rectangle--depending on whether you're cooking it on a round or rectangular baking sheet/pizza sheet.

NOTE: You could also roll it out directly on your greased baking sheet.

2. Once it's nearly to the size you want it, place it directly onto your GREASED baking/pizza sheet and continue rolling it or pressing it out to the edges by hand. Tip: I use olive oil or canola oil to grease my baking sheets. Simply pour a little on to the sheet and spread it with a paper towel (or your hands, if you don't have any paper towel).

NOTE: As much as the chef in you likes to toss the pizza dough in the air, this dough just simply won't do this, and it doesn't need it. Sorry to burst your bubble, lol.

3. Get out some vegan margarine, and using a butter knife apply a light layer to the entire crust. (This step is optional--but I find that it gives the dough a nice golden brown crust and a little extra flavor with it...although I've tried without it too and it works just fine.)

4. Using a fork, prick the dough all over. I just go around in circles until I reach the middle.

5. Bake in your preheated 400 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Step 4: Topping Your Pizza...

1. After it's cooked for 8 minutes, pull out your pizza crust and add your sauce, "cheese" (whether you use nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, the vegan Parmesan recipe I shared, or forego cheese altogether), and your toppings.

TIP: I layer my pizzas like this: Sauce first; hearty toppings second (like green peppers, onions, olives, and pineapple); delicate toppings third (like tomatoes and spinach); and finally my nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

NOTE: Don't be afraid of "wet" toppings like pineapple or jarred olives. This crust really holds it own and is by no means effected in the least by toppings that would normally make your traditional pizza crust soggy.

2. Bake your topped pizza in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the crust edges get a nice golden brown color on them.

3. Cut it, serve it, and ENJOY! :D

TIP: When making a pizza stretch to accommodate many people--whether it's a rectangular or circular pizza--I like to cut it into squares instead of the traditional triangles. This helps it serve more people, and even tricks your brain into thinking you ate more!

NOTE: If you change this recipe to be a whole wheat crust, or you leave the crust thicker (instead of rolling it thin like we like), then the crust could take up to 20 minutes to cook completely through. Also, if you find any gluten-free flour blends that work well in this recipe, please SHARE THEM below! :)