Homemade Vegetarian Yeast Pizza

Homemade vegetarian yeast pizza is an easy way to make fresh, tasty and healthy vegetarian pizza using yeast at home with easily available ingredients. No more take out or home delivery of pizza!!

Pizza was one of the first dishes I tasted on my visit to USA in the 80s!! I was so hooked on to the taste of this Italian wonder that I made sure to learn how to make it, and of course, pizza was a weekly affair at our home after that!!

Making the crust seems so intimidating at first, but if you follow my recipe, I am sure you will become a pro at making this at home. Preparing pizza sauce is also very easy; recipe here.

Once you learn to make the pizza dough, it can be used to make a variety of dishes: Italian calzones, garlic bread and even naan!!

Every pizza begins with a good crust!! Some like it thin and some like it thick. With this easy crust recipe, you can make it your favorite way; thick or thin!!! There is a toss up as to whether to prebake the crust or not.  In my experience of making pizzas for the past few years, I have found that prebaking makes for a much crispier crust!

Toppings are a personal choice. Our favorites are mushrooms, bell peppers and onions with some olives and jalapenos or sometimes slice of tomatoes thrown in!! Go crazy with your choice of toppings. Of course, don’t skip the main star of pizza, the cheese!! Mozzarella cheese is the only one I like. For a different flavor, play around with a mixture of cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella.

I am sure that once you try this easy pizza recipe using yeast, or even my no-yeast pizza (using yogurt), pizza night will be a weekly affair in your house too!!

Other Italian dishes you can try are: Vegetarian Calzones, Spaghetti in Chunky Sauce etc.

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Homemade Vegetarian Yeast Pizza

Yield: Two 12-inch pizzas

Homemade vegetarian pizza is an easy way to make fresh, tasty and healthy vegetarian pizza at home with easily available ingredients.

Ingredients

For the pizza dough (enough for two 12-inch pizzas):
• 1 1/3 cups warm water (not hot)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp olive oil (or any other oil)
• 3 to 4 cups all purpose flour/maida
• 1 tsp salt
• Italian seasoning (optional)
• Red chilli flakes (optional)
• Oil for greasing the bowl
• Cornmeal or suji/semolina for dusting the pan
• Pizza sauce (recipe here )
Toppings (for one 12-inch pizza):
• 1 medium red onion sliced
• 1 medium bell pepper/capsicum, cut into long strips
• 6 to 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 8 to 10 black olives, sliced
• Few pickled jalapenos
• 1 ½ cups to 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• Crushed red chili flakes

Instructions

Prepare pizza dough:
1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast along with the sugar. Add warm water and mix gently.
2. Cover and let it proof for about 5 to 10 minutes. If the yeast is active and good, it will bubble and froth. If not, discard this and start again.
3. Once you are sure the yeast is active and frothing, add the oil, salt, seasoning, chilli flakes and 3 cups of flour. Mix well and if needed add more flour to form a soft dough. Knead for about 3 to 5 minutes till it is smooth, soft and pliable. If you find the dough too sticky, add some more flour, but a very soft and slightly sticky dough makes for a good crust!!
4. Place the dough in a greased or oiled bowl; roll it to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl and place in a warm place to rise till doubled about 1 to 2 hours.
5. Prepare all the vegetables, grate the cheese and make the sauce.
Prebaking the pizza crust (for a crispier crust):
6. Preheat oven to 200 degrees centigrade or 400 degrees Fahrenheit or the hottest temperature possible in your oven.
7. Take a large pan (to fit a 12-inch pizza), grease with some oil and sprinkle cornmeal or suji/semolina over it; this helps in making the bottom of the crust crispy.
8. Take a big ball of the dough and roll slightly on a floured surface. Lift it and place on the greased pan.
9. With your fingers, start spreading the dough up to the rim of the pan evenly, forming a crust on the outer edge. For a crispier crust, spread as thin as possible. If you want a thicker crust, keep it thick.
10. Once the oven is preheated, place the pizza pan into the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, till the crust is baked and starts to become slightly brown.
11. Remove from the oven, take it out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Prebaking the crust helps in making a crispier crust.
12. Once the pizza base is cool, let us start layering the base to make the pizza.
Assembling the pizza:
13. Preheat the oven again.
14. Spread a few tablespoons of pizza sauce over the pizza base evenly. For saucier pizza, add more sauce.
15. Sprinkle about ½ cup of grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce.
16. Then start layering the vegetable toppings: mushrooms, bell pepper and onions.
17. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the vegetables and top with olives and jalapenos.
18. Return to the hot preheated oven (place the pizza directly on the rack, if possible, for a crispier crust) and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, till cheese has melted completely and starts to brown.
19. Serve hot slices of vegetarian pizza immediately!!

Notes

You can make any size pizzas to suit your family.

Other toppings you can use are: baby corn, corn niblets, pineapple, tomato, spinach, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) etc.

Use as much of the dough and sauce and refrigerate leftovers to make another day!! Use the dough within 2 to 3 days or freeze for later.

This pizza dough can also be used to make Italian calzones, garlic bread etc.

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Step-by-step method:

Prepare pizza dough:

• In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast along with the sugar.

• Add warm water and mix gently.

• Cover and let it proof for about 5 to 10 minutes.  If the yeast is active and good, it will bubble and froth. If not, discard this and start again.

• Once you are sure the yeast is active and frothing, add the oil, salt, seasoning, chilli flakes and 3 cups of flour.

• Mix well and if needed add more flour to form a soft dough. Knead for about 3 to 5 minutes till it is smooth, soft and pliable. If you find the dough too sticky, add some more flour, but a  very soft and slightly sticky dough makes for a good crust!!

• Place the dough in a greased or oiled bowl; roll it to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl and place in a warm place to rise till doubled about 1 to 2 hours.

• Prepare all the vegetables, grate the cheese and make the sauce; recipe for sauce here.

Prebaking the pizza crust (for a crispier crust):

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees centigrade or 400 degrees Fahrenheit or the hottest temperature possible in your oven.
• Take a large pan (to fit a 12-inch pizza), grease with some oil and sprinkle cornmeal or suji/semolina over it; this helps in making the bottom of the crust crispy.
• Take a big ball of the dough and roll slightly on a floured surface. Lift it and place on the greased pan.
• With your fingers, start spreading the dough up to the rim of the pan evenly, forming a crust on the outer edge. For a crispier crust, spread as thin as possible. If you want a thicker crust, keep it thick.

• Once the oven is preheated, place the pizza pan into the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, till the crust is baked and starts to become slightly brown.
• Remove from the oven, take it out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Prebaking the crust helps in making a crispier crust.

• Once the pizza base is cool, let us start layering the base to make the pizza.

Assembling the pizza:

• Preheat the oven again.
• Spread a few tablespoons of pizza sauce over the pizza base evenly.  For saucier pizza, add more sauce.
• Sprinkle about ½ cup of grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce.

• Then start layering the vegetable toppings: mushrooms, bell pepper and onions.
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the vegetables and top with olives and jalapenos.

• Return to the hot preheated oven (place the pizza directly on the rack, if possible, for a crispier crust) and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, till cheese has melted completely and starts to brown.

• Serve hot slices of vegetarian pizza immediately!!

I am sharing this with #Fiestafriday.