I had a plethora of basil growing from my aero garden, so I decided to make pesto with it! But I wanted to make something to go with the pesto. I found the Pizza Bianca in Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book and decided it was the perfect recipe. It’s a different take on pizza (no sauce, rectangle shape, and chewier dough) which is pretty cool. Especially because I’m not always a fan of typical pizza. Plus, this recipe is already vegan friendly! On accident! Whaaat???? And it’s easy to make.
Dough:
Ingredients:
3 c flour
1 2/3c room temperature water
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp sugar
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
Directions:
In a stand mixer, add the flour, water, and salt, and mix on low speed until it is completely mixed
Let it sit for 20 minutes
Sprinkle on the sugar and yeast and mix it on low until fully combined
Then turn the speed up to medium and let the dough mix until it is glossy and not sticking to the sides of the bowl (while it’s mixing)
Pour 1 tbsp of oil into a bowl (it should be 3 times bigger than the dough)
Scrape the dough into the bowl and cover all sides with the oil so it doesn’t stick or get dried out while it’s proofing
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for about 2 hours or until the dough has tripled in size (now you see why you need such a big bowl)
Optional: depending on what toppings you’re adding, you can make those while you wait
Once the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 F and if you have one, place a pizza stone in the middle rack
Grease a pan with oil (I don’t think the size really matters, but I used a 9x13)
Place the dough in the pan, and gently stretch it out (if it’s retreating back on itself, let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes and try again)
Once it’s in the pan, let it rest for 5 - 10 minutes or until you see bubbles
Sprinkle kosher salt on top and use a fork to poke wholes in the dough (make sure to poke a lot of holes, between 30 and 40)
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown
Make sure to flip the pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure an even cook
Brush olive oil over the top and add your toppings (I let mine cool after putting the olive oil on it, and then put the toppings on, but I think you’re technically supposed to serve it right away)
Pesto:
2 c basil
6 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c pumpkin seeds
4 tsp ground garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c vegan parm*
Salt and pepper to taste
Add the ingredients into a food processor, and chop until desired consistency
Vegan Parm:
(I couldn’t find her original recipe, so I'll just put how much I used)
1/3 c raw cashews
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Stick everything in a food processor and pulse until everything is is well combined and it has a Parmesan texture.
Caramelized Onions:
1 onion
2 tbsp vegan butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
Melt the butter on a saucepan over high heat
Once melted, add the brown sugar and mix
Add the onions and cook until they’re covered with the butter and sugar and the water has evaporated (about 10 minutes)