Sage infused bechamel sauce, roasted kabocha, candied nuts, and a tofu-based goat cheese… time to say good-bye to using processed vegan cheeses!
When Leung and I were chatting about having a pizza bake-off, I had no idea what I was going to make. Usually when I make pizza, my girlfriends and I make a quick flat bread crust, slather on pesto, top it with a ridiculous amount of veggies, and dump on so much cheese the pizza ends up looking like Mount Everest. Or maybe Mauna Loa cause when it goes into the oven, the cheese is overflowing and oozing onto the pan, so we end up having plenty of cheese chips to munch on, which also serves as an extension of the crust. So to say the least, cheese is very essential to our pizza-making and eating experience.
So how do I make a pizza with pizzazz without a mountain of cheese? Well, you could use vegan cheese but I’ve never liked the taste of any vegan cheese products that are out there, so I turned to the gourmet “make-your-own-plant-based-cheese” route. And since nobody’s got time to age a block of nut cheese, I took the shortcut and just added apple cider vinegar to add some tanginess that is supposedly in goat cheese… or does goat cheese even have tanginess? I actually have no idea what goat cheese tastes like because just the smell of it makes my nose turn away. I’m a mild cheese kinda girl, and have a cheap taste for cheese. Any fancier cheese than brie is too flavourful and “strong” tasting for me!
I love pizzas that have copious amounts of toppings. Or as one of our best friends Jaimie says “I like the base but not the crust”, even though the base and the crust is the same thing. So the key to a great pizza is just to spread the topping as faaaar out to the edge as possible, leaving no room for the crust business. All base, no crust, just how Jaimie likes it 😉
So to make sure this pizza isn’t short of toppings, it is topped with roasted kabocha, caramelized mushrooms and onions, maple candied walnuts, and garnished with a (couple) handfuls of arugula and dollops of the “goat cheese”. It has a mild flavour profile that packs a punch!
- PIZZA DOUGH
- 2¼ tsp. (or 1 package) traditional yeast
- 1⅓ c. warm water
- 1 tbsp. molasses
- 3½ c. all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ¾ tsp. salt
- BÉCHAMEL SAGE SAUCE
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 c. almond milk
- ¼ c. fresh sage, chopped
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast, optional
- Black pepper, to taste
- Sea salt, to taste
- "GOAT CHEESE" DOLLOP
- ½ block firm tofu
- 3 tbsp. fresh dill (or ½ tsp. dried dill, although fresh is best!)
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. miso paste
- 1½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- TOPPINGS
- Kabocha squash, roasted*
- 1 tbsp.
- 1 c. mushrooms
- 1 onion
- Handful of arugula
- Candied walnuts**
- FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add molasses to feed the yeast. Let sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes until yeast has completely dissolved and mixture has increased in volume. This shows that your yeast is active.
- Add in the olive oil to the yeast mixture.
- In your large mixing bowl with your dough hook in place, add in the flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and turn on your mixer to medium-high speed for 7 minutes.
- Once dough is ready, you should be able to poke it with your finger and it should bounce back.
- Grease your mixing bowl, and allow it to sit, covered, for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 475F
- When 2 hours is up, punch the dough and divide into two dough balls. The second dough ball can be wrapped up and put into the freezer for another day (or you can make 2 pizzas!).
- Grease your pizza pan and sprinkle cornmeal to prevent sticking. I used my hands to shape the dough into the shape of my pizza pan.
- FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAGE SAUCE
- In a small saucepan, add in olive oil and turn on stove to medium heat.
- Once oil is heated up, add in the flour and whisk. Add in almond milk and continue whisking until sauce is thickened. Add in the sage, maple syrup, nutritional yeast (optional), salt and pepper to taste.
- MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS
- Sautée onions until they caramelized, then add in mushrooms to cook just for a bit (so they don't get watery!) before transferring onto pizza.
- FOR THE GOAT CHEESE
- Drain your tofu and press onto paper towel to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
- Put everything into the blender or food processor and blend until you get a thick paste kind of consistency.
- PUT IT TOGETHER
- Spread the sauce onto the pizza dough. Add the kabocha, mushrooms and onions onto the pizza with your own pizzazz 😉 . Hold off on the arugula, candied nuts, and cheese dollop for serving.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until crust is golden.
- Now is the time to sprinkle the candied walnuts, go crazy on the arugula, and finish off with dollops of the vegan goat cheese!
- Serve immediately
**For candied walnuts, on medium high heat, toast the nuts on stove top. Once toasted, pour maple syrup onto the nuts and give them a toss to coat the nuts before turning off heat. Add in a sprinkle of sea salt if desired.
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