In our home, we enjoy getting creative when it comes to making pizza. Before we went down the plant-based road, I would say that we were pretty plain Jane about our pizza options. If we got fancy, there was maybe a mushroom or green pepper scattered on our usual pepperoni pizza and we also did not make homemade pizza very often. Seven years ago, when we first became vegan, Take out options were slim, there weren't nearly as many options for vegan toppings as there are now. Looking back, I think this was a good thing since it started us on our quest to make the best vegan pizzas! Now the sky’s the limit when it comes to pizza making. We have perfected the art of dough making and we have an entire shelf in our fridge with just pizza toppings and sauces.
So, if we are so creative with our pizzas, you may ask, why on earth would I be putting a pizza with so few toppings on my blog? The answer is, Bruschetta Pizza is just that good! Ah, nothing beats a fresh tomato from the garden. Unfortunately, I live in Canada and it is not until late August that I have sweet, ripe tomatoes ready in my garden. However, fortunately for me, my local supermarket had a sale on vine ripe tomatoes and I bought a bunch, maybe a few too many. When I have an abundance of ripe tomatoes, I like to use them up by making a bruschetta. Of course, I could just put it on some crusty bread and call it a day, but in the spirit of different pizza toppings, bruschetta pizza was born.
Tomatoes – If I can’t get my tomato straight from the garden, I like to buy vine ripe tomatoes still on the vine. By remaining on the vine, they ripen up nicer and keep a lot longer. I also can’t stress this enough, DON’T store your tomatoes in the fridge. Doing so will reduce the flavour, firmness and leave you with a red, tasteless fruit. If you want to store them in your fridge make sure you take them out of the fridge a day or two before you want to eat it, that way some, not all, of the flavour will return.
Garlic – Fresh is the best way to go with this recipe. If you have garlic paste that would work nicely too.
Basil – like the garlic, fresh is best, but a paste or if you are in a pinch you can use, 1 tsp of dried will work as well.
Salt – If you are on a low sodium diet then omit the salt or add just enough to taste.
Olive Oil – For that authentic Italian flavour, using olive oil is key.
Balsamic Glaze – This is optional, but it does punch up the flavour by giving that sweet and savoury balance that our taste buds crave.
Flour – I have not experimented with gluten-free flour (if you try it, I would love to hear how it works out)
Yeast – Unlike most of my recipes this yeast is brewer’s yeast, the rising kind. I have used both quick-rise and pizza and they both work equally well.
Bruschetta Pizza
Ingredients
Bruschetta topping
2 medium ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh basil
1tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Balsamic glaze to drizzle
Dough
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for rolling
1 tbsp active dry pizza yeast or 1 packet of quick rise yeast
1 cup very warm water (120°F to 130°F)
¾ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Bruschetta topping
1. Cut tomatoes into small chunks and place in a small bowl
2. Add pressed or finely chopped garlic, fresh-cut basil (I like to use scissors to cut up the basil), salt and olive oil to the bowl.
3. Mix and let sit while you shape dough for baking.
Dough
1. Place the warm water in a large warm bowl. Sprinkle with yeast; stir until dissolved and let proof 5-10 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil and 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; stir well. The dough will be sticky and soft.
3. Pour dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times until dough is just not sticky but still very soft.
4. Place dough ball into a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425°F
6. Punch dough down and place dough on a lightly floured surface. Shape into desired pizza shape and place in a greased baking dish or pizza tray. Add bruschetta topping and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Once removed from the oven, drizzle balsamic glaze over the pizza. Cut and serve.
Enjoy!
**Tip**
- I have had the best luck with pizza not sticking to the tray by greasing it with a cooking spray first.
- If you want a nice crispy crust, just before you put the dough into the oven, drizzle a little bit of olive oil around the outside crust area.
- If you want a thick crust pizza, once assembled, let it rise again for 30 minutes before you put it into the oven to bake
💚A big thanks to Lisa Richard for sharing her pizza dough recipe with me!
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