Tony's Vegan Pizza Recipe

The crust is based on a method that came from an article in the NYTimes (November 8th, 2006):
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FA0716F73A5B0C7B8CDDA80994DE404482

Basically I put water and salt (1 Tbs per 2.5 Cups water) in a container and add enough flour so that it is a wet dough, drier than a sponge but not quite kneadable. If you aren't making sourdough I add yeast (1/4 teaspoon) or if I'm in a hurry or my sourdough culture is less vigorous. I let this sit overnight or at least all day so the gluten can form and the culture can ferment. I then pour this out onto a floured counter and I set up a new batch for my next loaf of bread or pizza crust. If I don't need it right away I put it in the fridge to hang out until the day before I need it. If it will sit a long time I add less flour so that it will have some fresher stuff at the end (gluten can break down from the acididc sourness of the culture and the culture also needs some fresh food at the end to make some good bubbles).

Anyway, I pour it out onto a counter and I knead in some more flour. I let it rise a bit. Then divide up and roll out and place on oiled baking sheets. Let rise a bit and then pre bake for 10-15 minutes. Now the crust is ready for assembly.

The pizza sauce is based on my mom's spaghetti sauce. She's not Italian but my dad is so she learned how to make good stuff. I use our own preserved our own tomato sauce (1 qt per three pizzas more or less), basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, and onions (all grown here usually). I add salt, a little vinegar and a little sorghum (grown at Sandhill) to taste. Simmer for a few hours.

The "cheese" is nutritional yeast cheese based on The New Farm Cookbook only I make some modifications. Approximate recipe:

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1-2 Tablespoon of cornstarch
3 cups water
1/2-1 cup pickle juice or water if we dont have any in the fridge (this is the main modification)
Garlic powder
2 tsp wet mustard if we have it
1/4-1/2 cup of oil
salt to taste (not usually necessary if you use enough pickle juice)

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet except mustard and oil. Stir constantly while heating over hot flame. Once it thickens and boils cook for 30 seconds, turn off hit, and stir in oil and mustard.

For the toppings I use the following if we have them:

Sundried tomatoes - I rehydrate them in a little oil and vinegar and a touch of salt. I put them in a container with lid and shake them until they are all coated and let them sit a couple hours, shaking occasionally. I try to have them in contact with cheese or sauce or they can char in the oven which I dislike.

Soysage - Farm cookbook recipe. This time I tried to make it pepperoni flavor by adding a bunch more pepper, fennel, mustard seed, and a little star anise. Seemed to work. I fry them until lightly browned.

Tofu or Tempeh - fried with soy sauce or sometimes fried and covered with pepperoni spices (see above)

Spinach or other greens - rip up small and place under sauce so they don't just dry out. Beware that they will produce liquid which can make crust soggy so allow extra time to dry it up.

We also make our own sauerkraut and pickled green beans (aka dilly beans) which make surprisingly great pizza toppings. For a special treat I might add olives or artichoke hearts from the store.