Vegan Margherita Pizza

Name: Vegan Margherita Pizza
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4 large pizzaz
Ingredients: 1 cup cashews; 1 cup water; 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 1 tablespoon tapioca starch; 4 cups and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1 1/3 cups water; 1 teaspoon yeast; 1 teaspoon salt; 1.5 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 pinch salt; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling; fresh basil, to serve

Submitted by Izy Hossack

"Making a homemade cashew 'mozzarella' is pretty easy to do and you can keep extra in the freezer for future pizza making! I like to use an uncooked tomato sauce and a no-knead dough to simplify things."

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photo by Izy Hossack

Ready In:: 2hrs 15mins
Ingredients:: 17
Yields:: 4 large pizzaz

ingredients

Faux Mozzarella
1 cup cashews
1 cup water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
Pizza dough
4 cups and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ¹⁄₃ cups water
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Tomato sauce
1.5 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
fresh basil, to serve

directions

For the mozzarella:
Soak the cashews in water overnight or place in a pot of boiling water and boil on the stove for 15 minutes to soften. Drain.
Add the soaked cashews to the jug of a high speed blender along with the rest of the mozzarella ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
Pour into a medium pot and place on the stove over a medium-low heat. Cook until thickened, about 5-10 minutes, then pour into a bowl and set aside – this will thicken as it cools.
For the pizza dough:
Mix the water and yeast in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast then pour in the flour and salt. Stir to get a shaggy dough. Pour a bit of oil into the bowl then lift up the dough and turn it over to coat it completely in oil. Cover with a damp towel and leave somewhere warm for 2-3 hours until doubled in volume.
For the tomato sauce:
In a bowl, combine the tomato sauce ingredients. Stir together and set aside.
To make the pizzas:
Split the dough into quarters and roll into balls – set aside for 30 minutes to rest, this will make the dough easier to work with.
Lightly flour a countertop and place a ball of dough onto it. Dust with more flour. Use your hands to pat the dough down and then roll out into a large circle about 1/4-inch thick. You can use your hands to help gently stretch the dough until it’s thin enough. Transfer the circle of dough to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until golden. Repeat with the rest of the dough so all your bases are baked.
Spread a few tablespoons of tomato sauce onto each pizza base. Top with dollops of the ‘mozzarella’ and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt and black pepper then place each pizza back into the oven, one at a time, for 5-10 minutes until the crust is golden and the 'cheese' is starting to brown. Top with fresh basil and serve immediately.