With one bite of this vegan Portuguese pizza, you'll be transported to Mystic! A thick, doughy crust brushed with olive oil. Zesty red pizza sauce, infused with delicious aromatics. Flavorful toppings galore. Who could ask for anything more?
In a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Stir in sugar. Wait for the yeast to activate. This takes about 10 minutes. You should see bubbles and foam!
Add sea salt. Next, slowly incorporate the bread flour*, approximately ½ cup at a time.
1 tablespoon salt, 4 cups sifted bread flour
Knead your dough until a large ball forms. If sticky, add 1 additional tablespoon of flour at a time. If dry, add 1 additional tablespoon of warm water at a time or simply wet your hands when handling the dough.
Grease another large bowl with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Roll your ball of dough around the bowl to coat it with oil.
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest at room temperature for one hour–it should double in size!
Once the dough has risen, divide it into two balls. Cover each ball with plastic wrap. Set both aside for at least 10 minutes.
Pizza Sauce
Dice the onion and mince your garlic.
Coat a large saucepan with olive oil. Heat your herbs, spices, and aromatics over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes.
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Add salt, black pepper, and nutritional yeast to the blend. Stir the ingredients together and bring your sauce to a boil. Once bubbles form, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 min.
Once the dough and sauce are ready, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F.
Slice the hickory-smoked deli slices into small strips.
3 slices Tofurky Hickory-Smoked Deli Slices***
Cut the yellow onion into thin slices.
¼ cup yellow onion
Dice the green bell pepper.
½ green bell pepper
Slice Roma tomatoes into ½-inch rounds.
1 Roma tomato
Collect the Kalamata olive slices.
¼ cup Kalamata olives
Chop the sausage.
1 Field Roast Italian Garlic & Fennel Sausage****
Assemble
Sprinkle flour onto your pizza pan*****
On a floured surface, knead and stretch your dough until it resembles a circle. Transfer it to the pizza pan.
Fold the crust over (towards the pizza’s center). Roll out the dough until it extends to the pan’s edge. For a crispier texture, brush the crust with olive oil.
Use a fork to poke several holes across the dough’s center. You can even poke holes around the crust’s edge to hold it in place.
Spread the red pizza sauce across the dough.
Top the pizza with shredded vegan mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle the ham, onion, green bell pepper, tomato, olives, and sausage across the pizza.
Bake each pizza on the oven’s middle rack for 13-15 minutes or until its cheese melts and the crust browns.
This recipe makes two thick 12" pizzas. If you want a thinner crust, stretch the dough until it reaches 14" in diameter.
*I used Bob Red Mill's Artisan Bread Flour! If you want a crisper crust with elasticity, use bread flour. All-purpose flour will give you a softer crust. 100% whole wheat flour is much more dense.**It's difficult to find vegan cheese that properly melts... Follow Your Heart's Dairy-Free Mozzarella is a great option!***These are my favorite plant-based deli slices!****Field Roast is one of the best brands for meat substitutes! The flavor of these sausages is off the charts!*****My favorite pizza pan is found here! This post contains affiliate links to products we use and love!
Keyword Basil, fennel, Field Roast, Garlic, green bell pepper, kalamata olives, nutritional yeast, olive oil, oregano, pizza, red chili flakes, sausage, Tofurky deli slices, tomatoes, vegan mozzarella, yellow onions