Pizza Night

One of our longstanding Friday night traditions is “pizza night.” A while back when we cut out dairy and started proactively adding more whole plant foods to our diet, we abandoned conventional pizza takeout. While I miss the convenience of simply picking up a pizza, I realized I can easily make my own killer sheet pan pie in relatively little time with as many toppings as I like! It comes together with a few elements: a quick-rise pizza dough, 3-ingredient garlic tomato sauce, a spicy herb seasoning mix, and whatever toppings you like. Sometimes we will add a plant-based mozzarella (Miyoko’s Creamery makes a great pourable vegan mozzarella that browns perfectly) but it’s just as good without the cheese. This pizza is all about the crust and sauce and veggie toppings. We top our pizza with extra crushed red pepper and lots of nutritional yeast for a Parmesan alternative.

Sheet Pan Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

• 1-1/2 cups water, heated to between 105°-115°F
• 2 teaspoons (10g) Kosher salt
• 2 grams instant dried yeast
• 4-1/2 cups (500g) “00” flour, plus extra for kneading
• Olive oil, for sheet pan and dough topping

Tomato Sauce

• 1 28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Herb Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (adjust based on your spice tolerance)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 clove garlic, grated

Topping Ideas

• Artichoke hearts
• Onions or shallots
• Olives (my favorites are Castelvetrano and Chalkidiki)
• Pepperoncini
• Tomatoes, fresh or sun-dried
• Figs
• Bell peppers
• Pappadew peppers
• Hearts of palm
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Arugula
• Pesto
• Garlic

Recipe

1. In your measuring cup, whisk salt and yeast into warm water. Let the yeast mixture stand for a few minutes to confirm that your yeast is active; the surface of the water should start to bubble.
2. Fit a stand mixer with a dough hook and add flour to the bowl. Turn the mixer on low and gradually add the yeast mixture. Once combined, keep mixing for an additional 5-10 minutes until the dough is firm and stretchy. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to prove in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
3. In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 500°F with your oven rack in the middle. If you have a pizza stone, let the stone preheat in the oven.
4. Prepare your tomato sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and with your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into a chunky sauce.
5. Prepare your herb seasoning. Combine all ingredients into a small bowl.
6. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a half sheet pan and spread to coat.
7. When the dough has doubled in size, coat your hands in flour and turn it out onto the sheet pan. Stretch the dough to cover the surface of your sheet pan taking care not to overwork the dough and cause ripping. Stretch it a little at a time allowing it to rest every few minutes. It will take 10-15 minutes of stretching and resting to pull the dough enough to cover your pan. Gently press the dough into the corners to make sure the entire surface area is covered.
8. Build your pizza. Drizzle olive oil over the surface. Spoon on the tomato sauce, then add your toppings. Sprinkle the herb seasoning over the top.
9. Slide the pan into your preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes until the crust is golden.