I really love pizza (I just don’t eat it much because it always seems so unhealthy), so when I saw a recipe for a healthier version of a vegetarian pizza on Green Kitchen Stories I got really excited to give our own version a try. Their blog is by far my favourite and we’ve tried quite a few recipes out now (check it out, their pictures are always a real treat as well).

I had no idea it could be so easy to make our own base and it is by far the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life. No exaggeration. I put the dough together this afternoon, chopped the vegies up and after a few hours, my partner came home and rolled out the base. Then he did an amazing job of preparing everything (including grilling the eggplant and zucchini) and put it together. The crust is beautiful and thick and tastes incredible. The best bit – it’s not full of junk!

Please do yourself a favour and make your own version. It is safe to say I won’t be getting take out now that I have this recipe up my sleeve!

INGREDIENTS

Dough
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp instant dry yeast
2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
2 tbsp olive oil

Tomato sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp capers (drained)
1 tsp crushed chilli
1 can cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp oregano
salt & black pepper

Our choices of topping
4 pre boiled potatoes
250 g marinated artichoke hearts
100 g pitted, chopped kalamata olives
1 zucchini (brushed with olive oil and grilled)
1 eggplant (brushed with olive oil and grilled)
8 Swiss brown mushrooms, cut in quarters
1/4 fennel, sliced thinly
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small spring onions, divided in half
100 g goat cheese
salt & black pepper

Making the dough

 Pour warm water in a medium size bowl. Add salt and yeast and stir around. Mix in 2 cups of flour. Gradually add more flour until the dough comes together enough for you to start kneading it. Knead for a couple of minutes, add additional flour if it sticks to your hands. Put the dough back in the bowl and drizzle it with olive oil. Work the dough until it’s completely covered in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for 3 hours.

Making the tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in a medium size pot. Add onion, garlic, and chili and saute  for 2-3 minutes. Add capers and fresh tomatoes and spices and cook for 10 minutes, lower the heat and let it simmer for half an hour more under a lid.

Preheat the oven to the highest possible temperature (250°C). Remove the plastic cover from the dough and start working it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Make one big portion. Stretch and flatten the dough until you get the desired size and thickness that you prefer and move it to a baking pan covered with parchment paper. Spelt flour doesn’t stretch as good as wheat flour but if you work carefully and flatten it with the palm of your hand you will get it right. Another trick is to roll them out directly on the parchment paper with a slightly floured rolling pin and then just move the parchment paper to the baking pan.

Brush the dough with 2 tbsp tomato sauce. Cover them with topping of your choice. Bake for about 10-15 min until the outer part of the topping and the edges are slightly burnt. Sprinkle with fresh goat cheese, a bit of olive oil, salt and freshly grounded pepper. Serve immediately.

(Adapted very slightly from Green Kitchen Stories)