Vegan Pizza Bread

I think it's safe to say that this week has been pretty weird for most people. The coronavirus is taking over every corner of the world and the internet. If you want more corona talk, check out my ultimate guide for eating responsibly during a pandemic. If you're over it, lock yourself in your house and make this pizza bread!

This is yet another recipe that I adapted from my favorite cookbook: Jerrelle Guy's Black Girl Baking. I had been admiring her blistered tomato sheet pizza for months before finally making it last week. And let me tell you: I was sleeping on what is now one of my favorite recipes.

I adapted the recipe slightly to use canned fire-roasted tomatoes because fresh cherry tomatoes aren't currently in season. Using canned fire-roasted tomatoes also made the methods easier because I didn't have to roast the tomatoes before making the sauce. If you cannot find fire-roasted tomatoes, other types of canned tomatoes would also be delicious in this recipe.

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 3 hours

Serves: about 6 people

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or granulated cane sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or granulated cane sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Steps

For the dough

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, whisk together the flour and salt. If you are using instant yeast, whisk it into the flour and salt. If you are using active dry yeast, pour it over the warm water in a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes, or until foaming.
Whisk together water (or the water/yeast mixture), oil and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Turn the mixer on low speed or start stirring as you slowly pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Continue mixing until the flour is fully incorporated. If you are using a mixer, turn the mixer to medium and knead for about 8 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom. If you are not using a mixer, turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and knead for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and springy.
Transfer the dough to a well-oiled, rimmed 9-inch by 12-inch pan. Use your hands to pull and stretch the dough toward the corners of the pan. Drizzle a little more oil over the surface of the dough and cover with a silicone pan liner or tea towel. Let rest for 1 1/2 hours, or until nearly doubled in size. Right after you cover the dough, begin working on the sauce. (Starting the sauce ASAP will give it time to cool while the dough is rising.)

For the sauce

Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a medium saucepot over medium-high heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir until the garlic and herbs are fragrant, about 1 minute.
Use your hands to tear the tomatoes into small pieces, adding them to the pot as you go. Add the sugar and salt to the pot and stir to combine. Let the mixture come to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, take the pot off the burner, and let the sauce cool.

Put it all together

Once the dough has risen and the sauce has cooled, poke the dough with your fingers to remove any large air bubbles and shape it into the edges of the pan. Spoon the sauce onto the dough and gently spread it over the entire surface. Let the dough rise again for about 30 minutes, or until puffy.
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Bake the bread on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and resists slightly when poked. Sprinkle with flaky salt and crushed red pepper flakes and dig in!

Sustainability tips

Flour: I like to buy King Arthur Flour brand because King Arthur Flour is a B Corp. That means that they're held to a high environmental and social standard. Alternatively, you could find a farmer who grows and mills flour locally. Buying locally can help connect you to your local food system and cut back on the miles your food has to travel.
Sugar: I like to buy coconut sugar because it's easy to find fair-trade varieties, but fair-trade granulated sugar is another great option here. Read all about it in my sustainable cane sugars post!
Tomatoes: Your best bet here is to use tomatoes that you canned yourself. However, you can also get organic or locally canned tomatoes to cut down on pesticide contamination and excessive greenhouse gas emissions during travel.