Vegan pizza with hummus? Hell, yeah! What a way to kick of Veggie Month and the weekend!
½ quantity Pitta Bread dough (see below)
FOR THE TOPPING
300 g/ ½ cups Basic Hummus (see below)
90 g/1 onion, cut into half-moons
8 green olives, stoned/pitted
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
80 g/1 cup button mushrooms, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano or pizza seasoning
2 handfuls rocket/arugula, to serve
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half, to serve
2 tablespoons olive oil, to serve
MAKES 2 X 24-CM/9 ½ -INCH DIAMETER PIZZAS
Follow the instructions for making the dough on page 80 to the rising stage. Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature (usually 250C (475F) Gas 9) and choose the ‘lower heat element’ setting.
After the rising of the dough, divide it into two balls (each should weight around 200 g/7 oz.) and place them on a floured surface. Let rise for another 10 minutes.
Flour two sheets of baking parchment and gently roll each ball into a 24-cm/9 ½ -inch circle (or smaller if you prefer a thicker-crusted pizza). Slide each one carefully onto a baking sheet.
Add 150 g/ ¾ cup hummus on top of each rolled-out pizza base and use a spatula to distribute evenly. Top with onions, olives, garlic and mushrooms, and sprinkle ½ teaspoon of dried oregano/pizza seasoning over each pizza.
Open the heated oven, slide the baking paper with one pizza directly onto the bottom of the oven, without the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Change the oven setting to ‘top grill/broiler’, open the oven, slide the pizza with the baking parchment back onto the baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the upper part of the oven, so that the oven grill/broiler can quickly crisp the toppings.
Bake for 2–3 minutes. Take out and repeat with the other pizza. Just before serving, top pizzas with rocket/arugula, cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil.
Pitta bread
FOR THE STARTER
80 ml/1⁄3 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons maple sugar or another sweetener
9 g/1 tablespoon active dry yeast
FOR THE DOUGH
400 g/3 ¼ cup plain/ all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
100 g/ ¾ cup wholemeal/ whole-wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for oiling
270 ml/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
dough scraper (optional)
baking sheet lined with baking parchment
MAKES 10 PITTAS
Whisk together the starter ingredients and rest, covered with a damp towel, in the oven with the light on for 30 minutes or until slightly bubbly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt for the dough.
Add the water and oil, and mix in with a wooden spoon. Knead the dough, first inside the bowl, then on a clean surface for 10 minutes.
Don’t add extra flour – the dough should be sticky but will come together eventually. Using a dough scraper helps initially.
Oil both the bowl and the dough, place the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in the oven, with the oven light on, for 3 hours or until doubled in size. It’s even better if you can make the dough a day ahead and let it rise in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to its maximum (usually 250C (475F) Gas 9) and choose the ‘lower heat element with fan’ setting if you can. Weigh out about 10 small 80-g/3-oz. portions) of dough, place on a floured surface and let rise for another 10 minutes.
On a floured surface, gently roll each ball into a 15-cm/6-inch circle.
Use a spatula to flip them over as you put them on the lined baking sheet, so the floured side is on top. Four should fit on one sheet.
Open the preheated oven and slide the baking paper with the pittas directly onto the bottom of the oven, without the tray. Bake for 5 minutes until puffed up and lightly browned on the bottom.
Open the oven, slide the baking paper with done pittas back onto the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve. Freeze any leftovers.
Basic hummus
320 g/2 cups cooked chickpeas plus 60 ml/ ¼ cup of the cooking liquid, or more if needed, plus 2 tablespoons cooked chickpeas to serve
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons to serve
1 tablespoon tahini
3 garlic cloves
freshly squeezed juice of ½ a lemon, or to taste
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish (optional)
MAKES ABOUT 2–4 SERVINGS
Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, except the extra chickpeas and olive oil to serve, slowly adding the cooking liquid until you reach a thick and creamy consistency; this will take about 1 minute. High-speed blenders make the creamiest texture and need less liquid and time, but both food processors and stick blenders can be used as well.
Adjust the lemon juice and salt to taste.
Serve topped with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons whole chickpeas. Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley, if you like.
This recipe is from Hummus Where the Heart Is by Dunja Gulin, photography by Mowie Kay © Ryland Peters & Small