February 16, 2023
This super tasty pizza is 100% plant based. To make the dairy-free almond ricotta you need to soak the almonds overnight. Dough and walnut pesto can also be made ahead to minimise prep time.
Makes 2 pizzas
Pizza Base
3 1/2 cups Bakers Bread & Pizza Flour (sifted)
extra Nuttelex for buttering the dough resting bowl
Almond Ricotta
1 cup blanched & sliced almonds - soak overnight covered in water
1/4 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
Walnut Pesto
Topping
rocket, pea sprouts or baby spinach
1 tbsp sesame seeds - dry fry in a pan for extra crunch
Tools
To Make the Almond Ricotta
1Rinse the soaked almonds and place in a food processor with the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and water and blitz until you have smooth paste resembling a ricotta like texture. Make sure you scrape down the walls of the processor bowl during blitzing to ensure an even texture. Then cover and set aside in fridge until you are ready to top the pizza.
To Make the Walnut Pesto
1Blitz all ingredients in a food processor a few times, until you have a pesto consistency.
The Pizza Base
1In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the sifted flour, yeast & salt to the bowl.
2In a small saucepan add Nuttelex, water & sugar (or maple syrup) and heat on low until Nuttelex has melted. Turn off the heat and let rest till lukewarm.
3Next drizzle the lukewarm buttery mixture over the flour & mix on low speed for 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth & elastic. Remove from bowl and pat into a ball shape.
4Butter a separate bowl with the extra Nuttelex and add the dough ball and cover with cling wrap. Set aside for an hour to let the dough rise and double in size.
5After dough has rested give it a good punch to remove air and and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times before returning to bowl and covering again with plastic wrap for further 10 min.
6Divide dough into 2 equal portions and then roll each piece into a 25 cm pizza base
7Transfer each pizza base onto a lined baking tray and pierce bases with a fork.
Topping the Pizza
1Add a layer of pesto (about 3-4 tablespoons) to each pizza base and bake at 170C fan forced oven or 190C conventional oven for 8-10 minutes.
2When bases are baked, top with dollops of the almond ricotta & leafy greens. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and optional lick of olive oil.