With Super Bowl Sunday quickly approaching, one of the top pizza sales days of the year, how about a homemade alternative to delivery that you make in the…slow cooker? That is not a typo. Have you ever burned a pizza in the oven? You won’t have to worry about this burning and the dough is a delicious deep dish style that is very light and fluffy. This is one to experiment with different toppings of your liking from other vegetables to meat (probably precooked) or maybe even just some garlic and butt for garlic bread. I made this as a vegan type to be able to taste all the flavors without the overpowering flavor of a meat and I’m glad I did. Just thinking about this while posting makes me want another piece!
Recipe – Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp. instant yeast
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ cup warm water, or as needed
For the sauce:
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
- ¼ cup pitted green olives, sliced
- 1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ tsp. dried basil
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)
Directions:
- Lightly oil the inside of a large bowl. In a food processor, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and Italian seasoning. With the machine running, add the oil through the feed tube, then slowly add as much water as needed to form a slightly sticky dough ball. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to the prepared bowl, turning the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- While the dough is rising, make the sauce. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, both kinds of olives, capers, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic powder, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt and black pepper to taste.
- Generously oil the insert of a large (5- to 7-quart) slow cooker or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough, then shape it to just fit inside your slow cooker. Place the dough in the cooker and spread the sauce over the dough. To prevent condensation from dripping onto the pizza, drape a clean kitchen towel over the cooker, then put on the lid. Cook on High for 1 hour and 45 minutes. If using the vegan mozzarella, sprinkle it on the pizza after 1 hour and 15 minutes, then cook for 30 minutes longer to allow it to melt.
Source: Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker