A while ago we got together with Paulina from Panina in order to make a delicious vegan sourdough pizza. Until this moment I had always thought that the problem with most vegan pizzas is the cheese (sometimes the cheese just isn't that great, tbh), but making this pizza with Paulina made me realize it is all about the base! Tasty pizza dough is really the most important part (also the tomato sauce, keep reading!)
Then what is the secret for a tasty pizza dough? While there can be many answers to the question, one of them seems quite obvious to me now: the sourdough, in Spanish known as masa madre.
What exactly is Masa Madre and why is everybody talking about it right now?
I first heard about masa madre from a friend about one year ago, and my first thought was that it was some sort of a new trend. Which, partially is true, sourdough baking is really the trend in the baking world right now (or some years already). However, the sourdough baking is really an ancient thing. It is one of those things that used to be done a lot back in the days, then started to vanish for some time and at the moment is kinda coming back. But why exactly? Why are so many people crazy about sourdough baking?
First of all, sourdough can be a healthier option to bread that is made with yeast (levadura). The sourdough starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water, and contains lots of naturally occurred bacteria. The long fermentation and naturally occurring acids help to break down gluten, which makes it easier for the body to digest and absorb.
Another factor is the taste. Sourdough gives bread a special flavor and texture, a result that you simpy cannot reach by using normal commercial yeast. To put it short: it is much slower process but totally worth it!
Now, everybody knows good bread is not something that is typically sold in every street corner here in Mexico (unlike tacos, those are sold in every street corner!) This is the reason I first met Paulina, the founder of Panina. Paulina is a Mexican chef with a newly found passion for making bread, and with a mission of making better bread here in Guadalajara. She started her sourdough bread business this year and not only sells bread but also offers online classes on How to make sourdough.
(Take a look at Paulina's online classes here.)
We decided to combine our superpowers with Paulina: her bread making skills and my pizza eating skills, hehe (it's not a joke though). Also, as I was saying, I was curious to know how vegan cheese tastes on a good quality pizza, made with love and patience from sourdough. We used a vegan mozzarella from a Mexican company called Heartbest. What I was happy to notice is that when the pizza is well made since the dough, the less important it becomes to add lots of cheese and other "fatty" ingredients on top: all you need is a tasty tomato sauce, some good olive oil, little bit of cheese and what ever other ingredients you want to add. All and all: hands down the best vegan pizza I have tasted.
If you want to try this pizza at home, here comes the recipe!
TOMATO SAUCE
400g tomatoes without peel and seeds
10g garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
4 tbsp oive oil
salt
pepper
1. In a saucepan put water to boil with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, add the tomatoes for 2 minutes, take them out and transfer to a bowl with water and some ice to stop the cooking.
2. Remove the skin with a small knife or using your hands, cut each tomato in half and remove the seeds. Set aside.
3. Cut the garlic into very small pieces. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan, add the olive oil and garlic and let brown very little using low heat.
5. Add the tomatoes, oregano and finely chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
6. Let cook over low heat for 40 minutes.
SOURDOUGH PIZZA CRUST (2 medium pizzas)
450g white strong flour
50g wheat flour
280g water
100g sourdough starter
10g salt
1. Mix flour, water and starter, leave to stand for 1 hour. Add salt. Let rest for half an hour. Make 3 folds every half hour.
2. Divide the dough in two with the help of a cutter, give each piece a rounded shape with the help of a little flour.
3. Leave to rest for 2 hours and then stretch the dough into a pizza shape.
4. Bake at 240°C for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven. Add the tomato sauce and other ingredients of your choice, and bake at the same temperature for another 5 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
(In our pizza we used mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil and zucchini. On top you can add some olive oil and oregano, and some spicy salsa or chili flakes! ;))
Would you like to make a collaboration with Rebel Food Club? Send your ideas in e-mail or dm me in Instagram! Let's make it happen!
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