vegetarian pizza dreamlight valley Recipe
This recipe reveals the exact technique to stop veggie pizza from getting soggy roasted vegetables, correct layering, and proper cheese.
Equipment
- Pizza stone or pizza steel
- Pizza Peel
- Kitchen scale
- Lidded proofing containers
- Baking tray
- Small skillet
- Sharp knife & cutting board
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Pastry brush
- Paper towels
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 500 grams Caputo 00 flour 325 grams water at room temperature 10 grams fine sea salt 0.3 grams instant dry yeast about an eighth of a teaspoon
For the Sauce
- 400 gram can whole San Marzano DOP tomatoes 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 small drizzle extra virgin olive oil Pinch of dried oregano
For the Roasted Vegetables (total for 2 pizzas)
- 1 small zucchini sliced into half inch rounds Half a small eggplant, cut into half inch cubes 1 small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 100 grams cremini mushrooms, sliced thin 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon fine sea salt Half teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning Fresh cracked black pepper
For the Cheese (per pizza)
- 70 grams fior di latte torn and drained 20 minutes on paper towels 30 grams crumbled goat cheese (chèvre) 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for finishing
For Additional Toppings (per pizza)
- Half a small red onion sliced paper thin 4 to 5 cherry tomatoes, halved 6 to 8 Taggiasca or Kalamata olives, pitted 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (for drizzling on vegetables before baking)
For Finishing (per pizza)
- 1 tablespoon estate extra virgin olive oil Small handful fresh arugula tossed with lemon and olive oil 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze Fresh basil leaves Pinch of flaky sea salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Combine flour and water in a large bowl. Stir with your hand until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30 minutes (autolyse).
- Add salt and yeast. Squeeze through the dough with your fingers until fully incorporated.
- Knead in the bowl using stretch and fold for 5 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky.
- Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Divide into 2 balls of roughly 420 grams each. Shape into tight smooth balls.
- Place in lightly oiled lidded containers. Refrigerate 24 hours.
- Remove from the fridge 2 hours before baking.
Roast the Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread the zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and mushrooms on a large sheet pan.
- Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, oregano, and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Roast 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the vegetables are caramelized at the edges and tender but not mushy.
- Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly. Pat lightly with paper towels to remove any residual moisture.
Prepare the Sauce
- Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand in a bowl until you have a textured purée.
- Add salt, olive oil, and oregano. Stir and taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble the Pizza
- Slice the red onion paper thin. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Drain the olives.
- Tear the fior di latte and drain on paper towels for 20 minutes.
- Flour the work surface lightly. Press a dough ball flat from the center outward with your fingertips, leaving the rim untouched.
- Lift and drape over your knuckles. Rotate gently to stretch into a 12 inch round.
- Transfer to a well floured peel. Shake gently to confirm the pizza is loose.
- Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of sauce in a thin spiral, leaving a finger width border.
- Scatter the drained fior di latte in loose pieces across the sauce.
- Crumble the goat cheese in small dollops across the mozzarella.
- Distribute half of the roasted vegetables across the pizza in deliberate clusters, leaving gaps where the cheese is still visible.
- Scatter the sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, and olives in the remaining gaps.
- Drizzle a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar directly on the vegetables (not the cheese or sauce).
Bake and Finish
- Home oven: preheat pizza steel at maximum temperature (500 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 45 to 60 minutes. Slide the pizza onto the steel and bake 8 to 10 minutes until the cornicione is puffed and beginning to char, the cheese is fully melted with golden blistered spots, and the vegetables have caramelized further.
- Wood fired oven: bake at 850 degrees Fahrenheit on the floor for 60 to 90 seconds, rotating every 20 seconds.
- Pull the pizza onto a cutting board.
- Drizzle the estate olive oil across the surface.
- Scatter the lemon dressed arugula across the top.
- Drizzle balsamic glaze in a thin stream.
- Tear fresh basil leaves over the pizza.
- Dust with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
- Drizzle a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar directly onto the vegetables before baking. The balsamic caramelizes during the bake, deepens the flavor of the vegetables, and adds a sweet acidic note that elevates the whole pizza. A small step that almost no recipe mentions and that genuinely transforms the finished pizza.
- Pre roast the vegetables at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes before topping the pizza. This concentrates their flavor, caramelizes their natural sugars, and ensures they are properly cooked by the time the pizza bake finishes. The 25 minutes of additional time transforms the finished pizza.
- Match the cheese to the vegetables. Tangy goat cheese with roasted root vegetables. Ricotta with spinach and mushrooms. Feta with Mediterranean toppings (olives, sun dried tomatoes). Matching the cheese deliberately produces a more harmonious pizza than using mozzarella as a default for everything.
- Pat all roasted vegetables on paper towels before topping the pizza. Even pre cooked vegetables can release residual moisture during the bake, and a quick pat dry is the difference between a clean pizza and a slightly soggy one.
- Always finish with arugula tossed in lemon and olive oil. The peppery greens and bright acid balance the richness of the cheese and the earthy roasted vegetables in a way that no other finishing touch quite matches.