Deep Dish Broccoli Pizza

Note: If you're looking for a quick pizza to make, this is not it.  The recipe involves letting dough rise for 2 hours, making 2 different sauces and a filling.  However, you can do all of that beforehand and throw it together quickly when you get home.  It's well worth the effort because this is such a mouth-watering pizza, you won't believe it's good for you!


Makes 1 large 14" deep dish pizza

Making the Dough:

Ingredients: 

3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 to 120 F)
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt, mixing well with a fork.  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the dry mixture, and add the warm water and maple syrup.  Stir with a fork (I usually just use my hands) until everything is combined well and there are no traces of flour left.  If the dough seems dry, add a little more water as necessary to make a soft, moist dough.  There is no need to knead this dough.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a fitted lit, and set aside in a warm place to rise for 2 to 3 hours (up to 6 hours).  You can also store the dough in a zip-lock bag in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.  Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before shaping.
3. Between two large pieces of parchment paper, roll the dough out to about 15" in diameter.  Take the top piece of parchment paper off.  Put your deep dish pizza pan face down over the dough and carefully flip it over holding the pan and bottom parchment.  Remove the parchment paper.  Shape the dough so it fits evenly in the pan.

Making the Filling:

Ingredients: 

1 8-ounce package of tempeh sliced into 8 pieces
1/4 yellow onion roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons of Bragg's liquid aminos
2 cups of broccoli florets
1 teaspoon fennel seed

Directions:

In a small pot or pan, boil the tempeh in 2 cups of water, the liquid aminos, bay leaf and onion for 30 minutes.  With a slotted spoon or fork, transfer the tempeh and onion to a bowl to cool.  In a food processor combine the tempeh, onion, broccoli and fennel, process until it's a crumbly mixture. 

Making the Pizza Sauce:

Ingredients: 

1 can of diced tomatoes (not drained!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 clove garlic

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

Making the Cheezy Sauce:

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews soaked for 1-2 hours
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a blender jar, add 2 cups of water and all of the cheezy sauce ingredients.  Process at high speed until completely smooth and no bits of nuts remain.
2. Pour the mixture in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking continuously.  Once the mixture comes to a simmer, lower the heat slightly and continue cooking until fairly thickened.  Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.  (This makes a great nacho cheese sauce if you add a little chili powder or power it in too some cooked pasta for a quick and easy mac n cheez!)

Assembling the Pizza:

Preheat oven to 350.  Ladle 1/2-3/4 cup of the pizza sauce and carefully spread it out on the crust.  Spoon out all of the filling and carefully spread it out evenly.  Pour the cheezy sauce over the filling.  Garnish with chopped pieces or sun dried or fresh tomatoes if desired.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Cool for 5-10 minutes, slice and serve.