Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Ever since I read NieNie's post about their family's weekly pizza night I've been mildly fixated on homemade pizza. I love it. I get to control how much oil, cheese, sauce, etc goes into the pie, which means I get to make my dream pizza every single time. How awesome is that?! This recipe is a new favorite. It's quite a departure from your average chain restaurant's pie.

I made it extra big. Is your mouth watering yet?

Roasted vegetable topping adapted from Oh She Glows. To make this vegan I recommend following her original guidelines regarding cheeze.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza
Prep/cook time: 1 hour
Serves 4

Topping:
3 mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
handful small broccoli florets (the tinier the better)
2 cloves garlic, minced
~3 tbsp olive oil
~1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 pinches salt
pizza sauce (I like Trader Joe's. It's easy to make your own, too)
ricotta cheese
pizza cheese
handful spinach

Fleischmann's Pizza Dough:
1-3/4 to 2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Yeast (you can use reg yeast, too, but this is much easier)
1-1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup very warm tap water
3 tbsp olive oil
farina or cornmeal

Preheat oven to 425.

To prepare topping:

1. Chop vegetables.
2. In a small bowl whisk together salt, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, stirring constantly.
3. Pour oil mixture onto rimmed baking sheet. Add all the vegetables except the spinach and broccoli. Stir with (clean) hands.
4. Roast vegetables for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli to the pan about halfway through.
5. Remove veggies from oven once they are tender and slightly brown. Set aside.

To prepare crust:

1. Mix 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add water and oil, stir to combine for about one minute.
2. Gradually add about 1/2 cup flour until the dough forms a soft, sticky ball.
3. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough for 4 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic.
4. Using a rolling pin, form the dough into a ball and flatten it into a thick circle.
5. Using hands, stretch and turn the dough until it reaches the desired thickness and size. Press the dough with fingers to evenly stretch dough out from the center. Don't worry about the shape. If desired, slightly fold the edges over to create a traditional pizza crust. (Note: Youtube probably has clearer directions about this part.)
6. Spread farina or cornmeal onto a baking sheet. Lay crust on top of pan and gently shake the pan to coat the bottom of the crust.

To assemble pizza:

1. Spoon pizza sauce onto crust, spreading evenly.
2. Crumble or spoon ricotta on top of the sauce.
3. Sprinkle the roasted vegetables onto the ricotta.
4. Lay spinach leaves evenly on top.
5. Top with pizza cheese.
6. Bake on bottom rack for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese bubbles and the crust browns.
7. Let sit for a few minutes for slicing.