here is the most awaited recipe post – the all time favorite- veg pizza.
there was a time when i used to make pizzas at home with readymade pizza breads. but after making breads at home and finding out they are far far better than the outside ones, i make even the pizza base at home now.
this is a tried and tested vegetarian pizza recipe and if everything is followed correctly, you will be able to make great pizzas with a choice of your toppings for your family and friends. the vegetarian pizza beat all the pizzas i had in indian metros like the dominos pizza, smokin joes and even pizza hut.
this recipe of homemade vegetarian pizza is a pizza recipe made from scratch. except the cheese, no ready made sauces or pizza bread bases are used. this is a basic veg pizza. i have used onion and capsicum as the only veggies. you can use your own assorted veggies for the pizza.
for the flavorings of the sauce i have used dried oregano and basil. however you can use fresh oregano and basil too. i have made many pizza sauces right from my teen years. but this was the best sauce i have made. it has become a personal favorite.
the pizza bread is made from maida/all purpose flour. wheat flour can be used too. but wheat flour will make the pizza bread base a little dense.
this is a step by step veg pizza pictorial recipe
i have divided the format into 3 parts viz:
1: making the pizza bread,
2: making the pizza sauce and
3: assembling the pizza.
by the way the veg pizza recipe is a request from one of my facebook page fans. have adapted the recipe from the bread bible cookbook.
so lets begin homemade italian vegetarian pizza from scratch.
making the vegetarian pizza base:
1: dissolve the sugar in warm water and add yeast to it.
2: stir the whole mixture and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
3: when the yeast is getting doubled up, take a cup of flour with salt in a bowl. mix well. add olive oil.
4: after 10-15 minutes the yeast will bubble and you will see a good frothy layer on top.
5: now add the frothy yeast mixture to the flour. with a whisk or wooden spoon stir the mixture.
6: add another cup of flour and keep on stirring.
7: the mixture will become sticky.
8: add the last cup of flour and continue to stir.
9: the dough will leave the sides of the bowl but still will be a bit sticky.
10: its time now to knead the dough with the hand. knead the dough to a smooth dough. dust with flour to prevent sticking. the dough will be soft and elastic. apply some olive oil to the dough all around.
11: keep the dough in deep large bowl and cover loosely with a kitchen napkin or towel for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
12: mama mia….. after 2 hours the dough has beautifully risen and doubled up to what you see below.
13: i had planned to make the pizza the next day, so i wrapped the dough tightly in a cling film and kept in the fridge. if you plan to make the pizza right away then flatten the dough to a disk. then start rolling the dough.
14: the next morning i removed the pizza dough from the fridge and if you compare the two pics, the dough was getting leavened even in the fridge.
15: defrosted at room tempeature for about 45 minutes before i started making the pizza.
making the tomato pizza sauce:
1: chop the tomatoes directly. or blanch them and then chop the tomatoes. i chose the second method as then less cooking is involved when making the sauce. instead of chopping you can also puree the tomatoes.
2: in a pan heat olive oil and add chopped garlic to it. fry the garlic for a minute.
3: now add the chopped tomatoes. stir and let the tomatoes cook for 5 minutes more.
4: when the tomatoes are getting simmered, slice the onion, capsicum and olives.
5: instead of sauting the veggies lightly i marinated them for 15 minutes with olive oil, basil and oregano.
6: the tomatoes are softened now. add the herbs, salt, crushed black pepper.
7: mix well and cook for a few more minutes.
8. aha….. the pizza sauce is ready.
assembling the vegetarian pizza:
1: preheat the oven to 200 degress C. grease the baking pan with olive oil & then dust it with maize flour/corn meal, semolina or flour.
2: take a large ball from the dough. i made three medium sized pizzas from this dough. you can use the whole dough to make an extra large pizza or even make two large pizzas.
3: flatten the dough into a disk. now on a floured surface with a rolling pin roll the dough ball into a large round or oval shape of about 1/4 inch thickness. roll the dough from the center towards the outer edges. you may have to dust the surface with flour. the dough is extremely elastic. so be careful while rolling the dough.
4: place the pizza base in the baking pan. be careful as the dough has so much elasticity, it just stretches more when you place it. do this work of placing very gently. brush the surface with olive oil.
5: spread the tomato pizza sauce on the pizza.
6: top up with the veggies and olives.
7: sprinkle generous amount of mozarella or pizza cheese.
8: baking time now….. bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees C till the base becomes golden brown and the cheese on top melts and gets browned.
9: pizza time…. yay… the pizza is ready and out of the oven.
10: serve the vegetarian pizza immediately with tomato sauce and the herbs.
enjoy 
vegetarian pizza recipe details below:
ingredients
- 2.5 to 3 cups all purpose flour/maida
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoon dry yeast
- 1/4 tsp sugar or 1/4 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- olive oil for brushing
- flour, cornmeal or semolina for sprinkling
- 4-5 tomatoes
- 2-3 garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine (optional)
- 2 tsp dried basil or 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp dried oregano
- freshly crushed or ground black pepper
- salt
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 capsicum/bell pepper, sliced
- 1 tomato (optional)
- 8-9 pitted green olives, sliced
- 8-9 pitted black olives, sliced
- grated mozarella cheese as required
- fresh or dried herbs
method:
- sprinkle sugar in warm water.
- add yeast. stir and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 10-15 mins till it becomes frothy,
- in a bowl add one cup flour, salt, olive oil and the frothy yeast mixture.
- stir. add another cup of flour.
- stir again. the mixture become sticky.
- add the last cup of flour and continue to stir.
- knead the dough into a smooth, springy ball.
- apply some olive oil all over the dough.
- cover loosely and keep in a large bowl at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- the dough will double up and nicely leaven.
- blanch the tomatoes and the chop them.
- heat oil. fry the chopped garlic,
- add the tomatoes and wine.
- let them cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes.
- add the herbs, salt and pepper.
- mix well. cook further for 3-4 minutes.
- flatten the dough to a disk.
- on a floured surface roll the dough.
- place the dough onto a greased and dusted pan.
- brush some olive oil on the pizza base.
- spread the tomato sauce on the pizza.
- top with the veggies.
- spread the grated cheese.
- bake the veg pizza in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees C.
- serve hot.
my notes
the pizza dough can also be made in a food processor or electric mixer.
if the dough becomes sticky add some flour and vice versa... if the dough is not soft and a bit dry, then add some warm water.
i even made a thin crust pizza with this dough and it was excellent.
you can saute the veggies lightly in olive oil if you want.
the leftover pizza sauce can be refrigerated.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
mouth watering pizza
delicious recipe
i love it.
how do i make the pizza base without yeast? i dont have yeast right now. and is parmesan cheese fine? or should i use mozzarella only? i also have amul cheese spread
hi abhi, to make the pizza base, yeast is essential. you will have to get ready pizza bases then. you can use parmesan cheese also. amul cheese spread can be applied to the base.
And dassana ji plz also tell that regular ovens and microwave ovens are different or same.and if i make pizza on tava will it be soft and fluffy.plz reply i will be very veru thankful of u.
regular oven is different from microwave oven. when you bake in the convection mode of a microwave oven, it functions like regular oven. however in the microwave mode, the functions of the microwave oven are totally different. if you want to go into full time baking, then i would suggest you to buy a regular oven.
you can make pizza on a tava. just you have to make sure that the base does not get burnt. if the dough is proofed and kneaded well, then the pizza bread will become soft. you can compare it with naan or kulcha made from yeast. they can be made both on stove top/tava and oven. if the dough is good, the naan or kulcha would come out perfect in both the oven and tava.
Thanku dassanaji.ek aur problem hai.i have made base today in convection mode but it was not spongy and soft but too hard.i think dough was not proper.whenever i make dough it ferment but not double up,why.plz help
hi amita. i would suggest you to read my brown bread post. there are many hints and pointers in this post which will help you. the basic fundamentals of baking any bread with yeast is same. mainly:
- the yeast should proof
- the gluten should form in the dough
- the bread dough should double up
here’s the link to the post: http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/brown-bread-recipe-brown-bread/
very yummy………………….!!!!! every one like it in my home. Thanks
thanks ruby
Thats Awesome!
Dear Dassana
The preparation of the pizza was fabulously explained along with pictures given for reference ….great job…simply loved it. Thanks
thanks shalini.
Really a great guide to prepare pizza at home…I tried it and the outcome is 100% perfect
Thanks Author
welcome sanjaya
hiii very good recipe of pizza i was searching for so long my daughter loved it tnks for the recipe
thanks geeta.
Hi,
Your pizza looks delicious….i really wanna try….but am a beginner….planning to get a new oven.Please suggest should i go for OTG oven for micro wave convection model…..
you have to first consider your budget before buying any oven and also your requirements. microwave oven with convection would cost you 10,000 rs and above for a good brand in india. OTG would come from 2500 rs and above. if you just plan to bake and grill, then OTG is good. if you want to cook in the microwave and bake also, then go for microwave with convection. reheating food & making cups of tea or coffee is also quick in microwave. so decide accordingly and buy. as far as baking is concerned, both OTG and microwave are good. I use both for baking. in microwave the baking takes less time, due to the fan, i think. so decide as per your budget, requirements and needs.
Hi, I don’t have an regular oven, can I make the pizza base in a microwave oven? Or is there another way I could make the pizza base…please let me know.
dear dr sankara, i won’t suggest to make the pizza base in the microwave. you can cook the pizza base on a tava or a frying pan.
method given below:
Awesome pizza , I followed each & every step of this recipe & turned out a very nice crispy pizza ,Inspite of maida I took 1/2 wheat flour & 1/2 Maida
thats great to know manisha. nothing beats a homemade pizza if it turns out awesome
Hi Dassana
I really like pizzas and so I tried making veg pizza with the above recipe but with store bought pizza base and in convection mode in a microwave.
The top of the pizza tasted good but the bread base was too hard. The pizza was not soft and gooey like it should be. Can you pls suggest how could I improve the same.
Thanks
Richa
i am assuming that you brought already baked pizza bread base. in this case, you will need to bake or grill it for a less period of time as the bread is already baked. so just baking the pizza for 10-12 minutes or till the cheese melts for 180 degrees C in the convection mode is fine. the pizza bread must have got over baked and hence the hardness of the base.
Thanks Dassana for your reply. I will try the recipe again
If any recipe asks for oven process, can we do the same in a microwave in convection mode? or is it not the same? As is the case with pizzas and cake recipes.
the microwave and convection mode are different modes as well as methods of cooking food.
- in the microwave mode, food is cooked by the microwave waves.
- in the convection mode food is cooked by heat waves through convection heating method. the same way a regular oven would cook or bake food.
- when we cook food in a pot or pan the food is cooked by the heat waves in the conduction mode.
- in the microwave mode, food cooks very fast
- in the convection mode, food does not cook fast
now if any recipe calls for an oven, it means cooking or baking in the convection mode. unless the recipe specifies that it can be cooked in the microwave mode.
i would not suggest anyone to make or bake pizza in the microwave mode. it is better if they bake it on a tava/flat pan than microwave it. baking in the oven or grilling are the best methods to make pizza.
for cakes, you can make in both modes- either microwave or convection. i have made many cakes in both the modes individually and they have always turned out well.
for microwave cakes, the batter has to be liquid and moist than the regular cake batter. my suggestion would be to make cake recipes which are meant to be done in the microwave mode rather than convection mode. there are lot of cake recipes on the web which can be made in the microwave mode.
the time required for making a medium size cake can be anywhere between 8-10 minutes on full microwave power. one has to keep on checking in between so that the cake does not become dry and stiff.
for oven baked cakes depending on the recipe, the cake can be baked anywhere between 150 degrees C to 200 degress C or more. the cake might take 20 to 50 minutes to bake.
i hope this info helps you richa.
Thanks a lot for the response.. It was really helpful..
welcome richa
Hi Dassana
Tried out the Pizza Recipe today and this time made sure that the water is just warm. Also i used SAF Instant Yeast. The base and topping turned out to be wonderful. The only mistake was i wasn’t sure as to how to use the temperature setting in my pizza maker. Hence the pizza got a bit over cooked, only the top cheese layer turned brown. Apart from that pizza was awesome. Hats off to you…. and many many thanks. I have also sent a photo of my home made pizza to the e-mail address of veg recipes of India.
Just let me know how you feel it looks.
Tks again
thanks a ton deepa. i have replied to your email. the pizza is looking good and yummy.
Hi Dassana, can we use the same baking tin used for baking cakes? Also if i use whole wheat and maida in the ratio of 2:1 , will it make any difference in taste or as an amateur should i strictly follow the ditto receipe i.e with maida and later go on for any R & D…:)
meeta…
dear meeta, if you have a shallow baking tin you can use it. the only issue with a baking tin would be to remove the pizza. its much easier with a flat baking pan or even a pie dish.
there will be a slight difference in the texture and taste. but overall with the veggies, sauce and cheese it does not matter much. you won’t be able to know the difference. the pizza base will not be spongy or light like in the original recipe. it will be a little dense and chewy. but not an issue. i made a whole wheat pizza and the hubby was not even able to tell the difference. you can do the R & D. i do so many R & Ds when i cook
Hi Dassana, Ur step bt step tutorials are awesome for any starters in kitchen and i give u 10/10 for keeping the fantafabolous work. God bless u .
Well i like to know which camera ur using to take tis awesome pics. Is its DSLR or a Aim & Shoot compact camera, please let me know the name and model number
Regards
Anil – Hubli
thanks anil for the 10/10 points
i have a canon DSLR camera. it is EOS 600D model. in the united states its known as canon EOS rebel T3i. i use the Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.6-5.6 IS II lens.
nothing better than home made bread topped with gorgeous sauce and veggies! I havent had store bought bread in almost 2 years now..:) maybe an artisan local bread once in a few months.. love your step by step pictures. now if only i can find a house with daylight in the kitchen and move there:)
Is an electric pizza maker helpful?
yes….. why not. you can easily make the pizza in an electric pizza maker.
Tks dassana. Will try it today
dear deepa, do let me know how the pizza turned out.
Sure i will. Last week i made it but the dough did not fluff up. But the topping was good. I have a new pizza maker but do not know how to reheat it. It has temp knob upto 250 degrees and timer knob and also coil selector. Cud u tell me how do i pre heat it and upto what time pls. I am very new to baking.
A big tks to you for all your recopes. Have tried most of them…. Came out very well
the water temperature is very important for the yeast to get activated. if the water is cool, the yeast does not get activated and if it is hot the yeast dies.
i have never used an electric pizza maker. i guess it would be the same as the preheating we do for oven. set the temperature and then the time say 4 or 5 minutes. i don’t know what is coil selector. its better you check the manual that came with it. that will help and guide you.
Tks a lot. You were perfectly right. After i added water to the yeast i realized that the water was too hot. Got your point clearly. Will take care next time. Many tks for your guidance. I think the new cooks need not refer to any recipe book but only subscribe to your website. Marvellous
Tks again
thats a huge compliment for me deepa. thanks a lot.
You deserve that Dassana….
pizza very yummy and simple to make thanks a lot
thanks norma
This looks amazingly yummy. How would it turn out if I substitute maida with wheat flour?
i have made the pizza with wheat flour. the dough becomes stiff and is not very elastic as compared to the dough made with maida. even the pizza bread is dense and chewy. i would suggest you add half-half quantities of both maida and wheat flour or in the ratio of 2:1 where it would be 2 cups of wheat flour and 1 cup of maida.
Yummy…finally!! As soon as I am back I have to try this and the bread….too tempting and a grt post as always!
Except for making the pizza base which I feel too lazy to make when I get ready made base easily, I love homemade pizzas…your look scrumptious!
This pizza looks scrumptious! I love recipes like this. Yum!
How can we make this in microwave
dear suvidha, the pizza can’t be made in the microwave.
you can but make it on the stove top. take a nice non stick pan or good tava. grease with some oil and heat it. now place the pizza base on it.
it will become brown. flip it. quickly put the toppings, cheese etc. cover and let cook on a slow flame till the cheese melts.
for more details check this ehow link on how to make pizza on stove top: http://www.ehow.com/how_2310066_make-stovetop-pizza.html
Hi Dasanna,
Nice review of pizza from start to end, i was searching for good pizza recipe since a long time. Thne finally o got today. I am a regular follower of your site and used to watch almost daily. My one question to you is from where to get the dry yeast, I live in Mumbai
thanks shweta. you can easily get dry yeast in a supermarket or hypermarket in mumbai. they come in small packets or in small bottles.
Hi Dassana
There is an award waiting for you on http://supriyajm.blogspot.com/search/label/Awards
Congrats!! The pizza looks super yum.
I’ve been looking for a good pizza dough recipe for a while because I have a goat’s cheese & fig pizza that I want to blog about from my holiday to Cape Town. I will definitely use this recipe and link it back to you, so thanks. I am going out to buy some more spelt flour today so will let you know how it goes!!
thanks natalie. sure, do let me know.
Dasssanaji plz tell can pizza base be made in convection mode in the microwave oven.i had tried many times but it became too hard plz plz reply
hi amita, i have made this pizza in the convection mode of microwave oven. i have made pizza many times in the convection mode with perfect results. the dough is becoming hard as i suspect its not kneaded well. the gluten has to form in the dough and if there is no proper gluten development in the dough, the bread becomes hard. it can also be due to the yeast not getting fermented well.