This protein packed pizza is a “main course” recipe entry in the So Delicious Dairy Free 3-Course Recipe Contest, submitted by reader Alyse Raponi. To amp up the nutrition of the crust, she uses Almond+Protein AlmondMilk from So Delicious.
The wholesome crust in this protein packed pizza contains cornmeal for a unique, hearty crunch.
For more details and to enter the recipe contest, see this post: https://www.godairyfree.org/news/so-delicious-dairy-free-3-course-recipe-contest
Special Diet Notes & Options: Protein Packed Pizza
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, peanut-free, and soy-free.
For a tree nut-free and dairy-free protein packed pizza, So Delicious offers Coconut Milk Beverage to use in place of the AlmondMilk.
For vegan and vegetarian protein packed pizza, simply omit the chicken and use your favorite veggie-based toppings, such as extra mushrooms.
- 2 cups lukewarm So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Almond Plus AlmondMilk
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 tablespoon traditional active yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
- 1-1/2 cups durum wheat flour (If you can’t find this, regular wheat flour can be substituted)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
- Course corn flour / cornmeal for rolling; this is what gives the pizza a crispy texture
- 250mL (8-ounce) container garlic hummus
- 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
- 1 red onion, sliced into rings
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups shredded dairy-free mozzarella cheese alternative (like Daiya)
- Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature or 100ºF for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. If you have a gas stove the pilot light will be warm enough to allow the dough to rise.
- Add the milk beverage to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle sugar over the milk beverage, then the yeast. Swirl with your finger. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until yeasts bubbles and floats to the top like puffs of clouds.
- Drop in flours, 1 cup at a time mixing with a fork or in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- When you can no longer stir because the mixture is thick and sticky, begin to mix and blend with one hand, using the other hand to turn the bowl, or continue mixing in a mixer bowl with the dough hook for 3-5 minutes.
- When mixture is a rough ball, scrape it onto a clean, lightly floured surface and continue to knead with both hands adding flour if the mixture becomes sticky. Use your palm to push and fold the dough over itself; the dough will begin to become elastic. Continue adding flour until it is no longer sticky but is firm to the touch.
- Place in the same bowl, no need to dirty another dish. Cover with a tea cloth. Allow to rise in the warm oven until double in size approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
- Remove from oven and on a clean, lightly floured surface with your hands, begin to shape dough, flattening with your hands into a disk then stretching with your knuckles underneath the dough. Pull and gently stretch to the size of your baking sheet or stone, adding flour/cornmeal if the dough becomes too sticky. If it will not yield allow to rest in between stretching. Sprinkle cornmeal on the baking sheet or stone, and place the shaped dough on it. Allow the shaped dough to rest and rise again for 15 to 20 minutes on the greased baking sheet/stone.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Spread the hummus over the dough. Sprinkle with chicken, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, or desired toppings. Leftover cooked poultry makes this a nutritious and hearty meal!.
- Bake until the edges are brown and underneath is golden brown when lifted from the sheet.
- minutes before the pizza is ready, sprinkle it with dairy-free cheese alternative and pop it back in oven to melt the cheese.
- Slice into servings