Recipe of Today: Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

For The Pizza Dough:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

For The Pizza Toppings:

• ½ cup tomato sauce or marinara
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup sliced bell peppers (assorted colors)
• 1 cup sliced red onions
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup sliced black olives
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions:

Prepare The Pizza Dough:

• In a small bowl, combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy.

• Attach the dough hook attachment to your Kitchenin KM50 Stand Mixer. In the mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.

• With the mixer running on low, pour in the yeast mixture and add the olive oil.

• Gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a little more flour, one tbsp at a time.

• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Assemble The Veggie Pizza:

• Preheat your oven to 475°F. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while preheating.

• Punch down the risen dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to your desired pizza size and thickness.

• Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to a pizza peel or an inverted baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

• Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges for the crust.

• Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the sauce.

• Arrange the sliced bell peppers, red onions, mushrooms, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and spinach evenly over the cheese.

• Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the toppings and season with dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

• Carefully slide the parchment paper with the assembled pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven.

• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown, and the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

• Remove the pizza from the oven, garnish with fresh basil leaves, slice, and serve hot. Enjoy!