Vegan Deep Dish Pizza

I found this recipe at http://goveganmeow.blogspot.com/2011/02/deep-dish-pizza.html while I was researching how to make a deep dish Chicago style pizza at home. I have been really wanting to find a good recipe that I could make at home for one of my favorite foods, deep dish pizza. This recipe is a good start, but is a little different from the way I like my deep dish. (Pi anyone) I am hoping to find a recipe that will be vegan and taste similar to Pi’s pizza someday, but for today this will suffice.

(Note: the photos are part of the original post from GO Vegan Meow)

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

* 3/4 cup warm water ( 110 F )

* 1 ( 1/4 ounce ) package of active dry yeast

* 1/2 tsp sugar

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1/4 cup semolina flour

* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

* 1/2 tsp salt

Pizza Sauce

* 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil

* 1/2 cup onion, chopped

* 1/4 cup celery, chopped

* 1 garlic clove, minced

* 1 ( 8 ounce ) can tomato sauce

* 1 ( 6 ounce ) can tomato paste

* 1 tsp dried basil

* 1 tsp dried oregano

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp sugar

* 1/4 tsp black pepper

* 1 small bay leaf

Toppings

* 1/2 pound vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded ( I prefer Daiya Italian cheese )

* 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced thinly

* 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thinly

* 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly

* 1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage, crumbled, cooked as directed on package ( I used Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages )

Directions

First prepare the dough…

1. In a small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is foamy.

2. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, oil, salt and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine.

3. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes, until a smooth dough has formed. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to cover the entire dough with oil.

4. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm area until double in size, about 45 minutes.

While the dough rises, start making your sauce…

5. In a medium sized sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until soft and the onions are transparent.

6. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth.

7. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer for 30-60 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 420 F

8. Oil a 12 inch round deep-dish pizza pan with extra virgin olive oil. Place the dough in the pan, pressing to the edge and stretching about 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Let rest for 5 minutes.