This year I have decided to participate in the VeganMoFo 2014! Now what is VeganMoFo? It was originally created by the fine folks over at Post Punk Kitchen and it stands for the Vegan Month of Food (at first, I had a very different idea of what it stood for but that’s my potty mouth showing). The idea is to challenge vegan foodies and bloggers to write about all things vegan every weekday for one month, showing those veg-curious and carnivores alike that going vegan can be easier than one may think.

Five new posts a week? While working full time? And in school? Have I gone mad? Not yet but it is safe to say after this month I just might but before the crazies set in, I am really pumped about the challenge! If this is your first time to my site, welcome! I’m glad VeganMoFo has brought you here and I can’t wait to see everyone else’s sites and contributions to this month-long experience.

 So now for the first recipe and it is a good one….

I am excited that is one is my first because it is a household favourite and a carnivore pleaser: the crisp corn meal dusted crust, the rich garlicky cream sauce and topped with cherry tomatoes, arugula and fresh herbs, what is not to love about it? The fact that the dough is made in the food processor and doesn’t take all day to rise is just an added bonus. You do however need a thermometer to take the temperature of the water: too hot will kill the yeast, too cold the yeast won’t activate. Yeast is a finicky thing, like the Goldilocks of ingredients it needs to be just right.

 There are a few steps to this recipe to make the dough and the sauce but here is an action plan I have formulated over the many times I have made this dish:

Step 1: Put a small pot (with a tight fitting lid) of water on to boil

Step 2: Make the dough and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap

Step 3: When the water is boiling, add the cashews, take off the heat and cover with the lid. This is the quick soak method to make the cashews soft and blendable.

Step 4: Pan roast the garlic and prep the thyme

Step 5: Set oven rack on lowest slot and preheat oven

Step 6: Prep the dough for the pan and let it rest

Step 7: Make the sauce while the dough is resting

Step 8: Bake the dough and chop the basil and tomatoes

Step 9: Take dough out of the oven and top

Step 10: Cut into eight pieces and serve!

When you break down a recipe into a game plan, it makes it a lot less daunting and I like lists, it is satisfying to check off each step as you go. I did my recipe/instructions layout a little differently (photos in the steps) and listed off ingredients based on their step, so be sure to read it all through to ensure you aren’t missed anything.

I personally like this dish topped with my chosen ingredients but you can top it with anything you like: caramelized onions, capers, olives, spinach etc. but don’t skip the cream sauce. It is so delicious and easy to make. Mark and I scrapped every last bit of this sauce from the bowl of the processor with the crusts of the dough. Change the toppings all you like but keep the sauce!

 I hope this recipe shows you how easy dough can be made at home with a little patience and planning. Happy VeganMoFo!

Action Plan

Step 1: Boil water (enough to cover the cashews) in a small pot with a tight fitting lid

Step 2: Make the dough, adapted from America’s Test Kitchen: Cook’s Illustrated Pissaladière 

 Dough Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat bread flour
• 1 cup white bread flour
• 1 teaspoon instant or rapid rise yeast
• ¾ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + more to oil the bowl and fingers
• 1 cup of water, warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit
•  2 tablespoons corn meal (for step 6, set aside until this step)

Pulse the dry ingredients 5 times in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the S-blade. With the food processor running, slowly add the oil, then the water; process until a ball forms, about 20 seconds.

Take the dough out to a lightly floured counter and smooth into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl.

Cover the bowl tightly with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour (it will double size).

Clean out the bowl of the food processor since you will be using it for the sauce.

 Step 3: Quick soak the cashews

• 1 cup raw cashews

 Add cashews to the boiling water, take off heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and set aside for at least 1 hour while the dough rises.

 Step 4: Pan roasted the garlic and prep the thyme

•  2 large garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Peel the cloves leaving on a single layer of the papery skin. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the whole cloves onto the dry pan. Flip when the garlic paper has become brown and spotty. Remove garlic from the pan when the garlic skin is brown on both sides and the clove feels soft. When cool enough to handle peel the skin off the garlic and chop.

While the garlic is cooling prep the thyme and chop finely.

Step 5: Set an oven rack to the lowest slot setting and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

My oven takes a little time to get to the high of a temperature and you want it to be HOT in there so your dough crisps up on the bottom.

Step 6: Prep the dough for the pan and let it rest

Transfer the now expanded dough from the oiled bowl to a lightly floured counter top. With floured hands, form the dough into a large ball. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, take out a large heavy-duty broiler pan and cut a slice of parchment paper large enough to slightly hang over the pan. Sprinkle the sheet with the cornmeal.

After the dough has rest, oil your fingers and palms. Hold the dough up and gently stretch it out to but making sure the dough doesn’t tear (if it does, just pinch it back together once it is on the pan). Transfer stretched dough to the cornmeal-dusted pan and knead the dough all around the pan so it is uniform thickness. I always think about my cat when she wants to find a comfy spot, just kneading and dimpling the dough with your fingertips and palms. Once the dough is roughly the same thickness all around, poke the dough all around with a fork so it doesn’t puff up. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes in the pan.

 Step 7: Make the sauce while the dough is resting

 Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

•  1 cup raw cashews, quick soaked (check!)
• 2 large garlic cloves, pan roasted and chopped (check!)
• ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme (check!)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ¼ cup water

Drain the cashews and add all ingredients to the now-clean bowl of the food processor. Blend for 5 minutes, scraping down the mix as needed. A high-powered blender could also get this job done but the sauce is really thick and very difficult to remove for the blender. The food processor takes a little bit longer but it is worth the wait to make sure you get all the sauce out.

 Step 8: Bake the dough and chop the basil and tomatoes

• pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup lightly packed basil

 In the now very hot oven, place pan on the bottom rack and bake for 13-15 minutes. While the dough is baking, chop the basil and tomatoes.

 Step 9: Take the dough out of the oven and top

Transfer the flatbread to a cutting board and remove parchment. This is the fun part: putting on your toppings.

Step 10: Cut into eight pieces and serve!

I cut the flatbread across and then down the middle. Time to eat! Everyone’s favourite step.