Beet-za Crust with Cashew, Pear & Balsamic

Beet-za Crust with Cashew, Pear & Balsamic

Recipe & image: Lindsay Young, RHN, BSc Holistic Nutritionist @eatyoungnutrition

Makes 2 (8-10”) pizzas

Ingredients For the dough:

2 cups stoneground spelt flour
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp Red Beet Crystals
1 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For toppings:

1 package of plain cashew cream cheese (offers a sweetness to the pizza)
1 bunch of asparagus
1 ripe pear diced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 fennel root, lightly oven-roasted
Plain goat’s cheese Balsamic vinegar

Directions Dough

  • In a medium sized bowl, add water and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in Red Beet Crystals. The yeast will react with the sugars in the crystals. Leave for 5 minutes, until the yeast begins to bubble to the top.
  • Use a spatula to stir in the flour and salt until mixture resembles a dry dough.
  • At this point, you can continue in one of two ways:
    1. Bread Maker Method Add dough and olive oil to a bread maker, set it to the dough setting and leave it for about 90 minutes.
    2. Manual Method Transfer dough to a floured surface and fold between your fingers for about 5 minutes. The dough will become more malleable in your hands. Coat the ball of dough with the olive oil and transfer to a clean mixing bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid to prevent air from coming in, and to keep moisture in the bowl. Let the dough rise for 90 minutes.
  • About 45-60 minutes before the dough is done rising, preheat your oven to 475°F and place a pizza stone inside. You want the oven to be very hot when you put the pizza inside.
  • Transfer dough onto a floured surface; using a cutting board makes for an easier transfer to the oven. Cut the dough into equal halves and set one aside.
  • To work with the dough, coat the side you want to be the bottom with flour, then hold it above the surface and allow gravity to pull on it from all sides, stretching it out. When it's about half the size you want, lay it down again and gently push all the air and extra dough to the outsides so the crust receives some air and is visibly larger than the inner crust. Once its shaped, carefully transfer to the pizza stone without removing it from the oven.
  • Cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Assembly
  • After crust has cooled, spread a generous amount of cashew cream cheese over the entire pizza. Add pears, tomatoes and fennel. Lay 5-6 raw asparagus spears over top, crumble goat's cheese over the pizza, and drizzle with balsamic. Eat right away or chill in the fridge!

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