Description
This Florentine dairy-free pizza features a homemade thin crust topped with a rich tomato and garlic sauce, vibrant spinach, and an assortment of your favorite toppings. Finished with perfectly baked eggs, fresh basil, rocket, and a splash of lemon juice, this recipe offers a deliciously fresh and satisfying dairy-free alternative to traditional pizza.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 350g strong white flour
- 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 275ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp coarse or fine semolina (for dusting)
- Olive oil (for lightly oiling bowl and drizzling)
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, to season
Toppings and Garnish
- 400g frozen spinach, defrosted
- Toppings of your choice such as anchovies, olives, capers, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, grilled peppers
- 2 eggs
- Small handful basil leaves
- 2 handfuls rocket
- Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Place the strong white flour into the bowl of a tabletop mixer or a food processor fitted with a dough attachment. Add 1 tsp of salt to one side of the bowl and the dried yeast to the other side. Pour in 275ml of lukewarm water. Mix on slow speed until a sticky dough forms.
- Knead the dough: Increase the mixer speed and knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Test the dough by pressing an indent into it; if it springs back quickly, it’s ready.
- Prove the dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a clean cloth, and leave it in a warm place until it doubles in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Make the tomato sauce: While the dough proves, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, then simmer gently for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Preheat the oven and shape dough: Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/Gas mark 7. Once the dough has risen, turn it onto a floured surface and knead briefly. Divide into two equal halves and roll each out as thinly as possible.
- Assemble the pizzas: Place each rolled dough onto a baking sheet dusted with semolina. Evenly spread the tomato sauce almost to the edges. Scatter the defrosted spinach over the sauce, then add your chosen toppings. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
- Bake partially: Bake the pizzas for 5 minutes in the oven.
- Add eggs and finish baking: Remove baking sheets briefly, carefully crack one egg onto each pizza. Swap the position of the baking sheets in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the bases are fully cooked and the egg whites are set.
- Prepare garnish and serve: In a small bowl, toss the basil leaves and rocket with a drizzle of olive oil and the lemon juice. Scatter this fresh herb and rocket mixture over the pizzas just before serving for a bright finish.
Notes
- Ensure the water is lukewarm (not hot) to activate the yeast without killing it.
- Rolling the dough as thin as possible helps achieve a crispy base.
- The pizza toppings can be customized to your preference or kept simple with just spinach and eggs.
- To keep the pizza dairy-free, avoid cheeses in topping selections.
- If you don’t have semolina, fine cornmeal or flour can be used for dusting the baking sheets.
- The pizza is best enjoyed immediately while the crust is crisp and the egg is warm.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Florentine pizza, dairy-free pizza, homemade pizza, spinach pizza, egg pizza, Italian pizza, healthy pizza
