The vegan pizza waffle is a hybrid of two food favorites: pizza and waffles. You can make a pizza waffle by stuffing pizza toppings in between two layers of waffle batter. The vegan version of this dish is made without any products that come from animals, including dairy products, eggs, meat, poultry, honey, fish, and seafood, so mozzarella cheese is replaced with a mixture of vegan-friendly Daiya plant-based cheese shreds, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. The waffle part is made with whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt, and is stuffed with tomato sauce, vegan seitan sausage, vegan cheese, and other ingredients. This dish is perfect for any vegetarian or vegan who loves pizza but wants to enjoy their food without any animal products.
You can use either a thin or Belgian waffle maker to make a vegan deep-dish pizza waffle. If you want a really thick pizza waffle, then you should use a Belgian waffle maker instead. If you want to learn more about thin waffle makers, please read this article: https://wafflemakercenter.com/best-thin-waffle-makers-for-classic-waffles/.
If you want to learn about the easiest to clean thin and Belgian waffle makers, then please read this article: https://wafflemakercenter.com/best-waffle-makers-with-removable-plates/.
The biggest differences between vegan and non-vegan pizzas are that vegan pizzas are typically topped with vegetables, fruits, and other plant-based ingredients while non-vegan pizzas are typically topped with dairy-based cheeses such as mozzarella and animal-derived products meats such as pepperoni, bacon, sausage, and ham.
A vegan pizza topped with fruits and vegetables is more nutritious than a non-vegan pizza topped with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and ham because it has much fewer calories and less fat and sodium.
A Recipe for Vegan Deep-Dish Pizza
Ingredients for Pizza Batter:
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of active dry yeast – Active dry yeast is a leavening agent used to make bread, pizza dough, and other baked goods. Active dry yeast is created by culturing a species of fungus called Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a nutrient-rich medium, then harvesting and drying it. The yeast cells are killed in the process so the yeast cannot leaven bread on its own. However, when it is added to the dough, the simple sugars in the wheat flour and warm water activate the yeast cells, which start to produce carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. This causes the dough to rise and create a light, fluffy loaf of bread. Active dry yeast is available in both granular and cake forms.
Be careful to not use warm water that is hotter than 110 degrees Fahrenheit because that can kill the yeast. Also don’t use water colder than 90 degrees Fahrenheit because it will not activate the yeast.
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Sauce:
Two chopped onions
Two garlic cloves
8 ounces of tomato sauce
2 teaspoons of dried basil
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
Stuffing for pizza waffle:
finely chopped vegan seitan sausage
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of sliced white onions
1/2 cup of shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of vegan Parmesan cheese
Sliced bell peppers, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes are other good choices for stuffing your pizza waffle.
Instructions:
1. Place the 1 cup of warm water in a large bowl. Add the two tablespoons of active dry yeast to the warm water to activate the yeast. Add one teaspoon of sugar to speed up the activation process. If the water is at the right temperature, the mixture should double in volume.
Stir the mixture with a spoon until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Wait for 8 to 10 minutes for the mixture to double in volume, become bubbly, and foam at the top. If it doesn’t start foaming, that means the water was too hot and killed the yeast which means you will have to dump out your mix and start over with some new yeast.
Then add the olive oil to the mixture for a crispier crust with enhanced flavor and use a hand mixer to mix it until it has a smooth texture. The dough should have a thicker consistency than waffle batter.
2. Cover the top of the bowl with a towel and let it sit there until the mixture has doubled in size. This should take approximately 30 minutes.
3. In this step, you will prepare the sauce. First, you will saute the garlic and onions. Then you will add all of the other ingredients for the sauce and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes to thicken up the sauce a little.
4. Lightly brown the vegan seitan sausages in a little bit of oil and then set it aside.
5. Brush some extra virgin olive oil on the cooking plates of your waffle maker so that your pizza waffle does not stick. Then preheat your waffle maker for about 6 minutes or until the plates reach the highest temperature.
6. Ladle some of the batter on the center of the bottom plate of the waffle iron. Spread the sauce on top of the batter and then top it with the sliced vegan seitan sausages, mushrooms, onions, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layering process with the mozzarella cheese, herbs, and the other ingredients until they are all used up. Also add another layer of batter on top to cover up all of the ingredients. This will make it easier to clean up afterward.
7. Bake until both sides of the waffle are golden brown and the edges are crisp about 15 minutes.
