Pizzas
Phyllo Dough Pizza Crusts
low carb vegan recipes
A box of thawed phyllo dough
A container of vegan margarine
Flavored extra virgin olive oil (for some variations)
Given the amount of vegan margarine and/or oil to make a good phyllo pizza crust, not to mention any vegan cheese you place on top, this style of pizza is probably better for cheat meals, or for weight maintenance rather than loss goals. I would be very surprised if you lost weight on a diet consisting entirely of phyllo dough pizzas, but at the same time, I would also be very delighted for you!
On the one hand, phyllo dough is extremely thin and almost gossamer when you handle it (every book should use the word ‘gossamer’ at least once!).
On the other hand, it is very forgiving, and if you end up with some torn sheets or crumpled edges, just straighten it up as best you can because the phyllo layers working together are not designed to be pure Platonic geometric forms, architecturally speaking, and it really doesn’t have to be pretty.
Warm some vegan margarine in a small pot on low heat, with the goal of melting it (or with the goal to stare at it melting, if that interests you). Line a large baking sheet — which should be large enough to easily place the phyllo dough on — with parchment paper. Place the first layer of phyllo dough on the parchment paper, and with a silicon brush, brush the melted margarine lightly across the surface.
Don’t worry about properly covering every exact square inch of the dough sheet, just kind spread it around in a thin layer with the brush. You can also mix extra virgin olive oil into the melted margarine because liquid fat is liquid fat.
If you’ve ever seen photographs or videos of Jackson Pollock painting large scale canvases by hurling paint at it from above, that’s a bit like brushing margarine, oil, sauce and anything else onto phyllo dough. Treat it as your canvas, and be very pleased with the random patterns you make.
Now repeat — time for the second layer of phyllo dough. Just place it on top of the first layer, brush it with the melted margarine, and repeat. Repeat these steps until you have a base layer of 5–6 phyllo dough sheets, which is enough layers that will let you easily drag the pizza off the baking sheet and onto a cutting board, and from there, pick up each slice to eat handheld style. To achieve this soft yet crispy hand-holdable consistency, bake for 15 minutes at 375°F/190°C.
There are two recipes for phyllo dough pizza below, which present two different concepts illustrating what’s possible in terms of the toppings you pile onto the phyllo crust.
I have another post in this section just on suggested topping combinations from a range of global cuisine influences.
Pepperoni Pizza
Marinara sauce
Vegan pepperoni log
Vegan shredded cheese package
Makes 6 servings.
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
Use a V-slicer at the thinnest setting to cut many circular pieces off a vegan pepperoni log. Using your phyllo dough dexterity brushing skills, brush the marinara sauce on the top layer of phyllo dough.
Distribute a layer of shredded cheese on top of the sauce, and on top of the cheese, distribute sliced rounds of the pepperoni. Bake for 15 minutes or until you approve of the phyllo goldenness.
Mediterranean Pizza
Garlic or herb flavored extra virgin olive oil
Marinara sauce
A dozen pre-softened garlic cloves (boiled, baked or microwaved)
Capers (the small kind)
Olive tapenade
Fresh basil
Salad greens
Makes 6 servings.
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
The cooking time for this pizza is a lot less than what’s needed to soften whole garlic cloves, so pre-soften them by boiling, baking or microwaving them. Or, use garlic cloves that have been softened up previously by flavoring a vegetable broth (that’s my usual method).
The flavored olive oil in this recipe is for mixing with the melted margarine in the layers of phyllo. For example, a garlic flavored oil will reinforce the garlic cloves on the topping, whereas an herb flavored oil will reinforce the fresh herbs on top, so it’s up to you!
Brush the marinara sauce on the top layer of phyllo dough, then evenly distribute the ingredients for the topping (but do not cover every square inch of the top layer — leave plenty of negative space where there’s just some brushed marinara on the phyllo visible).
Bake for 15 minutes or until you approve of the phyllo goldenness.
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
