Caramelized Onion, Fig & Goat Cheese Pizza with Arugula

Step 1

First start by making the crust: In a large bowl of an electric mixer, mix almond milk, yeast, honey and olive oil together. Let it sit for a few minutes; you will know your yeast has activated if it begins to foam and bubble after a few minutes. If it doesn’t start to foam or bubble, start over as this is critical to making good dough.

Step 2

After just a few minutes, mix in whole wheat pastry flour, cornmeal and salt with a wooden spoon. Place dough hook on mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. (If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes.)

Step 3

Next place dough in a medium bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. It’s better if it’s in a slightly warm place.

Step 4

While the dough is rising, you can make the caramelized onions: place olive oil a small saucepan over medium heat, add onion slices, spread the onions evenly out in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally. Check onions every 10-15 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden in color. This usually takes 20-30 minutes total.

Step 5

After dough has doubled, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Add parchment paper to a large baking sheet, or grease with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 6

Grease 11x9 or 8x12 inch baking sheet generously with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with a little cornmeal. Dump dough into an oil rimmed baking sheet, and stretch dough out towards the edges.

Step 7

Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for another 20 minutes. It’s okay if it doesn’t stretch all the way to the edges right way, it just needs a little time to rest.

Step 8

Make the balsamic reduction: Add balsamic vinegar to a small pot and place over low heat. Allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes until reduced by half, then set aside until you are ready to enjoy on the pizza.

Step 9

After dough rests, pull again towards the edges of the pan so that it forms a nice small crust. Brush crust with a little olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until pizza is slightly golden brown on the crust and bottom.

Step 10

Brush dough or drizzle with just a little bit of olive oil, spread caramelized onions over the pizza, along with the figs and goat cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes or until onions and figs are warmed through.

Step 11

Remove pizza from oven and top with arugula and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into 10-12 squares and enjoy!