white pizza with roasted garlic coconut cream and sun dried tomatoes

i love pizza in all it’s forms.  sure it’s traditionally topped with red sauce and gooey strands of cheezy goodness, but also layered with pesto instead, or no sauce at all.  with this recipe i had the idea that rather than worrying about not only making a sauce but also a cheese substitute, i could make a combination of the two.

the sauce is made creamy by a little coconut milk, while all the flavor explodes from the roasted garlic, which permeates the soft chewiness of the crust.  complimented nicely by hints of tangy sweetness from sun dried tomatoes and little bursts of freshness added by thyme.

if you’ve never taken a crack at making your own pizza, what better time than now?

crust
1 1/2 tsp active yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground coriander
1 c warm water
about 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp olive oil

roasted garlic coconut cream
2 heads garlic
1/2 c coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt

toppings
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes
a few sprigs fresh thyme

mix together the dry active yeast, sugar and ground coriander in a large bowl.  mix in the 1 cup of water, which should be warm to the touch.  set aside for a few minutes until it foams.

then toss in the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and slowly sift in about 1 3/4 cups flour until it sticks together into a loose dough.

lightly flour a cutting board and turn the dough out onto it.  lightly knead it for about a minute, then set the ball in a large bowl greased with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  turn the dough over to cover in oil.

then let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, this may take an hour or two.

meanwhile roast the heads of garlic.  chop the tops off to make them easier to extract later.  lay them in aluminum foil and cover with a little olive oil.  roast at 375F for about an hour until light golden brown.

when they are cool enough to handle you can pop the cloves out with your fingers.  blend them with the coconut milk and salt, and set aside.

at least an hour before you assemble the pizza rehydrate your sun dried tomatoes in water, and drain before using.

once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 475F to give it plenty of time to heat up.  lightly flour a large baking pan, then sprinkle the top of the dough and your hands.  gently remove the dough from the bowl onto the pan – it will deflate a little.  lightly flour the dough again if needed and press out to a large oval, slightly thicker around the edges.

lightly pour the cream across the crust, then dress with the sun dried tomatoes and bits of fresh thyme.

bake at 475F for 10 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges and the cream is starting to bubble.

cut up and enjoy immediately!

yields 3-4 servings