Carrot Pizza with Carrot Sauce

1. Steam the carrots for a few minutes until soft. Refresh under cold water and drain well. Puree with a hand held stick blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Pizza Dough:

In a stand mixer:

1. Pour the water into the bowl of the stand mixer, then sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it stand for a few minutes until the yeast has dissolved.
2. Insert the dough hook, add 150g (½ cup) of the pureed carrot (reserving the rest for the sauce), plus the flour and salt to the yeast water and knead with the machine for a few minutes until the dough forms a sticky ball. It will be a very soft dough, but if the dough is still too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it is manageable. Don’t add too much or it will affect the end result.

Alternatively make the pizza dough by hand:

1. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let it stand for a few minutes until the yeast has dissolved.
2. Add 150g (½ cup) of the pureed carrot (reserving the rest for the sauce), plus the flour and salt to the bowl of water and stir until it forms a loose dough.
3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured countertop (on floured baking paper if you have a wooden countertop to avoid the carrot staining) and knead firmly for 5-10 minutes or until it’s smooth, (though it will be a soft sticky dough). If the dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it is manageable. Don’t add too much or it will affect the end result.
4. For both dough methods:
5. Put the dough into a large lightly oiled bowl, then turn the dough over so both sides are covered in oil and cover with clingfilm. Place the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 1 ½ hours.

For the carrot pizza sauce:

1. In a bowl, mix the carrot puree (don’t worry if you don’t have quite enough left over from the pizza), tomato puree, oregano and garlic powder. Season with the salt and pepper and adjust to taste. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

To cook the pizza

1. Preheat the oven to 250C/ 480F, or as high your oven will go.
2. Divide the dough into thirds and then roll each one out on a lightly floured piece of baking paper, as thin as possible to fit the size of your baking tray. Transfer the pizza and baking paper to the baking tray.
3. Alternatively, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the rolled rectangle into large triangles for carrot shapes and separate them slightly on the baking paper.
4. Spread the pizza bases with the carrot pizza sauce, then add the toppings. Drizzle with the olive oil.
5. Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 12 minutes or until the base is crisp and the edges have begun to brown.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.
7. Pile the pizzas with the rocket/arugula and serve hot, cut into slices.
8. For the carrot shapes, serve with cooked French beans as the carrot tops.