Vegan Margherita Pizza

Take 500 g of ready-made pizza dough out of the refrigerator, divide it into two 250 g balls, and leave them, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cold dough tears rather than stretches, so let it relax fully before shaping.

Drain the soaked cashews and blend with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and 120 ml water on high speed for 2 minutes until completely smooth. Season with salt, transfer to a piping bag or zip-lock bag, and refrigerate until needed.

Crush the drained San Marzano tomatoes by hand into a bowl. Stir in the minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, and dried oregano. Do not cook — set aside at room temperature.

Place a baking steel or heavy baking tray on the top shelf of the oven and preheat to its maximum temperature (ideally 280–300°C or 536–572°F) for at least 45 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch one dough ball by hand into a rough 28–30 cm round, working from the centre outward and leaving a 2 cm border. Avoid using a rolling pin, which deflates the air bubbles in the crust.

Transfer the stretched dough onto a floured pizza peel or the back of a cold baking tray. Spoon 3–4 tbsp of tomato sauce over the base, leaving the border bare, and pipe or dollop the cashew cream in small, evenly spaced blobs across the sauce.

Slide the pizza directly onto the preheated steel or tray and bake for 7–10 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and blistered and the base is crisp when you lift an edge.

Remove from the oven, immediately drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, scatter fresh basil leaves over the top, and add chilli flakes if using. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.