Eggplant Parmesan Pizza
[Vegan]

To Make the Dough:

1. Warm up the water. It should be lukewarm, not scalding hot.
2. Put the warm water, together with maple syrup and the yeast in a cup
3. Stir slightly, wrap, and cover the cup with a towel to keep the warmth and let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour and the salt.
5. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mix
6. Start kneading with your hand.
7. The dough needs be soft, easy to knead, and slightly sticky. 1 1/2 cup of water generally works well but you may need to adjust the consistency a little bit. If the dough feels overly sticky, add a bit of flour. Make sure not to dry it out. You want a moist, slightly sticky dough.
8. Knead for a minimum of 5 minutes.
9. Split the dough into two pieces, form them into balls and place them in the bowl. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and cover it around with a towel, again to keep the warmth in. Place the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it approximately doubles in size, approximately 30 minutes.
10. While the dough is rising, start preheating the oven to 450°F. Preheating is important, the longer the better.
11. Dust a large, clean, and dry counter top or table with flour.
12. Uncover the dough bowl and grab one of the pieces.
13. Form it into a smooth ball and press on it over the dusted surface to flatten.
14. Keep working it with your hands to form an approximately 12-inch diameter pie.
15. Dust the pizza peel generously with flour, transfer the pizza dough on the peel and stretch it again to get the right shape.

To Make the Sauce:

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and spread half of it on the pizza dough with a spoon.

To Make the Cashew Cheese:

1. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor.

To Assemble:

1. Add the eggplants, red onions, and the olives or toppings of your choice.
2. Add 1 cup of water to an oven safe container and put it in the oven somewhere out of the way.
3. Lift the pizza peel and shake lightly back and forth to make sure the dough slides freely over the peel. If not, shake a little harder or try to rescue it with working more flour under.
4. Transfer the pizza to the oven over the pizza stone.
5. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the rim of the crust looks and feels right. Just make sure to not open the oven door very frequently. It needs to be consistently hot.
6. Take the pizza out, sprinkle the finely chopped parsley and the cashew Parmesan cheese
7. Move on to the second pie.