My Life is a Picnic
A Canadian Celiac Blog
Delicious Pizza Crust
In three years, pizza hasn't been something that I've made much. There was a time when I purchased a mix from an amazing company in the US, but since coming back to Canada, that hasn't been an affordable option. Sure, there are those frozen pizza crusts... that look and taste like cardboard. I mean, maybel they aren'tn that bad, but they certainly aren't something I would call delicious, or affordable. It might be ok if I was the only one who was eating gluten free, but my whole family eats this way, mostly for convenience. I'm the only one who has the time to do the cooking, and I really don't want to make two separate meals, on top of the fact that my whole kitchen is 100% gluten free for my safety. So, even if I haven't missed pizza that much, I can assure you that there are others in this home who feel differently about the situation.
So my favourite pizzas have always had thick, chewy crusts. Not crunchy, not flimsy, and not thin. This will meet all those qualities, I promise!
I've topped one pizza with mozzarella cheese, for the rest of my family. Mine is sprinkled with Daiya Mozza like shreds. They melt and taste like real cheese, but don't heap it on. It will make your pizza seem soggy.
Other toppings on these pizzas: sauce, mild italian sausage (Johnsonville is GF), sauteed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and green onion.
I baked them on parchment paper in a convection oven so they would brown evenly. Feel free to use a GF pizza stone if you have one! Or cover your stone with parchment if you've used it for regular pizza in the past.
Delicious GF Pizza Crust
1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 1/3 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP instant or rapid breadmaker yeast
4 eggs
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup warm water
In stand mixer or mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients, including yeast.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs with oil and vinegar. With mixer on low, add to dry ingredients.
While continuing to mix, drizzle in water, scraping down sides as necessary. Mix well, until batter is smooth and thick.
Divide batter onto two parchment paper lined pizza pans. With olive oil coated hands, gently spread the dough into a circle on each pan. The dough should be a little less than a cm in thickness. Set the dough in a warm draft free area to rise for about 30-45 minutes, until it starts to appear puffy and soft. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375F. Use convection if you have it!
Once the dough has risen, bake for 10 minutes in the hot oven. Remove from oven and add prepared toppings. Return to oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden in colour.
Slice and serve!
Optional: If you want to give the crust a little more flavour, try adding in fresh rosemary, garlic, or other herbs and spices.
Other suggested toppings: pesto and grilled vegetables with chicken; bbq sauce, chicken, onions and pineapple; hot italian sausage with olives.... I think we will be having pizza more often!