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| The Unicorn |
EDITED: Edited again. The secret here is to not roll the crust too thin.
It’s possible. I swear. I know, because I have eaten eleventy million crappy gluten-free pizza crusts in service of this goal: finding a good gluten-free crust. An easy crust that doesn’t involve twelve different kinds of flour and still ends up tasting like a cracker.
A crust that has some chewiness to it, like real pizza, and tastes like yeast, not cheddar cheese or cardboard.
A crust that is more than just a conveyance for toppings. In fact, my favorites for this pizza are fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, a chiffonade of basil, sprinkle of salt, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s a perfect late-summer pizza.
I developed this recipe for everyone who misses pizza THE MOST out of everything they had to give up when gluten went away. I have forced it upon a reluctant teenager and her friends and asked (nicely) two other people to make this recipe also so I know it works.
It’s not just “good for gluten-free.”
It’s delicious, period.
Gluten Free Pizza
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup warm water (between 80 and 100⁰), divided
2 T. yeast
3 T. sugar
4 T. powdered milk
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 T. olive oil
Method:
Preheat the oven to 450⁰. Combine half of the water and the yeast in a bowl. Let stand until it wakes up and start to get foamy. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to help it along.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Make a well in the center and add the foamy yeast, the rest of the water, and the olive oil. Stir with a spatula to combine. Don’t overwork the dough.
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| Mix just until it comes together. No kneading! |
When the dough has come together, divide in half and place each half on a greased cookie sheet (unless you are making one big pizza. Make sure your pan is big enough to get the crust thin). For easy, non-sticky, and efficacious spreading, place plastic wrap over the dough and use your fingers to shape the dough until it is very thin (about ¼”). Keep a little lip to contain your toppings. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Let crust sit for 10 minutes. I call this “allowing the dough to collect its thoughts.”
Place crusts in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cracks begin to form on the bottom. Remove from the oven.
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| Note slightly darker spots. This is what happens when the crust is not even. #ItHappens |
Add your toppings. Finish the pizza with a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
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| I like fresh basil. Sue me. |
Turn on the broiler and put your pizza about five inches away. Watch carefully. You are only looking for brown, bubbly cheese. Your crust is already cooked. This takes between three and five minutes.
Serve it howeverthehell you like to serve your pizza. I like it on a plate balanced on my chest, followed by soft serve ice cream as the second course.
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| Mangia. |
Recipe notes:
- Be strange and add cheese onto the crust first. It keeps the crust from getting soggy under the sauce. I add a layer of cheese, then sauce, then cheese.
- If your edges are burning, cover them with foil.
- Bake multiple crusts and wrap well to freeze. To bake, preheat the oven to 375⁰. You don’t need to defrost the pizza crust. Top pizzas however you choose, then bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.
- You can sub in regular AP flour or purchase other gluten-free AP flour blends. Do not use AP flour blends that use garbanzo flour. The taste of those is quite bean-y, and the texture of the pizza will change.
- To make this recipe vegan, simply eliminate the powdered milk and add a touch less water. The crust will be slightly less chewy but it will still be delicious.
