Gluten Free Pizza – or good gluten free pizza, for that matter – is a rare treat for those with dietary restrictions. I have tasted a number of gluten free pizza options – it is difficult to find one that doesn’t taste “off”. The crust can either be too soggy, too crumbly, too shatter-y (like a gazillion types of gluten free crackers – you know what I am talking about…shatter-y!). There are moments where I feel finding a decent gluten free pizza that I actually look forward to eating is an exercise in futility. Well my friends, we are in luck!
Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day offers an excellent gluten free pizza crust that is both tender and crispy and is undetectable from the traditional, gluten-full pizza crust. Kyle gave a taste test to a group of his gluten eating friends. He did this without informing them that their pizza was made with gluten free crust. What happened? Well, they didn’t even notice it was gluten free!
Kyle’s first try using the Gluten Free Artisan Bread cookbook to make brioche cinnamon rolls over the holidays, and while the results were exceptionally delicious, he balked at adapting the recipe for the blog. What made the concept daunting was that the task involved so many different GF flour types to make the bread flour blend. Then one had to weigh all the ingredients (he added volume measures, but it’s so much simpler and more accurate to weigh everything out), and then, there was the multiple rising times for cinnamon rolls. It all required so much forward-planning that the recipe did not seem accessible.
He had the same hesitations with this pizza recipe. Now, one really can’t substitute any of the GF flours so you’ll have to stock up…but… this just means more delicious pizza at any time you want! After tasting the crispy, tender crust, all doubts went out the window… this pizza dough is totally worth the prepping and planning!
While Kyle did use Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, he adapted the toppings from Smitten Kitchen‘s recipe for her favorite Margarita Pizza. For the sauce, she used canned tomatoes that she drains before blending – it’s very important to remove as much excess liquid from the sauce as possible (especially when you are going to use gluten free dough which is wet to begin with), so you don’t end up with a soggy crust.
The original plan was to use canned tomatoes, but as Kyle began prepping the recipe, he discovered that – oops – he had accidentally picked up crushed tomatoes instead. However, it turns out the crushed tomatoes had the perfect consistency for the sauce (no straining/draining required!). This means that you can use whatever type of you have on hand, both will end up working! The garlic was doubled for the recipe and Smitten Kitchen‘s suggestion was used, adding a glug of red wine vinegar to enhance the flavor of the sauce. The sauce itself is very easy to tweak to your tastes – add more red pepper flakes, cut out the sugar if that’s not your thing, add some extra dried herbs – the main concern is making sure the sauce is thick and not runny.
It would have made sense to use Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day‘s method for baking the pizza, since Kyle was following their specifically-tailored recipe for gluten free pizza dough. However, there recipe called for a pizza stone. Not everyone owns a pizza stone. Another reason not to use the pizza stone for this recipe is that it contained an explicit warning to run your exhaust fan as soon as you preheat the oven, as the recipe would produce a ton of smoke. The goal was to make sure the recipe wasn’t going to smoke out anyone’s house or apartment, so, Kyle set out to find an alternate option.
Mission accomplished! There is a technique, directly from Bon Appetit, in which you bake the pizza on a sheet pan directly on the bottom of the oven (unfortunately, this technique won’t work if your oven’s heating element is on the bottom), where it gets the crust charred and crispy. Once you bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, you pop the pizza under the broiler for a minute to get the cheese brown and bubbly, which mimics the results of a brick oven pizzeria at home!
You will honestly be completely amazed at this crispy, cheesy, delicious pizza that is full of addictive, gluten-free goodness! Once you get the pizza crust down, there are endless possibilities for recreating the gluten-free deliciousness and making a variety of pizza. You can add various toppings, different sauces and cheeses, whatever you desire! The recipe as written yields enough for 2 gluten free sheet pan pizzas – the dough will last about 5 days in the fridge. If you’re going to the trouble of making your own GF pizza crust, you deserve to enjoy it twice in one week – so you can mix and match your favorite flavors! Pizza Week it is!
Pizza Night now does not have to be a total disappointment for those that must eat gluten free. With this recipe you can chill with your family and friends and indulge like everyone else. Happy Pizza Night!
Crust adapted from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.
Margarita toppings adapted from Smitten Kitchen and baking technique adapted from Bon Appetit.
- For the dough:
- 196 grams (about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) white rice flour
- 87 grams (about ⅔ cup) sorghum flour
- 43 grams (about ⅓ cup) tapioca starch
- 128 grams (about ¾ cup) potato starch
- 11 grams (1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon) xanthan gum
- 127 grams (¾ cup) cornmeal
- 5 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) granulated yeast
- 8 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt
- 25 grams (2 tablespoons) sugar
- 425 grams (1 ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons) lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F)
- 55 grams (¼ cup) olive oil
- 57 grams egg whites (from 2 large eggs)
- For the Pizza Toppings:
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (I only had crushed tomatoes on hand, and they worked great)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Pinch of sugar, if desired
- A splash of red wine vinegar
- 16 ounces aged mozzarella (sold in plastic, not water) (use more if you like your pizza with extra cheese)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Few leaves of fresh basil, torn or sliced
- To make the pizza dough: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (but not airtight) container. Combine the water, olive oil, and egg whites in another bowl and add the mixture to the dry ingredients, using a spoon or stand mixer fitter with a paddle attachment, until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises, about 2 hours. Dough can be used right after the initial rise, although it is much easier to handle when cold. Cover and refrigerate and use over the next 5 days.
- To make the pizza: Place a rack directly underneath broiler in oven; preheat to 450°. Make sure bottom of oven is accessible (that’s right, you’re going to bake directly on the bottom of your oven).
- To prepare the sauce, combine the tomatoes, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, and vinegar and blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. This will make more sauce than you need; you can save the remainder in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for longer.
- Take a piece of parchment paper (big enough to fit a baking pan) and sprinkle with cornmeal or white rice flour. Take half of the dough, mound it into a ball, and place in the center of parchment paper. Sprinkle dough with more cornmeal or rice flour and roll out into a rectangular-ish shape (it doesn’t have to be perfect- “rustic” is perfectly fine!) that is ⅛-inch thick. Transfer dough (parchment and all) to baking sheet.
- Spread ⅓ cup of the tomato sauce over the surface of the dough (a pastry brush works great here!). Resist the urge to cover the dough thickly, as this will prevent the dough from crisping. Scatter mozzarella and sprinkle olive oil over the surface of the sauce.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the floor of the oven (not on a rack) until underside is browned and edges are puffed and starting to turn golden, 7–10 minutes (lift up edge of pizza with spatula to peek underneath).
- Remove pizza from oven and turn broiler to high. Once broiler is preheated, broil pizza on top rack until cheese is bubbling and browned and edges of crust are deep golden,about 1 to 2 minutes (make sure to check after a minute just to make sure it doesn’t burn!).
- As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, scatter the basil over the top of the pizza. Slide pizza onto cutting board or serving plate and cut into squares or wedges.
- Note: this recipe yields enough dough for 2 sheet-pan-sized pizzas. If you are preparing both pizzas at once, bake both pizzas first (individually), then switch to the broiling step and broil each pizza individually before slicing and serving.
Dennis J Botelho says
Without a doubt the best GF pizza crust I have ever had. It is so much like regular no one would know the difference. Yes, it takes some planning ahead time wise, but I am just blown away at how easy and how good it was. I did put my own toppings on it including some home-made vegan pepperoni, but I will definitely be making this crust again. Thank you very much.
Kyle & Melissa says
Thank you for your kind words Dennis! Glad you enjoyed the pizza!