Today we’re talkin’ Pizza! One of my all-time favorite foods, and I’m guessing one of yours too. Back in my heyday, I was even called a “pizza snob!” My friends would come to me and ask where the best pizza places were in town, and I had all the answers.
That was all well and good until I was diagnosed and had to go GF! Then everything changed. Since then, it has been my mission to find a delicious local GF pizza. One that even non-GF people would want to eat. My quest for finding even a relatively good GF pizza has been rather disappointing, to say the least, over the past 3 years.
That was all well and good until I was diagnosed and had to go GF! Then everything changed. Since then, it has been my mission to find a delicious local GF pizza. One that even non-GF people would want to eat. My quest for finding even a relatively good GF pizza has been rather disappointing, to say the least, over the past 3 years.
During my first demoralizing month of having to go GF (now five years ago), I heard that Pizzeria UNO had a GF pizza. At that time, they were one of the few that offered GF anything, so imagine my excitement. Maybe my pizza days weren’t over after all! (Insert the “wrong answer” buzzer here!) Well, when my “pizza” came, I remember nearly coming to tears with disappointment. The crust was just about inedible. I could barely pick it up without it falling apart. What a letdown. But that didn’t stop me from trying others and continuing my mission to find the best!
Three years later, I can say that there are only two places that I would recommend. One is in this area, and the other one is on the state line of Nevada/California. In our area, there is Harvest and Hearth, located on Rte. 67 in Saratoga Springs. See my review of Harvest and Hearth athttp://glutenfreedomny.blogspot.com/p/harvest-hearth.html. The other is Straw Hat Pizza, located in Harvey’s Hotel on the Nevada/California state line.
Straw Hat Pizza is my favorite so far. Put it this way, it was so good that I ate one whole pizza all by myself in one sitting. Then I went back the next day, and did it again! It’s really too bad this place is so far away from home. It’s a little too far to travel on a Friday night to get a pizza, and I’m guessing they probably won’t deliver. But I did some calling and eventually spoke with Straw Hat’s manager, and found out that they order their crust from Venice Bakery in California. You can check out all of their GF products online athttp://www.venicebakery.com/info/Our-Products.html. I ordered their crusts online and had them shipped from California. They were still good, but not as good as getting it from Straw Hat Pizza itself, so I haven’t ordered them again. I figure I’ll just have to go back out there sometime and order another one. If you’re in the area, give them a try!
After lots of searching, coming up with only a few pizza shop choices that were noteworthy, I moved onto trying to make my own crusts, using recipes from other GF experts I found online.
I must say this pizza recipe that I'm sharing with you today really comes out great. You can make the crust however you like, thicker or thin depending how far you spread the dough. This crust really browns up nicely, and has great texture and taste. The crust doesn’t have the “chew” that a normal wheat flour crust would have, but it’s still really good. My husband, who is not GF, was really impressed with this pizza overall. Every time I make it for myself, he always asks for a bite. He gives it the thumbs up!
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
½ tsp. salt
1 packet Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast (1/4 ounce)
2 egg whites, room temperature
2 tbs. olive oil
½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup liquid creamer (soy or dairy), warmed , divided use
additional olive oil, optional
Directions:
Whisk together dry ingredients except yeast; set aside. In a the bowl of a stand mixer (preferred) or large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, olive oil, cider vinegar and 1/3 cup creamer (or water + milk powder alternative).
Turn to low setting and slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg white mixture. Gradually add in remaining creamer to get a firm but very sticky dough that can still be spread. Pour in the yeast and beat on high for an additional 3 minutes.
Oil your hands liberally and spread!
Spoon the dough into the middle of a prepared pan (like a pizza crisper tray covered with aluminum foil, sprayed with non-stick cooking oil) and liberally oil your hands with olive oil to spread the dough gently into a 12-inch circle. Raise the outer edges so the sauce won’t spill out.
Cover with oiled waxed paper and let the crust rise 10-20 minutes in a warm spot like a warming drawer or oven preheated to 200º F and turned off.
Preheat the oven to 375° F (static). After the crust has risen, poke several holes in it with a fork to prevent large air bubbles forming, then bake for approximately 15 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on your pan, but the crust should have risen nicely by this time, and just begun to slightly brown.
Lightly brush olive oil onto the crust edges. Spread with sauce and toppings (or if making foccacia, sprinkle fresh rosemary, sea salt or other toppings) and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. If you add vegetable toppings, I find they taste best if you sauté them in olive oil before adding to the crust.
Note: You may par-bake the crust, freeze and bake for later use. If doing so, stop baking after the first 15 minute bake cycle, cool, then wrap in foil. Place crust in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for later use. Remove from freezer when ready to use, and thaw at least slightly. Preheat oven to 400° F. Spread desired sauce and toppings and bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling or the focaccia is lightly browned.
Yield: One 12-inch pizza.
This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free and vegetarian.
This recipe was adapted from Jules Shepard.
This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free and vegetarian.
This recipe was adapted from Jules Shepard.
