Alternative Wheatless Pizza Base
Here's a fresh take on that homemade gluten-free pizza dough recipe, complete with tips and tricks to make it truly unforgettable!
The Lowdown on Gluten-Free Pizza Dough
Forgot wheat flour? No worries! There are numerous alternatives to create a mouthwatering pizza crust. Here's a rundown:
Gluten-Free Flour Substitutes
- Potato Starch - This finely ground flour provides a crispy texture. It's mainly used as a thickener, and substituting it with potato flour will change your pizza's taste.
- Sorghum Flour - Created from the sorghum grain, this flour has a texture similar to whole-wheat pastry flour.
- Tapioca Flour - Also known as cassava flour, it's made from the root of the cassava plant and often used as a thickening agent.
- Xanthan Gum - Crafted from corn sugar, this ingredient serves as a thickener, stabilizer, and dough binder, which you can find in the natural food store's baking aisle.
- White Rice Flour - Produced from long-grain rice and is 100% gluten-free. Be cautious when picking up rice flour, as sweet rice flour has different properties and won't give you the same results.
A Spectacular Gluten-Free Pizza Dough Recipe
With our unconventional yet delicious dough, you'll have everyone asking for "seconds... and thirds"!
Ingredients (11)
- 2/3 cup warm low-fat (1 percent) milk (around 105°F to 115°F on an instant-read thermometer)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons potato starch
- 3 tablespoons sorghum flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating the parchment paper and brushing on the crust
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- White rice flour, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, greasing it with olive oil; set it aside.
- Measure out the warm milk and combine it with yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Allow it to froth for about 5 minutes.
- Load the yeast mixture, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, measured oil, vinegar, xanthan gum, and salt into a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process until the dough forms a sticky mass (approximately 30 seconds).
- Transfer the dough to the center of the prepared baking sheet and dust the top with white rice flour. Massage the dough with rice flour-dusted hands to shape it into an even 12-inch circle, with slightly thicker edges.
- Bake the crust until the edges turn golden brown, which should take around 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, brush the top with olive oil, flip it over, and have it ready for toppings or set it aside to cool completely and refrigerate for later use.
- Once ready, crank up the oven to 425°F, place your chosen sauce, cheese, and toppings onto the dough, and cook until the cheese melts and bubbles, about 15 minutes.
Et voilà! Delicious pizza is now yours to enjoy, all made with gluten-free ingredients.
Tasty Tips
- To enhance the dough's structure, use flaxseed or chia seeds with oat flour or similar flour mixes that lack structure.
- Adjust the liquid content based on the flour mix's absorptive properties.
- Be vigilant during baking, as gluten-free crusts can brown quickly.
- The recipe for a spectacular gluten-free pizza dough calls for a variety of gluten-free flour substitutes, including potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and white rice flour, in addition to xanthan gum as a stabilizer.
- In the instructions for the gluten-free pizza dough, the dough is coated with olive oil and brushed on the crust as needed, ensuring a flavorful and ready-to-top crust.
- Aside from the standard baking instructions, it's suggested to use flaxseed or chia seeds with oat flour or similar flour mixes that lack structure, and to adjust the liquid content based on the absorptive properties of the flour mixture.