A Gluten-Free Pizza Experiment

Gluten Free Pizza Dough

I was given The Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Kitchen cookbook, which has a gluten-free flour mix that looked promising to me.   I mixed up a batch a few weeks ago, but just got around to actually baking with it.

Gluten-Fee Flour Mix

1 1/4 cup brown or white rice  (I used brown.)
3/4 cup potato starch (Do not use potato flour.)
1/2 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot flour (I used tapioca flour.)
1/2 cup sorghum flour or garbanzo flour (I used sorghum flour.  I hate the taste bean flours in baking.  Garbanzo flour has its uses, but not in bread.)


A Gluten-Free Pizza

The amounts are APPROXIMATE!  I did not measure, and am guessing the amount I used.  If you aren't comfortable with experimenting, this recipe is not for you.

about 2 cups flour mix
about 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
about 2 teaspoons psyllium powder (helps the crustiness)
about 3/4 teaspoon Real Salt
about 1 teaspoon organic sugar
about 2 or 3 teaspoons quick rise yeast
about 2 or 3 teaspoons Rumford's baking powder
2 large eggs (chicken)
about 2 or 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
water (tap, filtered ;) )

I added all the dry ingredients to a bowl and mixed well.

Then I made a well in the dry ingredients, and cracked two eggs into it.  I stirred them a bit to break them up, then added the olive oil and mixed them together, along with a bit of the flour.  Then I started adding water and mixed the flour gradually into the wet ingredients, along with sufficient water, until I had a very soft dough (well beyond a batter, but much softer than a wheat dough).

When well mixed, I put the bowl in a warm place to rise for awhile, maybe an hour.  I did not cover it.

Then I greased a solid pizza pan (one with holes won't work for this) and plopped the dough in the middle of it.  I flattened it a bit with the back of a large spoon, then sprinkled on some olive oil and spread it around with the spoon.  I smooshed the dough out using the back of the spoon until the dough was maybe a quarter of an inch thick.

Then I applied toppings.

I baked it at 400 degrees farenheit for 15 minutes, and it was nicely browned at that point.


The crust was very good, with some loft -- bread, not cracker -- and a crusty outside.  No, not the same chew as a good wheat crust.   And the flavor was a bit on the bland side (which is very good compared to many gluten-free doughs.   (Bean flours in bread -- bleh.  Shudder.)  I usually mix some garlic and herbs into a crust, and maybe some onion powder, and next time I will.