Gluten Free Pizza

Gluten Free PizzaSo, the school year is coming to an end which means that getting the kids to do what little homework they have is impossible, and it also means a steady line-up of End-of-Year parties and other activities. Activities mean “treats”, at least to the kids. But these days bringing treats is way more complicated than showing up with a tray of cookies.

A number of the students in my kids’ class have food allergies. While this isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s alarming how rampant these sensitivities are.

When I was in school we didn’t have peanut-free-zones, kids were allowed to eat with whomever they wanted regardless of what was in their lunches, teachers didn’t have Epi-Pens in the classrooms for emergencies, and we could bring anything we wished to share in the classroom. Nowadays parents need to provide fun treats that don’t turn into something tragic.

Unfortunately, food allergies effect not only our kids, they’re effecting more and more adults as well. The good news is that products are out there to make dealing with food allergies easier.

With that in mind I have been testing different baking mixes and recipes that are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free etc. I have found that the baking mixes from King Arthur Flour are really good. In my mind, the ultimate test is pizza dough, and some of the gluten free versions I’ve had taste and feel like cardboard.

King Arthur’s Gluten Free Pizza Dough Mix tastes like actual pizza dough, and is super-easy – since you only mix in a few ingredients and you’re good to go. Trying the recipe on their web site is still on my to do list. If you’re interested, check it out below…

Gluten-Free Pizza

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour or brown rice flour blend (recipe below)
2 tablespoons buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil (for dough)
2 tablespoons olive oil (for pan)

Directions
Place the dry ingredients (except the yeast) into a large mixing bowl; the bowl of your stand mixer is perfect. Mix until thoroughly blended.

Place the warm water, olive oil, yeast, and about 1/2 cup of the dry mixture into a small bowl. Stir to combine; a few lumps are OK. Set aside for 30 minutes or so, until the mixture is bubbly and smells yeasty.

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. The mixture will be thick and sticky; if you’ve ever applied spackling compound to a wall, that’s exactly what it’ll look and feel like. Note: you must use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make this dough; mixing by hand doesn’t do a thorough enough job.

Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil onto the center of a baking sheet or 12″ round pizza pan. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto the puddle of oil.

Using your wet fingers, start at the center of the dough and work outwards, pressing it into a 12″ to 14″ circle.

Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes, just until it’s set; the surface will look opaque, rather than shiny.

Remove from the oven and top with whatever you like. Return to the oven to finish baking, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the toppings you’ve chosen.

Remove from the oven, and serve warm.

Yield: one 12″ to 14″ pizza.
*Make your own blend

King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour includes ingredients that reduce the grittiness sometimes found in gluten-free baked goods. Our flour also increases the shelf life of your treats, keeping them fresh longer.

Brown Rice Flour Blend
The following make-at-home blend, featuring stabilized brown rice flour, works pretty well when substituted; and it tastes better than a blend using regular brown rice flour.

Whisk together 6 cups (32 ounces) King Arthur stabilized brown rice flour; 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) potato starch; and 1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature.

Note: You can substitute white rice flour for the brown rice flour if you like; it’ll make your baked goods grittier (unless you manage to find a finely ground version).

Recipe summary
Hands-on time: 15 mins. to 20 mins. Baking time: 8 mins. to 12 mins. Total time: 1 hr 5 mins. to 1 hr 15 mins.
Yield: one 9″ to 12″ pizza

Tips from our bakers
◦Thin-crust is the way to go with this recipe. Since the dough is so soft, it tends
to spread and become thinner as it bakes, even if it starts out thicker.

Visit the King Arthur website for the original recipe.

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