Gluten-free pizza topped with my favorites: pepperoni, bell peppers, mushrooms and basil
Here it is! I know I promised this gluten-free pizza recipe to you days ago. Carol Fenster was kind enough to let me reprint the pizza recipe from her new book 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes. I have to say, and I think you will agree, this one is a beauty! It's pretty easy to make, especially if you have a food processor.
I have to confess that I ate the whole thing and didn't share. Yup, it was that good.
Do you ever get greedy with your gluten-free food?
OK, I just have to say that although the recipe says it makes 6 servings, these are really small servings. If you have any big eaters in the house then I recommend you either serve something else to accompany the pizza or make two pizzas.
I wanted to show you the crust. Nice and crusty on the edge!
If you are dairy free, try to get your hands on some Vegan Gourmet mozzarella. The reason the cheese doesn't look melted is because it is vegan cheese. Even though it didn't really melt, I thought it tasted delicious.
Pepperoni Cheese Pizza
1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster
Makes 6 servings (12-inch pizza)
Basil Pizza Sauce
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 teaspoons fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ teaspoon fennel seed
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Pizza Crust
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 ½ teaspoons sugar, divided
2/3 cup milk (cow’s, rice, soy, potato, or nut)
2/3 cup potato starch
½ cup Carol’s Sorghum Blend (see below)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Shortening for greasing pizza pan, such as Spectrum Vegetable or Earth Balance
White rice flour for dusting
Toppings
About 24 pepperoni slices, such as Hormel (or to taste)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese or nondairy substitute, such as Vegan Gourmet
Directions
1. Make the sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer 15 minutes and set aside. Makes about 1 cup, enough for 12-inch pizza.
2. Make the crust: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk. Set aside to foam 5 minutes.. In a food processor, blend yeast mixture, potato starch, sorghum blend, xanthan gum, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and vinegar, until ball forms. Dough will be very soft.
3. Generously grease a 12-inch nonstick (gray, not black) pizza pan with shortening. Do not use cooking spray—it makes it harder to shape the dough. Place dough on prepared pan. Liberally dust dough with white rice flour; then press dough into pan with your hands, continuing to dust dough with flour to prevent sticking as needed. The smoother the dough, the smoother the baked crust will be. Make edges thicker to contain toppings.
4. Place a rack in the bottom position and another in the middle position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake pizza crust 15 minutes, until crust begins to brown on the bottom. Remove from oven; brush crust with sauce and arrange single layer of pepperoni slices on top. Sprinkle cheese over top. Shift pizza to middle rack of oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until top is nicely browned. Remove pizza from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Brush rim of crust with remaining tablespoon of olive oil before cutting into 6 slices. Serve immediately.
Carol’s Sorghum Blend
1 ½ cups sorghum flour
1 ½ cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
Whisk together thoroughly; store in a tightly covered container in a dark, dry place or refrigerate or freeze. Bring to room temperature before measuring.
