Looking for a healthy, gluten free and also quick to make dinner recipe? Why not give these gluten free pizza bases a try? While there is hot debate going on at the outside world regarding exactly how harmful (or not) gluten is to our average homo sapiens system, we can for the time being stick to by now the traditional belief that gluten-free, at any rate, is HEALTHIER than the other option.
And what did you say there? You cannot make the base as crunchy with gluten-free flour blends? Well, wait till you’ve tried this recipe. However, we could tell you right off the bat that as far as crunchiness is concerned, that has actually little to do with whether you use a gluten-free flour or one that includes gluten. It is how you prepare the base (the right ingredients, in the right amount, the proper baking process) that decides how crispy and crunchy and chewy your pizza crust will turn up.
So, without further ado, let’s jump right on to the recipe part. The recipe ingredients list given below here is for when you use any normal gluten-free bread flour. You’ll have to tweak in the amount of the ingredients a little if you are using other varieties of gluten-free flour (for example, all-purpose gluten-free flour and the like) so that your dough or batter does not become either too runny or too tight.
Ingredients:
• Gluten-free bread flour, 2 cups (420g)
• Instant yeast, 2 teaspoons
• Baking powder, 2 ½ teaspoons
• Honey, 1 tablespoon
• Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon
• Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
• Lukewarm or slightly warm water, 1 cup (about 8 ounces)
Directions:
In a glass measuring cup, whisk to combine the yeast, honey and the water and let it proof for 4-5 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the salt and baking powder with the flour right in the bowl of the mixer.
Put the mixer on low and add the oil and the proofed yeast mixture and then gradually increase the speed. Beat for about 4 minutes. Use an oiled spatula to round off the sides off the dough, put a cover and let the batter rise for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F and put the dough on an oiled pizza pan (12 inch in diameter). Press down the dough so it covers the whole of the pan (the crust will shrink a little during baking).
Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and add toppings you desire over the crust. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. And voila!
Let cool for some time and there you go, slice and enjoy!
For bases with slightly different flavors, but with this same recipe, you may tweak around the ingredients a bit. For example, try maple syrup, or light corn syrup, or brown rice syrup in place of honey. Again, using grapeseed or canola oil instead of olive oil will produce a slightly different flavor. So, do experiment, and you can already make a number of differently flavored gluten free pizza bases practically with this one single recipe.
Bon appétit!
