While many of us enjoy heading out to our favorite restaurants and savoring those delicious, chef-curated entrees, what about the nights where you want to bring that same quality to your table—right in the comfort of your own home? Let me introduce you to the magic of craft homemade pizza. Yes, it’s possible! More importantly, yes, it’s deliciously, delightfully doable gluten-free. Baking gluten-free pizza at home can be just as tasty (if not more so) than carrying out from your local pizzeria, and packs in all the creature comforts of a cozy night in. So, tie on those aprons and let’s dive into how you can create your very own gluten-free pizza parlor experience.
Embarking on your gluten-free pizza journey begins with a stellar, foolproof crust recipe. But before we start tossing dough like they do in the movies, it’s essential that we understand the science behind gluten-free baking. Knowing why standard wheat-based dough behaves the way it does will help you understand the nuances and variations when working with gluten-free dough. For starters, wheat dough is elastic and stickier due to the gluten in it which forms extensive networks giving it a unique structure. Gluten-free dough, on the other hand, most often resembles batter more than dough. With a few tricks up our sleeves, we can manipulate that to our advantage. My previous post, “The Science Behind Gluten-Free Baking,” provides a comprehensive look into the dynamics of gluten-free baking. So if you’re new to this art, do give it a quick read.
As with any good experiment, we’ll equip ourselves with the right tools for the task. To make that perfect crust, the key items you’ll need include: a pizza stone, a pizza peel, and a quality baking mix. A pizza stone creates a wonderfully crispy base while the pizza peel makes transferring your creation to and from the oven child’s play. For your gluten-free baking flour, I recommend blends like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Boasting the right mix of flours and xanthan gum, this provides our pizza dough the structure we crave.
Feeling the anticipation? Good! Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get started. An absolutely critical step to our gluten-free pizza-making adventure is preheating our pizza stone. Placing it in your oven as it preheats allows for the stone to become searingly hot – this helps recreate the dynamic heat of a professional pizza oven, giving you that beautiful, crunchy crust.
Now, the pizza dough. Beat the flour, a dash of salt, a tad of olive oil and warm water into the bowl. Put a little elbow grease into it until it forms a pliable, smooth dough then let it rest. Once it’s ready, lay your dough on a parchment paper dusted with some gluten-free flour, and with another sheet of parchment at top, roll out your dough using a rolling pin. Here’s a secret: a thinner crust will give you that ‘New York-style’ pizza vibe.
Cover the rolled dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise. This is where our trusty yeast comes handy and gives our dough the lift it needs.
As our dough takes its sweet time to rise, let’s talk sauces. Can’t forget those! You could shortcut with a store-bought sauce, but making one at home isn’t as complicated as it might seem, and allows you to control the flavor, spice, and thickness. My go-to sauce recipe starts with fresh tomatoes (or canned crushed tomatoes for those short on time), a generous drizzle of olive oil, garlic, and your favorite Italian herbs. Let the mixture simmer until thickened. With the sauce ready, it’s also a good time to prep our toppings. The world is your oyster, my friends. To keep it classic, thinly sliced mozzarella, basil leaves, and a sprinkle of oregano might be all you need. For a variety, think beyond the traditional. For fun flavor combinations, check out my previously written post, “Exploring Gluten-Free Flavor Combinations”.
Now that our stage is set and the stars are ready to twinkle, it’s time to assemble our masterpiece. Remove the heated stone from the oven, and carefully slide your dough onto it. Then, it’s time to layer on your sauce, toppings, and copious amounts of cheese, if that’s what your heart desires.
Slide that masterpiece back into the oven and wait for the magic to happen. As your kitchen fills with the divine aroma of freshly baking pizza, take pride in the fact that you’ve crafted this glorious moment. Once your pizza is baked to perfection, let it cool a bit before slicing. Then, take a bite, savor the crunch, the sauce, the cheese – all augmented by the satisfaction of having made it yourself. And of course, all entirely gluten-free!
Might I end this gluten-free pizza extravaganza with dessert? Here’s a spin – swap the classic toppings with some sweet ones like Nutella, gluten-free marshmallows, and nuts for a dessert pizza after your savory one. Now it can be pizza night, every night!
I hope this ride was as fun for you as it is for me every time I venture into the pizza-making world. And remember, like all things gluten-free, patience and practice make perfect. Those artisan pizzas won’t be a dream too far once we have the right recipe and technique.
Always remember, gluten-free does not mean flavor-free. Here’s to creating fun, flavorful gluten-free food, right in our own kitchens.
**Category: Baking & Cooking Science**
