Now that we are in the new year, I know everyone is thinking "clean eating!" "more veggies!" "less booze!" Me? I'm thinking I will never give up Party Pizza Friday. Like ever.
I've been making pizza every Friday for years and years - one thing my late husband could never wrap his brain around. He was like "pizza, again?!" My thought was "you are lucky I don't make pizza every night!"
Several years into our marriage, my husband suggested we go out to eat. On a Friday. Huh. So not like him - he hated crowds and especially hated waiting for a table. But this trend happened SIX Friday's in a row - and I kept thinking "how fun that he wants to go on weekly dates with me!"
It wasn't until after the sixth Friday that I realized it was his attempt to get a respite from Party Pizza Friday. I continued the tradition for myself, while I made a steak for my husband. A happy wife is a happy life! I got my pizza, so I was happy!
However, I have several friends that are either celiac, or gluten intolerant. I wanted to make a dough that tasted like the real deal. After doing a quick search on the internet and saw some gluten free options were using coconut or almond flour, I nearly threw up in my mouth at the thought of a coconut flour crust. I also knew I didn't want to use flax meal, sweet potatoes, xantham gum or quinoa. I WANTED IT TO TASTE LIKE REAL PIZZA! And yes, I am shouting there. I recently discovered that Bob’s Red Mill has a gluten free baking flour that I thought might work. The price wasn’t too bad – I mean, a bit pricey for flour, but not too crazy – the 22 ounce bag cost $4.29. I also realized that Red Star Yeast has a gluten free version too, so I picked that up too.
Guys. I am going to say that after the dozens, hundreds, thousands (possibly millions!) of pizzas I’ve made over the years, this dough ranks at the very top. It has the best of both worlds for me in a pizza – a crispy crust, but still a bit of a chew in the middle. My daughter Hannah took a slice, took a couple bites and said “I am not sure what a gluten free pizza is supposed to taste like, but this is a great pizza.” Exactly! That was exactly what I was going for. A gluten free pizza that tastes like an actual pizza! #winning
Gluten Free Pizza Dough
2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
1 package Red Star Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white cornmeal
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon olive oil (to brush on the edges of the pizza)
1. Mix the baking flour, yeast, salt, and corn meal together. Add water and bring the dough together. Put the dough on the counter and kind of stretch it out a bit, and rub the tablespoon of butter all over the dough, and then roll up and knead for a couple minutes, adding a bit of the gluten free flour on your counter if it starts to get too sticky.
2. I let this dough rise for about 45 minutes, but you could just roll it out and bake it at this point. I bake mine on a baking stone at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. This is enough dough for two 12 inch pizzas. I put half the dough on a piece of parchment paper and shape it in a circle. I add pizza sauce, and whatever toppings you want, and then before going into the oven, brush the crust with the teaspoon of olive oil.
Notes
- You can just make this dough, roll it out and bake it right away. Let it rest for 30-60 minutes - totally up to you. I put the second half of the dough in my fridge, let it get to room temp in 15 minutes and baked it up, and I couldn't tell the difference from the first pizza, so not sure the rise time would make much of a difference in the taste of the end result.
If you love pizza like me, you need to check out The Chopping Block's pizza classes:
Lincoln Square
1/06/19
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Calzones
1/22/19
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Calzones
Merchandise Mart
1/15/19
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Calzones
Tell me what your favorite pizza topping is in the comments. I am always looking for new combos!
