For those of you who read my blog regularly, you will know that I am always looking for tasty gluten free alternatives for everyday baking, such as pastry and cakes. Homemade pizza completely from scratch is something we all enjoy in our house, but up until recently, I’d never tried using a gluten free base.
This was mainly because my kids can be a little indignant when I try to mess with their firm favourites and can sniff out a healthier recipe from a mile away, usually turning their noses up in the process.
And, like all parents, I want my kids to eat the food I make, so this put me off trying a gluten free pizza. However, when I had some girly friends over recently (and not fussy kid in sight), the opportunity presented itself, and I thought I would give it a go.
I was really pleased with the end result. As always, I have no intention of using flannel, fabrication or flat out lying – this is no deep-pan, take away pizza. The crust was thin and more chewy than regular pizza dough; however, it was good.
It does occasionally cross my mind whether I should be a little more effusive when describing my tad more experimental gluten free alternatives. I mean, I want people to try them, but I also want them to know just what they’re getting, and what to expect!
At the end of the day, nothing I put on my blog is disgusting (well, not to me, anyway), so with all of the above in mind, let’s talk gluten free pizzas from scratch using my favourite go-to homemade tomato pizza sauce.
The ingredients below made two medium-sized pizzas and I topped one with tomatoes, feta and rocket, the other with red onion, red pepper and chives. Both had just a touch of mozzarella, keeping the fat content down. The great thing about pizza is you can throw whatever you fancy on, so get creative!
Save RecipeIngredients
- 500g (2.5 cups) tinned tomatoes
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 25g fresh yeast (see notes)
- 200ml (3/4 cup) warm water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 300-400g (2½-3½ cups) gluten free bread flour (I used Doves Farm )
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- I used chives, red onions, rocket, feta, red pepper (or choose your own)
- Mozzarella or cheese of choice (as much or as little as you like)
- I invariably use fresh yeast in my bread. If this is not available to you, use dried instead - here are some helpful tips for the conversion.
Directions
~ For the tomato sauce: fry the onions and garlic until softened. Add all the other ingredients for the sauce and cook for around 45 minutes. Leave to cool for a while and then blend until nice and smooth. Set to one side.
~ For the pizza base: crumble the fresh yeast into the warm water and leave it for around ten minutes. Add in the oil and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix 300g of the gluten free flour blend of your choice with the sea salt and then add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Add in more flour, just until a dough forms.
~ Tip the dough out onto a well-floured surface and start to work it into a round, fairly smooth ball (bear in mind that the dough is not like normal bread and you won't be able to knead it in a conventional sense - you will need to squidge it more than knead it).
~ Pre-heat the oven to 210°C. Divide the dough into two roughly even pieces and roll each one out into an oval/round shape on a large baking tray between two sheets of baking paper (you may need two trays depending on how large your pizza bases are). Cover and leave to rest on top of the oven (or somewhere else warm) while you prepare the topping (they won't rise a great deal).
~ To assemble: spread the tomato sauce over both crusts, leaving a gap around the edges. Sprinkle over some mozzarella, then cover with your preferred toppings (if using rocket, it goes on after the pizza has been cooked). Top with a little more mozzarella, and then bake for around 15-20 minutes, just until the crust starts to brown and the cheese is bubbling. They are good straight out of the oven, or cold. Enjoy!
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