Pizza is another one of those foods where there are a number of gluten free options available, but very few are very tasty.   Whether you buy your gluten free pizzas pre-made or purchases crusts and add your own sauce, have you ever considered making a completely homemade pizza crust and sauce?

This is far and away the best gluten free pizza I have run across to date.   Give it a try and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Best Gluten Free Pizza Recipe

Pizza Crust Ingredients:

• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt   

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pizza Crust Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. In small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in milk.
3. In medium mixer bowl, beat flours, xanthan gum, salt, and seasoning on low speed.
4. Add yeast-mixture, 1 teaspoon of the oil, and vinegar and beat until blended, about 30 seconds.
5. Dough will be soft.
6. Put dough on lightly greased 12-inch nonstick pizza pan and liberally sprinkle with white rice flour.
7. Press dough to edges of pan, con-tinuing to sprinkle with flour to prevent stick-ing to your hands. Make edges thicker to hold toppings.
8. Bake crust 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven.
10. Spread crust with sauce and your choice of toppings.
11. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until top is nicely browned.
12. Remove from oven, brush outer crust with remaining oil, and serve immediately

Pizza Sauce Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, while Pizza Crust is being assembled. (Makes about 1 cup)

[Recipe Courtesy of Savory Palate]

Thanks to a heads up from one of our readers, I was able to verify that Donatos restaurants now offer a gluten free crustless pizza that uses soy flakes for the crust.   With that said, ordering something gluten free from a pizza restaurant carries a significant risk due to the amount of flour and other ingredients laying around.

I was unable to find information on their website, but I did find this statement from Donatos:

The Soy base in our NoDough pizzas do not contain any gluten,
however, they will not be baked in separate ovens from those used to bake
our Original Thin and Traditional crusts. That being stated, depending on
the severity of the sensitivity to gluten we cannot guarantee that there
would be an absolute prevention of cross contamination and unfortunately
would suggest that individuals with high sensitivity to gluten not take any
unnecessary risks.

Soy Protein Crisp (Low fat IP Soy Flour, rice pieces, sunflower oil, sea salt)
Thin Pizza Sauce (Tomato paste, water, sugar, salt, citric acid, xanthan gum, aquaresin paprika, basil, ground basil.)
Traditional Pizza Sauce (Tomato puree (tomato paste, water), salt, sugar, garlic powder, citric acid, black pepper, basil, oregano, Xanthan gum, basil leaf.)
Shredded Provolone Cheese (Pasteurized reduced fat milk, cheese culture, salt, powdered cellulose, natural smoke flavoring, enzymes (microbial derived rennet, lipase))
Donatos Sliced Pepperoni (Pork, beef, salt, spices, dextrose, lactic acid starter culture, oleoresin of Paprika, flavorings, sodium nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric acid)

If you are highly sensitive to gluten, you should probably exercise on the side of caution before trying something like this.

There are quite a few gluten free pizza recipes around the internet, but here is one I hadn’t seen before.

Gluten Free Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Pkg. instant yeast
• 1 cup sweet rice flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 c. sorghum flour
• 2 T oil of choice (I used canola) (plus a little extra for browning crust)
• 1 C. WARM (not hot) water (105-115 F)
• 1 tsp. regular cane sugar

Baking Instructions:

1. Prepare yeast- in a large glass or plastic bowl, add yeast and sugar to warm water. Still gently with a wooden or plastic utensil (I use a wooden chopstick) Allow to set for several minutes (about 10 minutes) so the yeast “blooms”.
2. Add flours, oil and salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Once fully combined, it should be a nice ball shape. Allow to sit in bowl for about 5 minutes.
3. Place dough onto surface dusted with rice flour or cornstarch. Work it into a round. I find this works easiest by picking the dough up and allowing it to hang from my hand, then turning and repeating until I have a nice, semi-round shape of desired thickness. This made a crust approx. 12 inches in diameter.
4. Place dough onto stoneware (or other pizza pan).
5. Top with desired toppings, we used sauce, ground meat and cheese because that’s what I had on hand. Sprinkle top with herb mix if available. Brush edges not covered by toppings with a little bit of oil for browning.
6. Bake at 450F for about 15 minutes (our second pizza took less time than the first, so keep a close eye on it!)

[Recipe Courtesy of Looks Good in Polka Dots]

Being that pizza is far and away my favorite food, this may be just a pipe dream, but today I noticed a post on Newswire Canada about Pizza Pizza restaurants now offering gluten free pizzas.

I’ve never actually heard of this restaurant before, but it appears to be a normal food chain that is attempting to make gluten free versions of their pizzas. I think this is a great idea because it will be the only choice for Celiacs in their markets, so they will get 100% of that business.

Will they use separate ovens? How will they accomplish this? Here is an excerpt from their post:

Pizza Pizza is the first major player in the quick-service restaurant
industry to provide a gluten-free crust, which uses rice and potato-based
flour as the main ingredient. By choosing the light and crispy rice-based
dough - along with toppings from our gluten-free list - consumers can enjoy a
delicious gluten-free meal made especially for them. Currently, Pizza Pizza’s
gluten-free crusts are available in the 12-inch medium format, the company’s
most popular pizza size.

In making the gluten-free crust, Pizza Pizza has implemented a series of
procedures and controls to prevent product cross-contamination. Mr. Brian S.
Payne, Director, Commissary and Supply Chain Management for Pizza Pizza, says
it is no different than handling any other allergen. In addition to having
specific utensils for the product, the company has sent all franchisees an
updated training guide containing new product information, educational
material about celiac disease, as well as cooking and sanitizing procedures.

The gluten-free crust is another in a series of health-conscious
innovations by Pizza Pizza. In recent years, the cutting-edge company has
introduced whole-wheat multigrain dough, a source of Omega 3 fatty acid and
fiber, partly skimmed mozzarella cheese and sodium-reduced sauces and cheese
to its menu offerings. Pizza Pizza was one of the first in the industry to
remove industrially-added trans-fats from its entire menu.

“The introduction of this new gluten-free menu offering is a natural
extension of our initiatives in striving to provide our customers with a
variety of healthy options that respond to their individual needs,” said
Finelli. “We know that a significant segment of the population is gluten
sensitive or intolerant, and offering this new menu option is a way of
bringing pizza back into their lives and routine.”

Click over to read the entire story!

Pizza is very popular in our house, so I was excited when I found this recipe for a gluten free crust.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 2/3 cup brown rice flour or gram flour or fava bean flour (I use ‘garfava’ flour which is a blend)
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons powdered milk or non-dairy powdered coffee creamer (Dairy alternative, 2 T tapioca flour or sweet rice flour in place of 2 T dry milk powder or non-dair)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 2/3 cup water (110 degrees F)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey or agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In medium bowl using regular beaters (not dough hooks), blend all ingredients on low speed.
3. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
4. (If mixer bounces around bowl, dough is too stiff. Add water if necessary, one tablespoon at a time, until dough does not resist beaters.) Dough will resemble soft bread dough.
5. Put mixture on lightly greased 12-inch pizza pan or 11 x 7-inch pan (for deep dish version).
6. Liberally sprinkle rice flour on dough, then press dough into pan, continuing to sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking to hands.
7. Make edges slightly thicker to hold toppings.
8. Bake pizza crust for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven.
10. Spread pizza crust with your favorite sauce and toppings.
11. Bake another 20 to 25 minutes or until top is nicely browned.

[Courtesy of Recipe Zaar]