crust Archives - rachel wolf

I've been holding out on you for way too long.

Way. Too. Long.

Because we've done it over here. We've perfected the crispy grain-free pizza crust.

I know.

You thought you were destined to eat sloppy grain-free pizza with a spoon for eternity, like some sad sap from Greek mythology. Well no more! I'm here to save you from that culinary destiny.

Because a crispy crust is where it's at.

I'll be brief, because you've got pizza to make, but the back-story is that the matrix of food sensitivities in our house means meals need to be egg-free, gluten-free, and corn-free for happy bellies to result. What did that pizza crust look like? Either a pound of hamburger or a grated zucchini.

Yum.

But then I found this lovely recipe a year or so ago which met nearly all of our meals and so I ran with it, tweaking it to fit our dietary needs and our taste preferences. And I love where we ended up so much that we eat it once a week, without fail. And we have for over a year.

I know. I should have told you sooner. It might have changed 2014 entirely.

Forgive me.

Well timing be damned, here it is. The pizza of your dreams.

Can I get a heck yes?

Because: crispy. grain-free. pizza.

Pinch me.

If your people eat eggs feel free to substitute two eggs for the flax and water below. If you are dairy free I have no idea how to help you.

Thin and Crispy Grain-Free Pizza Crust

gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free

Makes four large pizzas because it's so good that any less would be ridiculous.

If you have more self-control than we do you can also bake and freeze extra crusts for next week. And if you have less self control the recipe doubles beautifully. Ask me how I know.

Ingredients

2 Tb flax seeds, ground (or 2 Tb whole chia seeds)
1/3 c water
1 C milk
5 Tb butter
3 1/2 C tapioca flour
5 TB almond flour (or 2 Tb additional tapioca flour)
1 TB coconut flour (or 1 Tb additional tapioca flour)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder or one clove fresh garlic, minced (optional, omit if you will be making a dessert pizza as well)
1 packed cup grated Parmesan cheese

Process

Combine ground flax seeds and water. Stir and refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow flax to absorb water and become more "eggy". (In a pinch you can just let it sit long enough to prepare your other ingredients. It'll be fine. I promise.)

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Heat milk and butter until butter is melted and milk is piping hot. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl combine flours, salt, and garlic. Add hot milk and butter mixture and stir to combine. Add flax/water mixture and stir. (If you are substituting actual eggs allow your crust mixture to cool before adding them.)

When combined, add grated Parmesan cheese. Mix cheese into dough with a strong spoon and/or your bare hands. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. If dough is still quite sticky after the five minute rest, work in additional tapioca flour 1 TB at a time until it reached a less sticky, more stretchy consistency.

Divide dough into four balls. Roll out into a large, thin circle between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, hot pizza stone, pizza pan, or cookie sheet. (We use cast iron because we have a few different sized pans and the cooking time is based on cast iron.)

Use your fingers to shape the crust to fit your pan if using a cast iron skillet.

Prick with a fork over entire surface to reduce bubbles.

Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is firm to the touch and just beginning to brown. (Watch the thin spots. You don't want it to get too brown. That crust at the bottom left in the photo below went just a touch too far and won't be as fun to eat.)

Remove crusts from oven and then remove them from the cast iron pan to prevent overcooking.

Reduce heat to 450.

Make a party out of this meal and work together to top your pizzas! It's just about the best part of our week. Top with your favorite toppings and return to over until cheese is just browned.

Our favorites (unexpected) toppings so far have been:

Homemade barbecue sauce with roasted chicken, caramelized onions, and mozzarella
Morel, nettle, and ramps
Peach and jalapeno jam with chicken, pecans, and parmesan
Cream cheese and smoked salmon
Fig, caramelized onion, goat cheese, blue cheese, and pecan
Almond butter, homemade jam, and cream cheese

In the unlikely event that you have leftovers it keeps well in the fridge and doesn't get icky with the sitting. Also, the baked crusts freeze brilliantly!

Wahoo! Let's go make some pizza.

Oh, and one more thing. I think if you click the sweet little button below you should even be able to print this out. Whoa. I can hardly keep up with myself today.