egg-free 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.

P.S. If you like the looks of this crust you'll probably fall in love with these crackers too.

A couple of weeks ago I told you I wouldn't be sharing recipes any time soon. Less than an hour later two batches of crackers were coming out of the oven and my entire family was swooning, lost in grain-free crispy cracker bliss.

We've made them a couple of times a week ever since.

These crackers are easy to make. Delicious to devour. And crazy affordable compared to crackers from the coop or the grocery store.

Oh, and healthy. I think I'm supposed to tell you they are healthy. Yes. That, too.

Feel free to modify the recipe with your favorite seasonings, spices and seeds. I'm thinking garlic & sesame, onion & poppy seed, or chili-powder & lime. Ooh, and maybe pistachio something…

Oh, mercy. This could get out of hand.

The secret, sweet friends, is tapioca flour. Do you bake with tapioca flour? Along with almond and coconut flour these three are the power triangle of grain-free baking. Tapioca flour, however, is my favorite of the three. It's a little piece of heaven in a Bob's Red Mill bag.

Are you ready to have your grain-free, gluten-free cracker-loving mind blown?

Well here you go.

One recipe is grain-free, gluten-free, and nut-free; the other is grain-free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan. (There I go, trying to make everyone happy again.)

This time though I think it might have worked.

Parmesan Crisps

These crackers are super crisp and snappy. There were everyone's favorite (except mine) by a large margin. As a mother I love each recipe for different qualities but I love them equally. (Okay, okay. They're my favorite, too. But only by a little.)

Be sure to roll them out very thin for a crispy cracker. If you don't they'll be a little gooey in the middle.

* I've hidden the leftovers from the third and fourth batch of these I made today from my children. And yes, also from Pete.

Ingredients

3/4 C tapioca flour

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 c packed Parmesan)

3 Tb ground flax seeds (I grind mine in an old coffee mill)

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tb water

2 Tb cream (alternatively you can omit water and cream and add 5 Tb whole milk)

1 Tb olive oil

Process

Preheat oven to 325.

Combine all ingredients except liquids (water, cream, and oil) in your food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add liquid ingredients and process until thoroughly combine and looking crumbly but most.

Open up your food processor and pinch a small handful together in a ball. If it holds together then you're good to go.

If it's too dry and crumbles apart add additional water 1 tsp at a time. If it's very wet and sticky add additional tapioca flour 1 tsp at a time.

Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper, form into a ball, and flatten.

Roll out very thin (as thinly as you can!) and then cut into cracker shapes with a pizza cutter or knife. Keep your crackers under 2.5" across, otherwise they tend to be sticky in the middle. If your dough is unruly you can roll it out between two sheets of parchment. I don't find it necessary, but just in case.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, remove from oven, and cool on a cooling rack.

In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container.

Paleo Sesame Seed Crackers (vegan)

Think shortbread minus the sweet. Tender crisp, crumbly, and rich. I have a vague recollection that this is what a Wheat Thin felt like as it crunched between my teeth. But I might be wrong. It's been a long time.

These crackers are crisp and nutty with a tender crumb. So good. If you love sesame you'll lose your mind.

Ingredients

3/4 C tapioca flour

2 Tb coconut flour

1/4 c almond flour

2 Tb sesame seeds

2 Tb ground flax seeds

generous 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tb olive oil

3 Tb water + more as needed

Process

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients except water and oil in your food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add liquid ingredients and process until thoroughly combine and looking crumbly but most.

Open up your food processor and pinch a small handful together in a ball. It should hold together easily without being sticky. (If it's too dry and crumbles apart add additional water 1 tsp at a time. If it's very wet and sticky add additional tapioca flour 1 tsp at a time.)

Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper and form into a ball. Let rest for five minutes.

Flatten out dough and roll out between two sheets of parchment.

Cut into cracker shapes with a pizza cutter or knife.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, remove from oven, and cool on a cooling rack.

In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container.

I saved the recipes as a PDF here for easier printing. Enjoy!

Download Grain-freeCrackerRecipes-twoways

Inspiration for these recipes came from here and here.