Easy (really!) and delicious gluten free pizza crust

I thought I'd share our family's tried-and-true pizza crust recipe for gluten free folks.  I used to make this every Friday night when we still had 6 kids at home (5 of our own, plus a bonus teen we took in).  Even my gluten-eating kids still request that I make this because they like it even better than regular crust.  It's actually easier to make than traditional wheat crust, because there's no kneading. You don't even roll it -- you just smooth it onto the pan with really wet hands.  It's soft, chewy, with a good rise and a nice flavor. I grind the grains myself in my Vitamix grain mill but you can also buy them pre-ground for a little more.  This makes two crusts and I usually double it because I cook for so many.  It also makes a heavenly dessert pizza (I can post the recipe for that if anyone would like it).

It looks long and complicated, but only because I've written out the directions kind of precisely so be helpful. With mixing, rising and baking, I can make homemade pizza from scratch in a little over an hour, of most of that time is me watching TV with a glass of wine while I wait for rising or baking.  :)

Note:  You can easily substitute your favorite GF flour mix for all the flours and starches.  This mix of them works really well for texture and taste, though.  It's great either way, but the whole grain brown rice flour and millet flour make a nice texture and make it healthier than most commercial mixes that are mostly starch and white rice.

Alicia's Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

(makes two 14-16 inch crusts)

   2 cups brown rice flour
   1 cup potato starch
   1/2 cup tapioca starch
   1/2 cup millet flour
   4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
   2 teaspoon baking powder
   4 teaspoons xanthan gum or guar gum
   1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
   2 teaspoon fine sea salt
   4 tablespoons honey or sugar
   2 large eggs (flax eggs work great if you’re vegan)
   4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + more for oiling the pans
   2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
   1 1/2 cup warm water (plus more if needed)

   Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl of a heavy duty mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

   Start mixer on slowest speed to incorporate ingredients, then increase to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and mix for another minute. The dough should look like a thick cake batter and should stick to the sides of the mixing bowl (not form a ball like traditional wheat dough).

   Oil two pizza pans with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Divide the dough in half and scrape into two balls onto the pans.

   Fill a bowl with warm water and put it next to your work area. Wet your hands and gently press and spread the dough outward in circular motions towards the outer edges of the pan to form 14 to 16 inch circles (or squares if you like a square pizza), leaving a slightly raised crust along the edge. Wet your hands as needed so that you can keep spreading and smoothing the dough without it sticking to your hands. Don’t worry about getting the dough too wet. Patch and press any spots that break through. Go ahead and smooth it fairly thin, as it will rise and get thicker.

   When the dough is smoothed onto the pizza pan, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and and gently smooth over the dough. Set uncovered in a warm place.

   Let the dough rise for 35-45 minutes. It will puff up somewhat.

   Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

   Remove from oven and add sauce and desired toppings.

   Return the topped pizza to oven and bake for approximately 12-16 more minutes until cheese is melted and crust is light golden brown.

   Slide onto a wire rack to cool (optional, this helps keep the crust crisp up), slice and serve.

***

Substitutions: This dough is very forgiving! If you have allergies or just run out of one type of gluten free flour, feel free to substitute a similar flour. For instance, you can substitute arrowroot starch for one of the starches and sorghum flour for some or all of the brown rice flour. We have made this recipe with many combinations of flours and it’s always a success. Just make sure to substitute flours of the same type (starches for starches, and whole grains for whole grains) and many different combinations will work.  As mentioned, we have friends who make it by just using a gluten free flour mix for the whole 4 cups of flours and starches, too, but individual mixes may vary in results.

A note about pans:  Pizza crusts will cook up differently on different types of pans.  They may cook very quickly on dark metal pans.  At home, I use cookie sheets that are double layered and light colored and I have good results.  When I cook pizza at my friend Tiffany’s house, I have to cook one pizza in a dark pan and another in a light one, and have to keep a closer eye on the one on the dark pan.  Know your pans and adjust times as needed.  You can also use a preheated pizza stone if you prepare the crust on parchment paper and then slide the paper right onto the stone.

Enjoy!

Oops!  I just posted this and then I got a note under it that it was similar to another thread about GF pizza crust that I apparently posted 8 years ago!  LOL  Well, that was a waste of a lot of typing! 😜 Oh well!  I'm leaving it since I might have said something different.  I think I need more coffee. 😜