Like many of you out there, my favourite meal is pizza. Yep, even this dairy-free, wheat free and mostly meat-free lady still can’t stop dreaming about pizza – the traditional kind that is, all doughy and loaded-with-cheese. (Mmmm… is it dinner time yet?)
So for all you fellow-pizza lovers out there, you can imagine the frustration and heartbreak. For years it was no pizza dough and no cheese, so no dice!
As my cooking skills have improved (and as the vegan cheese alternatives have also improved!), I have finally been able to craft a dairy-free, gluten-free pizza dough that will fool me enough to think I’m eating the traditional thing! No joke! I was so happy when I ate this homemade pizza for the first time, that I just about cried. JUST ABOUT cried… I’m an emotional gal, but not quite that bad lol.
For me, the key has been crafting a gluten-free pizza base that is also dairy free, and not too dry and starchy – i.e. it doesn’t taste like a biscuit. (I’ve tried some store-bought gluten-free bases before and I wasn’t that impressed.)
So for all you wheat-free and gluten-free pizza lovers who want the satisfaction of making your own homemade pizza bases, here’s a recipe that will deliver the goods!
Gluten-Free Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup quinoa flour
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 sml tsp guar gum
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 heaped tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 150 ml lukewarm water (43°C/110°F)
- 1 envelope instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Sieve the flours, guar gum, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl, and mix together well until all the flours are fully combined.
- Add the packet of instant dry yeast to the lukewarm water and allow 5 minutes for it to fully dissolve. Then add the olive oil into the mix and stir well.
- Slowly add the water into the flour and bring together into a firm dough. You may need to add a little more lukewarm water if the dough is too dry.
- Knead the dough gently for a minute (not too long!), then roll into a ball and place in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea-towel or cling wrap and place in a warm cupboard for at least an hour – this will allow the yeast to rise. (I find that the hot water cylinder cupboard is ideal for this.)
- Once the dough is ready, bring out of the cupboard and allow to rest for 10 minutes before using. Grease and prepare the tray or surface that you’ll be using to cook your pizza. Put the dough on the surface and then use a rolling pin to roll out into your desired shape and size.
- Top the dough with all of your usual pizza toppings, and then cook in a hot oven (about 220°C/430°F) for about 15 minutes. The dough won’t take long to cook!