*I am in no way an expert on Gluten-Free eating, so please forgive me if I stupidly include something that contains gluten in this recipe. I googled each ingredient, but I am paranoid.*
My Vegan Veggie Pizza got a bit of attention yesterday, much to my surprise. I was sure only my parents, husband (begrudgingly),friend Sonia (who I freely admit is on bed rest and thus has limited entertainment), and a few (very appreciated!) Word Press users actually looked at my blog [I love you guys].
So when I got an e-mail last night from Daiya Foods with a link to their Facebook page I was excited, to say the least. Thank you, Daiya, for putting up with my cheese-fan-girl-giddiness. As I read through the comments on my Pizza, I noticed that many of Daiya’s fans wanted a gluten-free option. Gluten free? Not only gluten free, but inexpensive as well. Hmmm..
Of course, I’m having fun pretending I have a new Pizza fan club and what better way to spend my day than giving the fans what they want! [Yes, Daiya, I know they are really your fans!] So, please use this recipe with caution, especially if you are an experienced gluten-free chef. I tried to make something inexpensive, yummy, and gluten-free. I was slightly limited by the selection at the grocery store, but I think it turned out well. I will post an honest review at the bottom. Suggestions are welcome!
Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Dough
2 tbs Active Dry Yeast (do not use Brewer’s yeast!)
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup white cane sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
3 tbs Earth Balance butter stick, softened (it’s gluten free I checked!)
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup white rice flour
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup hot water
2 tbs unsweetened organic applesauce
I used the same method as my other pizza dough except I started by mixing the rice flours, tapioca flour, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Next add the yeast, sugar, salt, oregano, and warm water in a separate large mixing bowl. Allow the yeast to rise for about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour mixture and the Earth Balance butter stick. Use a dough hook (if using a Kitchen Aid mixer) and set to stir for 2 minutes. Add the hot water and applesauce, then slowly add the remaining flour mix. It won’t cling to the dough hook, but the consistency reminds me of cookie dough. Cookie dough seemed like a good enough measure so I chose to believe it was ready. I let it rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. It didn’t rise very much, but it seemed appropriate somehow. Place the dough on a rice floured counter and shape into a ball. Or a shark.
Restrain yourself and flatten the dough on a” greased” pizza pan. Like so:
Add sauce (minus the ketchup unless you have a gluten-free one!), toppings, and Daiya (1/4 cup Mozzarella Shreds + 1/4 cup Cheddar shreds)! Bake for 25-30 minutes at 425 F.
Initially, I was scared this would fall apart. It is pretty delicate, so you can’t slap it on a paper towel and shove it in your mouth (not that anyone I know would actually do such a thing). It is more of eat gently-on-a-serviette kind of pizza.
I also worried about the texture.When I tasted the dough it seemed really grainy, but once it finished cooking it was surprisingly fluffy. The only other issue I had was that a tiny layer of dough just under the sauce was a little bit sticky due to the moisture from the sauce.
Cost
I paid $17.35 for all ingredients except for my yeast (I bought a 2lb bag on amazon.com for $9.99, so the cost was negligible). I still have most of the Daiya cheese, rice flour and tapioca, which were the most expensive items. I also have some of my veggie toppings left, but not much. Total cost (generously assuming I used 30%) for one pizza is…
$5.02 – eat that, Dominos!
All-in-all, I think I win this round, gluten-free pizza dough!
My husband and I are going out tonight so I’m off to get ready. I’m paranoid that he is going to stage a “cheese”-tervention. I swear I will start posting something new soon. Bribe you all with cookies, perhaps?
enjoy x
