It’s Friday night. What does that mean to you??? In our family, it usually means pizza and a movie.
In fact, we had a pizza night every week while growing up. It usually included our once-a-week treat of a soda. (Splitting a bottle three ways đŸ™‚ ) It was usually frozen pizza in those days, but we still looked forward to it!
Yup. That’s us. At our cabin. Wearing matching Swedish shirts – except for Mom, because she is Norwegian. (I’m sure that doesn’t sound very logical to anyone outside of the family.)
Pizza seems to be a dish near and dear to many a heart. Gluten free pizza can be a bit of a challenge. I switch between two different crust recipes – mostly depending on my mood, and who will be eating it. When our son comes for a visit, I make this crust. It is a slab of cheesy, gooey deliciousness, best eaten with a fork and knife. And reheated leftovers are even better.
The key ingredients in the crust are eggs, a blend of cheeses, and tapioca flour. DON’T use the tapioca flour in the box (Ener G is one such brand). For some reason, the quality or consistency of that flour is inferior. Choose tapioca flour in bulk from your local co-op like I do, or Bob’s RedMill (I’ve never tried that, but it should work just fine).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and put 2 pizza pans, or stones, in to get hot.
Bring milk (2% works best) just to a simmer, then take it off the heat. Mix in tapioca flour and salt, then stir in the oil and minced garlic. This is going to be a disgusting-looking glop, but never fear! Pizza crust is near!
Transfer this mess into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the beater, let it run on low for a few moments to incorporate everything smoothly. Then add eggs – one at a time.
Once the eggs are incorporated, turn the mixer on high for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and stretchy.
Add the three cheeses, and mix until well-combined (maybe another minute).
I don’t like to get messy hands, so I refrigerate the dough at this point for at least an hour. Overnight works fine too.
Divide the dough in half. Sprinkle tapioca flour on a large square of parchment paper. Place half the dough on the flour, roll it around so that all surfaces are covered lightly with flour. Then with either floured hands or a rolling pin, press the dough into a large round, making sure it is thinner in the center and thicker towards the edges (so you can pile the crust with wonderful toppings and still have a thoroughly baked crust).
Brush the top of the shell with olive oil. Transfer each crust – with the parchment paper – onto preheated pizza pans or stones. Being a rather clumsy person, I like to have someone hold the pan while I slide the parchment paper over. (This is totally not necessary, but I have nightmares about dropping things on the floor.)
Bake the crusts at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove them and top with sauce, cheese, and every other wonderful thing your little heart desires.
Bake topped pizzas for 18-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.. The crust should be lightly browned and crispy.
PrintCheesy Pizza – Gluten Free!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c milk (NOT skim or nonfat – 2% works best)
- 3 c tapioca flour, plus more for sprinkling
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 5 ounces (1 1/2 c loosely measured) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 ounces (3/4 c loosely measured) shredded white cheddar cheese
- 2 ounces (3/4 c loosely measured) shredded parmesan cheese
- Olive oil for brushing the top of the crust
- Toppings (sauce, meat, veggies, cheese, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven and pizza stones to 350 degrees.
- In medium saucepan, heat the milk just to a simmer. Then turn off heat, stir in tapioca flour and salt. Then add the oil and minced garlic. This will not look lovely!
- Transfer the “mess” to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Turn the machine to high and allow it to beat for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and stretchy.
- Add cheeses and beat until well mixed.
- Refrigerate for an hour, or overnight.
- Divide dough in half. Transfer dough to 2 large pieces of parchment paper that have been dusted with tapioca flour. Turn the dough, allowing flour to cover all sides.
- With floured hands or rolling pin, flatted dough to large circles, making sure they are thinner in the center and thicker at the outside crust.
- Slide parchment paper onto hot baking pans/stones and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Top crusts with sauce, cheese, veggies, meat, etc. Return to oven for 18-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned and crispy.
Wonder if Ellen makes this for her family? This would make a great meal for them.
It is definitely a favourite around here! I’ll make it for them when they visit this summer. (Hope we get to see you, too!)