Recipe: Not Another Gluten Free Pizza Crust!!!

PIZZA!

I’m sorry to say it, but yes… it is another GF pizza crust.  Celiacs, rejoice for I have made something of beauty.  I’ve been fiddling with my soft buns recipe to try and make the rise more complete when I lucked upon something that made the best GF pizza I have yet eaten.  Here it be.

Ingredients:
2 oz pineapple juice
1 cup water (120 degrees F)
5 tblsp granulated sugar, separated
2 tblsp active dry yeast
1 cup potato starch
3/4 cup masa harina
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tblsp xanthan gum
1/2 tblsp salt
2 jumbo eggs
waxed paper (not for eating)

Directions:
1.  For yeast slurry, add pineapple juice and water to a 2+ cup container.  Add 3 tblsp sugar and stir well before adding yeast.  Allow to proof up to 10 minutes, but if your yeast is happy, it should start making bubbles by about 3 minutes.

2.  In the workbowl of your mixer, combine flours, starches, gum, remaining sugar and salt and fluff with paddle attachment.  Add eggs one at a time and fully incorporate before adding the next.  Last, add your yeast slurry.

3.  Mix on med-low until the dough starts to climb the paddle.  Switch to the hook and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough all holds together and is annoyingly sticky.  If your mix is too dry, try adding water a very, very little at a time (1 tsp. at a time is plenty) while you knead with the hook.

4.  Measure out 8 1/2 oz of dough and stick it to some wax paper that’s about twice as long as it is wide.  You’ll want to fold the wax paper over with the dough in the middle to roll out your dough (roll it between 1/8 and 1/4 inch).  Leave your waxed paper packets out at room temperature for at least an hour (90 minutes is better) for the yeast to do its thing.  It’s subtle, but I promise they are working!  Toss your wax paper packets into the freezer for up to an hour or until the dough is easier to handle (it will never be easy to handle, so let that dream go).  When it’s chilled, gently pull the waxed paper loose and deposit onto an appropriately sized cookie sheet or pizza pan.

Bread didn't do so well, but pizza did. Turn it out onto a cookie sheet or something. I like to turn my cookie sheets upside down for this sort of thing because it makes baked goods easier to get off later.

5.  I like to crimp the edge of my pizza dough over itself to make it sort of look like a real pizza.  That’s optional, just watch for spills.  Slip your **ROOM TEMPERATURE** shaped pizza dough into a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes.  Be sure to dock it (poke holes in it with a fork) or you risk explosion.

PS. Don't freak if your pizza looks less like this and more like Austrailia. Austrailia tastes good, too.

6.  After 20 minutes, pull your crust and allow to cool enough to handle.  Dress with your favorite sauce, toppings, cheese, tofu, gravy or whatever else floats your boat.  Stick it back in that oven for 15 minutes (you didn’t turn it off, did you?).  Allow pizza to cool at least 5 minutes before slicing.

After first baking (20 minutes at 350).

Dress your pizza. You never need as much sauce or cheese as you might think, so go easy!!

Once in the oven and back, this is your finished product. Cut and serve!! Try not to cut your sheet pans like I did. Old habits die hard.