My Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe

What do I miss most about eating gluten free? Pizza crust. Warm. Crunchy outer crust. Chewy, stretchy inner crust. Slightly burnt bottom crust. Crust! Crust! Crust!

Last year when I went gluten-free for a couple weeks to see if it would help my breast-feeding situation (it didn’t, because my baby really had tongue tie!), I tried making gluten-free pizza crust with a special “pizza crust” mix. It was … not good.

I have tried a few frozen gluten-free pizzas. An improvement but the flavor with the tomato sauce was all off. And they sat very heavy in my stomach.

Gluten Free Pizza Night was quite a challenge for us!!

As we have/had pizza nearly every Friday night, with homemade dough made by my husband, I have been desparate for a slice! 🙂 So last Friday, I decided not to follow any special recipe. Just to make the regular pizza but substitute gluten-free baking flour.

The same ratio left me with a batter-like dough, too drippy for a pizza crust, so I added more flour until I got a soft cookie dough-like paste. My husband had to pat this onto a cookie sheet, and make it fairly thin, as gluten-free dough does not tend to rise much, I have found.

The results: a not-too-heavy, good-tasting crust that melded well with sauce and cheese. I usually can eat about 4 slices of pizza, and with this dough I only got through 3 because it was definitely heavier than regular crust. But still tasty! I was pleasantly surprised!

I had previously shared this post with readers in October of 2011, but I know there’s a growing number of gluten free families, so I thought I’d share it again to remind you, and for new readers! I hope you enjoy!

Gluten free Pizza Crust Recipe

An easy gluten-free pizza crust dough that, in my opinion, actually tastes decent. (and I’m picky!).

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 package pizza crust yeast (yes, there is a specific yeast for pizza crust!)
• 1 tsp white sugar (honey can be substituted)
• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free baking flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/8 cup Hazelnut oil*
• Pinch Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 500 F.
2. Mix warm water, yeast, sugar in a bowl. Let the yeast “proof” for about 5 minutes. It should get foamy.
3. Add flour, salt and oil and mix well. I used our KitchenAid mixer with the bread hook for a few minutes on med-low speed.
4. Dough should have a slightly sticky cookie dough consistency. If still runny or batter-like, add more flour.
5. Remove from mixing bowl with floured hands and knead several times adding extra flour if it is sticking to your fingers. Get it just to the point where it doesn’t stick to your fingers.
6. Pat onto a greased cookie sheet about 1/4 inch thick – you can make it round or square.
7. Add sauce and toppings.
8. Bake at 500 degrees F until crust is slightly browned.
9. Enjoy!

Notes
*I used Hazelnut oil just to try something new – and the results were really good. Typically I would’ve used vegetable oil. I think the Hazelnut oil is lighter, and may have allowed for a lighter crust than I have gotten before with Gluten-free flours.

You can use this recipe with regular flour, just reduce the flour to 2 cups.

PIN THIS–>> to your Gluten Free or Pizza board on Pinterest to save for later!!

What are your suggestions for a great-tasting gluten-free pizza or other gluten-free dinner dish?