At almost every party, every school event, every get together with a group of friends, what is the one food that is always there? Pizza. There’s almost no question about it.
Birthdays? Boom - pizza. Movie night? Yup let’s order in. Basically, where I’m from, if I’m going to any social gathering I can best bet they’re serving pizza. I mean I can’t really blame anyone, who doesn’t love pizza right?
I know I do.
I mean I'm part Italian too so it's practically built into my genes. Not to mention, pizza is usually cheap, easy to find, and it feeds a lot of people. Unless I’m there… because aaahh..haha… oops. You’ll find me with a plate stacked high. Yeah… I was that girl. Let’s be honest here, I still am. But now that I’m vegan, I have to get a little creative.
I used to make a cauliflower crust pizza and I still do from time to time but to be completely honest, when your craving pizza, your CRAVING PIZZA. That fluffy crust and thick cheese…. veggie crust, while still great, just doesn’t always cut it if I’m in that mood.
Not only did I want to make a GOOD pizza crust, I wanted to make a healthy and gluten-free crust that I could eat without feeling like I just ate a bowl full of white pasta. So I used a combination of flours - brown rice and oat flour - to get in some healthy whole grains and chickpea flour to give it a boost of plant-based protein.
Also, when baking gluten-free, using a blend of multiple flours (low protein and high protein ones) helps create the right texture when the dough bakes under high heat.
The xanthan gum acts like gluten, helps bind it together, and makes it rise. The xanthan gum needs something acidic to activate it, and that's why it needs the applesauce.
Very Important Tips for Success
1. I specifically used pizza dough yeast which is a rapid rise yeast.
This is great because once the dough is mixed you can spread it right on the pan and throw it straight into the oven. The worst part about my other failed attempts at making pizza dough was the amount of wait time needed for the dough to rise. It’s extremely inconvenient and I found that rapid rise yeast makes the recipe a lot simpler.
2. When all of the ingredients are mixed together the dough will be very very wet and sticky.
It makes it hard to spread unless you're careful.
I wet a silicon spatula (one usually used for baking) and roll all of the dough into a tight ball in the bowl that I mixed it in.
Then I put the dough ball onto a greased/parchment paper-lined pan. You have to wet the spoon/spatula repeatedly as you spread out the dough so that it doesn’t stick.
Then add your sauce and toppings and bake for 30-45 minutes at 400º F.
I find that the longer it bakes, the better it tastes. That’s why I love second day pizza! Because it’s much crisper on the bottom. But if you prefer your pizza softer, take it out after about 30 minutes.
Feel free to get creative! When I was little I used to order the double supreme pizzas with everrrrything on them - peppers, mushrooms, onions, olives, tomatoes, and so much more. Now I like to top mine with mushrooms, spinach, and tofu!
Vegan & G-F Pizza Crust
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Servings: 8 Slices
Category: Lunch, Dinner, Vegan, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
1 packet of Pizza Baking Rapid Rise Yeast
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4th tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup warm water - *temperature specified by packet*
To make the gluten-free flour blend:
1 cup oat flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
Directions
First, add the yeast to 1 cup of warm water at the specified temperature. Set it aside for about 5 minutes to activate.
To make the gf flour blend, sift all of the flours and the xanthan gum together in a bowl.
Add the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Pour the yeast/water mixture into the dry ingredients along with the apple sauce.
Mix well until a very wet dough forms. Knead with your hands for about 4 minutes until it is fluffy, spongy, and elastic.*
Use a wet, silicon spatula to collect all of the dough in the bowl and roll it into a ball.
Place the ball on a greased baking sheet and use the wet spatula to spread it out to the edges, leaving about an inch on the edge for when it rises and spreads in the oven.
Lastly, add tomato sauce, your desired toppings, and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes at 400ºF until golden and crisp!
Notes
*It's okay if it sticks to your hands. I recommend using gloves or wetting your hands.
Make sure to tag me if you make your own! I would love to see your recreations! Also, be sure to check out my Instagram - @nicolebolar.blog to see more recipe ideas!
Stay safe and healthy,
– Nicole