dear pizza, i missed you so much.

the fancy pizza

among some of the things i’ve been really, REALLY missing in my menu since quitting grains is pizza. i have tried and tried several crust replacements, including almond flour- too crumbly. flaxseed meal- too slimy. a combo of those 2- just strange. then i tried mushroom caps, meat topped with pizza toppings,…

ugh. nothing cut it. me want pizza. i’m sure you grain free foodies out there know what i’m talkin ’bout.

i did, finally, find a very suitable replacement recently. i had been reviewing the recipe for several months before trying it, wondering if i should tweak anything. then i got hungry and just went for it. i believe the original recipe came from tropical traditions website, but can no longer seem to find the page.

this isn’t quite doughy and stretchy like a gluten based pizza crust. it is, however, fairly sturdy and still moist. it as close to wheat pizza as i think i will ever come, and i am fine with that. the flavor is quite delicious. the coconut doesn’t come through at all, but a slight sweetness does, along with whatever you throw in for flavor. i must say that brian, my gluten loving counterpart, is quite fond of this pizza. i am not sure if he liked the fancy prosciutto and veggies version or the old school pepperoni and cheese version better, but he claims it is quite delicious.

though you could put some dried basil or oregano in the batter, i really liked mine simply with crushed garlic, salt, and a pinch of garlic powder.

you could do the traditional cheese and pepperoni, simply parbaking the crust then topping with sauce and cheese and pepperoni and baking again.

or you could go nuts like i did.

if you go nuts with ricotta, caramelized onion, mushrooms, asparagus, and prosciutto, there are a few more baking steps that are well worth it.

naked crust

no more waiting, here is the real deal:

coconut flour pizza crust

ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup full fat milk or coconut milk

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

method: preheat oven to 375f. place racks in center of oven. prep your favorite pizza pan by cutting parchment paper to fit the bottom of it. brush paper with olive oil.

it’s important to have your sauce, cheese, and toppings prepped and ready to go before you start your crust. caramelize your veg, season your sauce, whatever you gotta do.

lightly beat eggs, milk, and garlic (both) together in a bowl until smooth. no egg boogies.

sift remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.

mix wet ingredients with dry with a whisk until well combined. batter will be quite thin, then thicken up after a few minutes. it will be more like batter than dough.

spread batter evenly over prepped pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. remove from oven. carefully flip (bottom up)- i did this by placing a different baking sheet on top of it and flipping.

peel the parchment paper off of the crust.

sauced and cheesed

ingredients

1 tiny can tomato paste

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic

method: combine all ingredients. thin it out with 1/2 can of water. add more if it’s still a little thick.

cheese

1 cup ricotta

handful of fresh basil, chopped finely

s & p

method: combine all ingredients. taste it. add more s, p, or add garlic powder if desired.

toppings:

caramelized onions, roasted asparagus, roasted mushrooms, prosciutto

pizza assembly:

sauce your pizza, keeping it thin in the center to avoid mushyness.

drop clumps of ricotta on top of sauce. stick in the oven for 4-5 minutes, until cheese gets melty and puffy.

pull pizza from oven and heat up the broiler. put veggies on your pizza. top with prosciutto and put under the broiler for 1 minute, just long enough to crisp up the meat. keep your eye on the crust, it could burn easily.

outdoor dining

ps i do plan on an eggs & bacon breakfast version in the very near future.