I generally don’t do gluten free flour mixes even though we avoid gluten. The pre-made mixes are too expensive (though I did snag some Pamela’s baking mix on recommendation while shopping recently), and mixing flours together myself takes too much organization. I’m also not interested in having to brush up on chemistry just to make a baked good stick together (hello xanthan gum, arrowroot, tapioca, guar gum)! I’m sure I’d get the hang of it, but when simple works…
And it *does* work! Especially with things as forgiving as pizza crust. Pizza is typically a go-to when I’m all out ideas for anything more inspiring. It’s sure to please! Going gluten free, or even grain free, hasn’t stopped us from enjoying pizza, or made it any more complicated! Below are our favorite – simple – pizza crust recipes.
Flax seed - We liked this with tomato sauce, veggies, & cheese (see example below)
Cauliflower - Can’t believe you’re eating cauliflower! Really good, but not as simple as others. (this was so long ago that I can’t find a photo)
Socca (Chickpea Flour) – Really good with toppings or on its own with a dip! We loved it with spinach artichoke dip! (see example below)
Coconut Flour Pizza Crust - This is our favorite, and the only one of all of these that I make regularly. I’ve made so many times that I really thought I’d be able to write up my own recipe with modifications, but when I made it again last night I realized that really, the original recipe is just so darn good that it doesn’t need changes. We love topping it with “traditional” pizza toppings, or things like hummus and black olives, onions, chicken, and tomatoes. A word of warning: DO NOT skip the parchment paper! You’ll regret it! We enjoy the recipe split it half as she suggests, and made into one thicker crust. You can see the difference below – the first photo uses half the recipe, the second uses the whole:
Did you see my coconut flour cookie recipe the other day? And did you know that I am currently hosting a giveaway for Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour? You could win enough flour for many many of these crusts! Enter before the 23rd!
I made socca pizza a week or two ago. Love it! Even Randy and my mom liked it, and they’re usually a little more leery of non-conventional stuff like that. I’ll have to try the coconut flour crust!
I hear you on keeping it simple. When I first went gluten free, I stocked up on all these different flours and starches, and xanthan gum. They took up so much room in my fridge, and were such a pain. Not to mention most blogs and cookbooks have their own all-purpose gf flour blend for their recipes, so you have to make a big batch of that if you want to make any of their recipes. Now that we have a colicky (but sweet!) little one, I had a little sit-down talk with myself about simplifying several areas of my life, and this was one of them. Now I only keep almond flour, coconut flour, and garbanzo bean flour on hand. I’m not totally grain free–we do enjoy the brown rice pasta, and I’m not opposed to buying some pre-made gf goods if the price is right. But I figure paring down the ingredients is better for my health (low carb!) and my sanity. :)
Another (not low-carb) gluten free grain to have handly of course, is oats. I know you already use them. I’ve really been enjoying all of the recipes I’ve found lately that use ground up rolled oats as a flour – very dense and comforting, and great for lactation! Probably not so much for pizza though… ;)
I’ll definitely have to give these a try! Pizza is one thing that I haven’t been super satisfied with yet (but I’m thinking I’m just going to have to let it go a bit). Here are two recipes we enjoy:
This one doesn’t use any grains/flour substitutes at all…just different cheeses and eggs (http://glutenfreeeasily.com/flourless-gluten-free-pizza/)
And this one is basically the recipe for chebe brand pizza crust–super easy to mix up quickly and we all really like it! (http://my-extraordinary-life.blogspot.com/2010/06/mini-pizza-just-right-for-kids.html).
As far as gf flours go, I do have a lot on hand, but mostly for thickening different recipes of sauces and for making things like cream of chicken soup. I try to avoid any replacement of flour b/c it does get super expensive. The one thing we will splurge on is the corn/quinoa pasta b/c it is just so yummy! I prefer it to regular gluten filled pasta!
mmmm! That first recipe looks amazingly yummy! Will have to try it soon!