Gluten-Free Pizza

Everyone loves a good pizza, whether it is a weekly dinner, occasional treat or to celebrate a special occasion. Most people will either order pizza as a takeaway or in some lucky households, make them from scratch.

With limited choices of ready-made or home-delivered gluten-free pizza, making homemade is the only option. Before I created this recipe, I resorted to a tiny frozen store-bought frisbee pizza that tastes like cardboard, although I did jazz it up with my favourite additional toppings and this compensated for the tasteless crust.

The gluten-free pizzas in the photos show the results of an authentic crust and delicious toppings. You’ll never buy one again after making this recipe!

Creating a gluten-free pizza base

Surprisingly, I ended up finding out that my gluten-free naan bread recipe is super pizza friendly! As I like my pizza to puff up at the sides and have a satisfying chew, it made sense to use this recipe. The only change I made was increasing the salt slightly.

Hot Oven

This is an uncomplicated, gluten-free pizza dough that will give you perfect pizza bases providing it is baked in a very hot oven.

Recently, I watched a CNN special with Stanley Tucci making pizza in Italy. I was so envious seeing him sampling beautifully puffed up and slightly charred pizzas topped with fresh, local ingredients. Of course, it helps to have a pizza oven that can reach temperatures of 500°C/930°F. I reckon even the worst pizza dough recipe would end up being rescued by that searing heat!!

 
Pizza Stone, Baking Tray or Pizza Oven – which one works best?
Pizza Stone

These round pizza stones fit a family size pizza and give a traditional crisp, evenly cooked base. They withstand very high temperatures and are easy to clean once cooled down completely.

Baking Tray

It is better to use a baking tray with no raised sides to make sliding the pizza base on and off easier. Alternatively, a baking tray can be flipped over and the base can be used to bake the pizza. The tray should be strong and resistant to high temperatures. Usually, the tray that originally came with the oven will be suitable.

Pizza Oven

I have had two plug-in pizza oven appliances, The first one was over-worked and eventually stopped working. The second one was gifted to me last year and works a dream. It makes pizza in literally minutes. This is the fastest and the best energy-saving way to make pizzas, especially if you are planning to only make one pizza.

Most kitchen appliance stores, kitchen speciality shops or online shopping sites will sell pizza ovens at a reasonable price.

Pizza Topping Suggestions
Sliced pepperoni
Anchovies
Black or green olives
Prosciutto
Ham
Pineapple
Sliced onions
Sliced garlic
Pickled jalapeños
Fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes
Artichoke pieces
Mushrooms
Peppers/Capsicum
Baby spinach leaves
Goats cheese
Homemade Pesto
A bowl of homemade pesto sauce decorated with some basil leaves
An adobe photo of gluten-free pizza
two whole gluten-free pizzas on display

Gluten-Free Pizza

by Sandra - Fun Without Gluten
This is an uncomplicated, gluten-free pizza dough that will give you perfect pizza bases providing it is baked in a very hot oven.
Included in the recipe card is a basic Italian tomato pizza sauce and a fuss-free Neapolitan Margherita topping.
Enjoy topping the pizza crust with the suggested toppings in my blog or have fun creating your own for a fun pizza night with friends and family.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Pizza Dough Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Kids' Meals, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 2 pizzas

Equipment

  • Pizza stone, or
  • High-heat resistant baking tray with no raised sides, or
  • Pizza oven
  • Pizza peel (optional)

Ingredients
  

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA BASE

    Dry Ingredients

    Wet Ingredients

    • 350 ml warm milk
    • 280 ml Greek or thick yoghurt
    • 3 tbsp olive oil

    Extras

    • Tapioca flour, for dusting & shaping the pizza bases
    • Olive oil, for brushing the dough and tray
    • Cornmeal or polentas, for sprinkling on the tray

    PIZZA TOPPINGS

      BASIC TOMATO PIZZA SAUCE

      • 4 tbsp Passata or good quality tinned tomato sauce
      • 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
      • ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
      • salt and pepper, to taste

      NEAPOLITAN MARGHERITA TOPPING

      • 1 ball buffalo mozzarella cheese, drained and torn into small pieces
      • 1 sprig fresh basil leaves, whole or torn into rough pieces
      • fresh rocket/arugula leaves, to scatter over the pizza
      • olive oil, for drizzling
      • freshly cracked black pepper
      • chilli flakes, to garnish

      Instructions
       

      BASIC TOMATO PIZZA SAUCE

      • In a small bowl, mix all the basic tomato pizza sauce ingredients together. Set aside.

      GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA BASE

        Making the pizza dough

        • In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
        • In a measuring jug, mix the wet ingredients together.
        • Using a wooden spoon, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
        • Once all the ingredients have come together as a slightly sticky dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for one hour in a warm place.
          the gluten-free pizza dough formed before resting and rising in warm place

        Assembling the pizza

        • Once the pizza dough has finished rising, knead the dough for 5 minutes. Press the dough against the bowl to catch all the excess dough and flour.
          The raised pizza dough before kneading it into pizza bases
        • Add more tapioca flour if the dough feels too sticky. The dough should feel smooth and easy to handle.
        • Dust the countertop with tapioca flour and divide the pizza dough into equal size balls. Cover them with a tea towel.
        • Using your fingers, gently press the dough ball outwards into a flat disc leaving a 3cm border around the edges. Flip over and repeat, continuously pressing out until the dough can no longer stretch without tearing. 22cm is the usual diameter of the pizza. Sprinkle plenty of tapioca flour on the counter, dough and your hands. Work relatively quickly.
          The pizza dough being stretched and formed into a pizza base with a raised crust

        Cooking the pizzas

        • Preheat the oven to 250°C/480°F.
        • Place a pizza stone or high-heat resistant baking tray that has no raised sides on the second-highest shelf. This helps the pizza to easily slide onto the tray and for easy removal when cooked.
        • Leave to heat up for 30 minutes.
        • Carefully bring the hot pizza stone or tray out and rest it on a heatproof countertop or wooden board.
        • Sprinkle the pizza stone or tray with the cornmeal/polenta. This helps give a crispy base.
        • Place the pressed-out pizza dough onto the tray and brush the top with more olive oil. You will need to use a well-floured spatula or two to help transfer the dough to the tray. If you have a pizza peel, this is a great help to slide it from the counter to the tray.
          A pizza peel shown for easy transferring of the pizza in and out of the oven.
        • Return the tray back to the oven on the second-highest shelf for 5 minutes.
        • Spread two tablespoons of the pizza sauce on each pizza, followed by the torn mozzarella pieces. Return the pizza to the oven and cook for a final 4 to 5 minutes.

        Garnishing

        • Garnish each pizza with fresh basil leaves, fresh rocket leaves, a drizzle of olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper and some chilli flakes.

        Serving

        • Rest the pizza on a wooden board for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
          a whole round ready-made gluten-free pizza resting for 5 minutes before being sliced

        Notes

        • Keeps for 2 days chilled
        • Reheat pizza slices covered in foil in a moderate oven 
        • Cooked pizza bases are suitable to freeze
        Keyword gluten-free american, gluten-free italian, gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pizza base
        Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
        Please mention @fun_without_gluten or tag #funwithoutgluten!
        a gluten-free pizza slice
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