Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Pizza! Pizza!

I'm a Brooklyn girl, born and raised. If there's one thing Brooklynites know about, it's pizza. There were no fewer than 20 pizza joints within a three-mile radius of my high school. I was more than a little bummed out at the prospect of depriving my kids of such a tasty treat. After all, cheese + tomato sauce + bread=heaven (add some yummy toppings and we're talking ecstasy).

My favorite gfcf reference book, "Special Diets for Special Kids," has a recipe for a pizza (see below) which I make regularly for the kids. You can buy a gluten free pizza crust mix if you don't feel like making the crust from scratch. The Gluten Free Pantry makes a nice one. Make sure that when you buy the cheese for this that you check the ingredients carefully. Many alternative cheese products contain casein, so be careful.

Pizza

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Rice flour
1/4 oz. GF quick rise yeast
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Xantham gum
1 1/4 cup Warm water
1 Tbs. Honey
3 Tbs. Olive oil
1 cup Pasta sauce
mozzarella style soy cheese
Cornmeal ( if tolerated)
Your favorite pizza toppings

Combine flour, yeast, salt and xantham gum in a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the water, olive oil and honey. Work the dough with your hands (it will be soft and crumbly). Add just enough of the remaining 1/4 cup of water to hold mixture together.

Knead the dough in a bowl for five minutes. Cover, and let the dough rest for ten minutes.

Lightly grease a 12" pizza pan and sprinkle with a small handful of cornmeal. Flatten dough into a round disk and press dough into pan.

Top the pizza with sauce and your favorite toppings, then bake in a 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

I know I promised a photo of this pizza today, but I am still recovering from Halloween, so I'll try to photograph and post it tomorrow, when my hands are steadier(once the sugar buzz has subsided).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I just found you. Would you be willing to link to my Gluten Free cooking blog? I'd be happy to return the favor :)

Flamenco Mom said...

Certainly, I'd be glad to. Thanks for contacting me. I took a look at your site--I really like it.

Anonymous said...

I will definitely be trying this one. I thought I found a pizza recipe I like but am always willing to try another, especially from a former city gal. I am on the other side of the state in rural western NY...one of my sons lives in Manhattan, though.

Anonymous said...

Would you mind posting the best gluten free casein free cheese to use for pizza? I am new to the diet and I have a pizza loving kid.