Vegan Easy Pizza Crust (Gluten-free)

I was very skeptical about this recipe. It just sounded too easy. Even the whole time I was making it, I was sure it was going to be a failure. I know, I’m such a positive thinker, right?! Much to my surprise, it actually turned out quite good!

I will definitely make it again. It’s not going to cure my craving for Domino’s (non- gluten-free) thin crust cheese & pineapple pizza (I’m so high-class), but I was still impressed. I think round two will be even better. I’ll use less water (so it’s hopefully crisper) and I’ll add a few herbs/spices to the dough.

I found this recipe on a blog called Ginger Lemon Girl, which is dedicated to gluten-free baking and cooking. Carrie Forbes, the blog author, also wrote The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook.

I love the GF 101 and  GF Flours 101 pages on her blog. If you’re new to gluten-free (or even if you’re not), these pages and the rest of the blog are a great resource.

Of course, you can top your pizza crust with anything you like. Mine had vegan/gf pizza sauce, sliced tomato, basil leaves, mushrooms, green peppers and Daiya vegan cheese. The following recipe is for the crust only.

Yields 4 large slices (or 6-8 small ones)

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Ingredients:

• ¾ cup quinoa flour
• ¼ cup teff flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon rapid rise or bread machine yeast
• ½ teaspoon sugar (I used unrefined sugar)
• ½ cup warm water (+ additional if necessary)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

STEP 1
Preheat oven to 450º. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together everything EXCEPT for the water and olive oil.

STEP 2
Add in warm water and stir together with a fork. Stir into a ball of dough. If half a cup of water is not enough to create a stiff ball of dough, add 1 Tbsp. at a time until a stiff ball of dough forms. (In hindsight, I think I added too much water and probably should have added more flour to compensate. Just be sure to add a little water at a time and stir well each time.)

STEP 3
Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes. Prepare your toppings of choice while dough is resting.

STEP 4
Pour olive oil onto the parchment paper and spread into about a 12″ circle.

STEP 5
This is genius. Place ball of dough onto oiled parchment paper; cover with a large piece of plastic wrap and pat into about a 12″ circle (as pictured above). I formed a ridge on the edges, but that is up to you.

STEP 6
Peel off the plastic wrap and bake the dough for 10-12 minutes* until golden brown and crisp.

*My oven runs cool, so it always takes a bit longer. But this took a lot longer. I think I baked mine for a total of about 18 minutes or so (pre-toppings). It got quite dark in color but never burned. I think the parchment paper helps to prevent the bottom from burning. This is what I ended up with…

The edges started to firm up a bit, but the rest was not crispy at this point (maybe due to adding too much water).

STEP 7
Add desired toppings and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until toppings are heated through and cheese (or cheese substitute) is melted.

At this point, I was still convinced that the crust would be a soft, wimpy mess that wouldn’t hold up to my hefty toppings. But, after letting it cool off a bit, everything firmed up and even crisped up a little more. I was surprised at how much I liked it!

I found a new (to me) pizza/pasta sauce by Eden Organic that I LOVE. Check out the ingredients: Organic Roma Tomatoes, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Organic Basil, Organic Oregano, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Roasted Garlic, Organic Dried Onion, Organic Thyme.

That’s it! It’s light and flavorful and doesn’t have any ‘junk’ in it. Can’t wait to try it on pasta, too.

Buon appetito!