Pizzas have been a no go in this house for some time. I haven't been able to find a gluten free pizza base that both the kids like and also one that the other half would happily eat, the gluten fiend. A few weeks back I decided to make some GF pies and after having an absolute disaster with the packet pastry I bought that ended up in the bin, I tried my hand at making my own. I am not the worlds best baker by any means but I have to say that the pastry I conjured up was a total triumph and the pies even got my mum's nod of approval. Of course I hadn't started blogging at that point so the pies will be included in here at some stage down the track, although luckily I did write down what I put in the pastry, just not the filling and I have CRAFT disease.....can't remember a frigging thing.
Since the pastry was soooo delicious, yesterday I decided to use the same flour blend to make some pizza dough. I have, sorry correction, I had never made pizza dough without following a recipe before because I don't trust my baking skills, but this stuff was, and I don't like to use this word in this context but it really was.....awesome! We decided that it could very easily become a staple and I might even see if I can adapt the recipe into a bread of some sort.....especially now that I know I should never underestimate my baking abilities. Perhaps I have a hidden talent I never knew about....best I explore that then hey?
The topping posed a challenge to my brain too. There aren't many failsafe pizza toppings, especially when one child can't have dairy, now are there? So I got creative and improvised. For the meat I used "sizzle steaks" that I get from Woolworths. They are very thin slices of beef, about 2mm thick. Not batted out flat like a schnitzel, sliced like cold cuts. In fact, during summer, we used them as cold cuts and they are so versatile since they only take 20 seconds to cook. Yes, just 20 seconds....I timed it last night. I was putting 4 in the pan at a time and by the time I had the fourth piece in I had to turn the first and by the time I had turned the fourth, the first was done. I let them cool then sliced them into strips. Perfect pizza topping!
For the base:
1 cup of besan (chickpea) flour
175g of arrowroot
1/2 cup of quinoa flour
1/2 cup of rice flour
2 1/2 tsp guar gum
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
60 ml of oil
Mix all the flours, guar gum and salt in a large bowl and mix really well. Whisk the flour gently to aerate. (I'm a little lazy and never sift but you could if you prefer). Dissolve the sugar in the water and stir in the yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes or until it's a little frothy on top. Add the oil to the yeast mixture, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet stuff. Using your hands, slowly incorporate all the dry ingredients in with the yeast mixture and knead gently to form a dough. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place until required. Please note that it does not puff up like dough that is made from regular wheat flour. Divide the dough into 4 and roll out to about 2 or 3mm thick. I found it easier to handle by placing the dough on some baking paper before rolling, then picked up the paper and flipped the dough onto a greased tray.
For the topping:
There's no real recipe for this, just whatever you like really but here is what I did.
1/2 of a butternut pumpkin, roasted
1 potato sliced and cooked in the microwave for about 5 minutes
sizzle steaks cooked and sliced (you could use whatever meat you like as long as it's cooked and sliced)
1/2 a leek sauteed in a little oil until tender
pear sauce
mozzarella cheese
salt
garlic powder
To assemble, spread some pear sauce on the base. If using cheese, sprinkle a little over the sauce then add the other toppings in whatever order you desire. Finishing off with a little extra cheese. Still yummy if no cheese is used though, the toppings just don't stick as well. Bake at 180 degrees until the base is golden and crispy around the edges......I forgot to time how long it took, my bad.
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