I love pizza. My stomach, however, does not. Even with my Italian roots (thanks, beautiful mama!) and having grown up gorging on pizza, pasta, cutlets and everything cheese and carbs, I have trouble digesting pizza today. Most of the time, I just suck it up, take the stomach ache, and eat the pizza because it is soooo good, and also, because there really are no alternatives. But that all changed on Tuesday night.
Thanks not only to Babycakes NYC and Erin McKenna's latest cookbook, but also to DAIYA cheese, an amazing brand of faux cheese that is dairy-free, case-in free and soy-free and doesn't taste like cardboard, I was able to make a yummy vegan gluten free pizza that my stomach would stand for!
Does it taste like real pizza? Honestly - of course not! Without yeast to make the dough rise and the gluten that so many of us have a love hate relationship with, you don't get the chewy crust that you're used to. And don't think I'm fooling myself - Daiya cheese, though it may be delicious, doesn't taste a thing like the mozzarella cheese that I hold near and dear to my heart. But there are a few other elements to eating pizza that this creation satisfies. Nostalgia and texture.
If you're like me, picking up a slice of pizza with your hands and taking a bite will take you back. And there is something about the texture of a crust topped with gooey cheese that makes you want to keep eating even if you're full. Those very important elements are satisfied with this recipe.
And guess what! It tastes great too!
You can choose whatever toppings you want, including tomato sauce, but I opted for something different:
Basil oil as my sauce, and roasted cherry tomatoes and caramelized onions as my toppings. Here's how you do it:
Gluten Free Vegan Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
6 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil, + 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cold water
Cornmeal
Toppings:
Basil Oil
25g basil leaves
75ml Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Cherry Tomatoes:
1 package cherry tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Caramelized Onions:
8 medium sized onions, sliced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare your cherry tomatoes: cut them in half, and place on a pan with olive oil (enough to just cover them), salt and pepper to taste. Roast them for 40 minutes.
Prepare your onions: Heat a pan over medium-high heat with olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place the onions in, tossing them with a wooden spoon to ensure they are all covered with oil. After about ten minutes, add a pinch of salt and a few teaspoons of sugar to help with the caramalization process. Fry them until they are brown, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
Mix your dough: Whisk your dry ingredients together, and once mixed, add all of your wet ingredients, including the garlic. Combine with a rubber spatula. Cover the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cover a flat surface with corn meal. Place the dough on top. Place more corn meal on top of the dough (this prevents sticking). Roll it out. This might not be pretty, as you can see :) I actually ended up rolling is out with my fingers and a rolling pin directly on the pan. See what works for you!
Once rolled out to the desired thickness (1/4 inch is great), place it in a 350 oven for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare your basil oil: place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until a nice sauce is formed (it will look like pesto, but a bit runnier).
Take the pizza out of the oven and spread basil oil over the top. Then top with tomatoes and onions. Then top with daiya cheese. Place it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted to desired consistency.
Yummy! Pizza that your sensitive tummy can enjoy!
Lauren
xxx
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