Tag Archives: pizza

Thin Crust Pepper Pizza

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170125 Thin Crust Pizza-4296

Some people like their pizzas nice and thick. I published a wonderful recipe like that about a year ago (type in “pizza” in the search bar). Others want the crust really, really thin. This is a recipe for a really, really thin pizza crust that will have wonderful texture and won’t break when being handled. With this pizza I’m also posting my favorite red pepper pizza sauce (can also be used for many other dishes).

Makes 8 small pizzas

Sauce:
300 g roasted red peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed

Toppings:
Red onion
Mozzarella pieces
Mushrooms, sliced
Rocket salad
Grated cheese

Pizza crust:
12 g fresh yeast
300 ml room temperature water (plus some more to ensure you have a loose/sticky dough)
300 ml rice flour
150 ml buckwheat
50 ml cornstarch
2 tbsp psyllium husk (finely ground)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp agave or rice syrup

Baking parchment (oven proof paper) enough for 8 small pizzas.

1. Combine the yeast with 50 ml water. Let proof for 10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining water and other ingredients for the crust. Mix well. You want a sticky dough, if too dry add some more water.
3. Let rise for 4 hours under plastic wrap.
4. Set the oven to 225 C and, if using a pizza stone, place the stone in the cold oven. Otherwise, place a baking tray in the oven.
5. Take out the dough, using rice flour, work it into a ball. Divide into 8 smaller balls.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 2 mm thick pizza round. Place on a baking parchment. Make only one pizza at the time (or more if they can fit into the oven at the same time).
7. Combine all ingredients for the sauce, run in a blender.
8. Spread the sauce on top, add the sliced mushrooms, mozzarella pieces, red onion and the grated cheese on top.
9. Place the pizza (on the paper) on the baking tray or the pizza stone.
10. Put in the hot oven, bake for 12-15 minutes.
11. Add the rocket salad.

Charred tomatoes:
Vine tomatoes
Olive oil
Butan torch

1. Brush the tomatoes with some olive oil, avoiding the greens.
2. Using a butan torch, scorch the skin of the tomatoes, avoiding the greens as much as possible.

Aubergine Bites

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This dish can be made into small appetizer bites, or, served as a large “pizza”. If you want to make it vegetarian, substitute the anchovies with sliced shiitake mushroom marinated in 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp tamari soy sauce, 1 tsp olive oil, dash of salt.

Either you buy a ready-made puff pastry (Schaer sells frozen “Millefoglie”) or you use this recipe to make your own, simplified version:

350 g gluten free, non self-rising flour (about 600 ml)
150 g butter
½ tsp salt
150 ml sour cream
1 tbsp cold water
Process flour, salt and butter in mixer until crumbly dough. Add the sour cream and mix, then add the water. Refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.

100 g parmesan cheese, grated

2 aubergines
Olive oil

5 onions, sliced
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
100 g canned fillets of anchovies, cut into slivers (or your own, marinated shiitake mushrooms)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
50 g chopped black olives
50 g chopped marinated, sundried tomatoes

1. Make (or buy) the puff pastry.
2. Slice the aubergine, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 215 C for 25 minutes, turning once. When done, cut each slice into slivers
3. Slice the onion thinly, sauté with the garlic in some olive oil until soft. Add the salt, sugar and thyme and gently fry the onion another 10 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out to about 1 cm thickness. With a cookie cutter, make small rounds of the dough. On each round, sprinkle some parmesan, add some caramelized onion and aubergines. Finish by topping with a small sliver of anchovy. Lightly drizzle with red wine vinegar. OR, just cover an oven tray with the dough (on baking parchment) and spread the toppings over the dough base. After it is baked, cut into squares.
5. Bake in oven at 225C for 20 minutes.
6. When baked, decorate with olives and tomatoes.

Perfect Pizza

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A rustic, delicious pizza – it does not taste nor look gluten free!
Gluten free pizza is sometimes hard, crumbly and stale. This recipe overcomes all that. You will have a dough that is elastic and easy to handle and a ready pizza with a thin beautiful crust. Try spinning it the air to make it even thinner – I’m afraid I have not yet mastered the spinning technique myself though…
If you are fortunate enough to have a pizza stone – use it! The crust will turn out even better!

Serve as part of a Children’s Party Menu with:
Churros, Chocolate Maple Sauce, Very Blueberry Scones, Banana Choco Bread and Grandma’s Chocolate Balls.

200 ml water, 37C

Up to 50 ml additional water
20 g fresh yeast (or 7g dry used as per the manufacturers advice)
1 tbsp Psyllium Husk
50 ml olive oil
1 tsp salt
350 g gluten free flour (not self rising)
1 tsp baking powder

Tomato sauce:
6 plum tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1,5 tbsp oregano
fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt

Pizza toppings:
2-3 tbsp tomato puree
Sliced ham
Grated cheese

The sauce:
1. Set the oven to 200C
2. Place the tomatoes in shallow casserole, sprinkle the other sauce ingredients on top. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. When done, let cool slightly, then puree in food processor. Set to cool further.

The pizza dough:
1. Keep the oven at 200C. Make sure you have heat from above and below.
2. Dissolve the yeast and Psyllium Husk into 200 ml water. Let stand 10 minutes to form a gel.
3. Add the oil and the salt. Stir carefully.
4. Add the baking powder to the flour.
5. In a stand mixer (or in a bowl using the dough hooks of an electric mixer), pour in the yeast mixture and gradually add the flour mix. Work the dough for about 10 minutes. If the dough is too hard, add a few drops of the additional water, but do this slowly – just a few drops at the time. Work the dough a few more minutes so that the extra water is well mixed in.
6. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Roll out the dough very thinly with a rolling pin . If sticky, sprinkle some flour on the pin.

Assembly:
1. Spread tomato paste on the pizza. Fold up 2 cm of dough all around the pizza to make a small “wall”
2. Spoon the tomato sauce on top.
3. Sprinkle with ham and then the cheese.
4. Place in oven on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes.

Pizza making7229

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

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For a while now I have been trying to figure out the perfect recipe for a cauliflower crusted pizza. This one is a winner. I used a pizza stone, which I highly recommend you to get. It gives the perfect crust and is easy to work with. You can find pizza stones in most kitchenware stores. However, if you do not have the time to purchase or the space in the kitchen, you can do without it. Just put the pizza with the parchment paper on a baking tray.
I have given some options on topping for your pizza, but not the specific amount. You know best how you like your pizza, so experiment! To avoid eating all the topping in the kitchen prepare some dates with blue cheese and parma ham to have available while cooking. Finish off your dinner with a fresh fruit salad with cinnamon-star anis sirup and homemade vanilla ice-cream.

Serves 2

For the crust:
1 medium sized cauliflower
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
20 g shredded parmesan cheese
20 g shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper

For the tomato sauce:
1/2 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 canned tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp caster sugar
salt and pepper

Optional topping:
mozarella, spiced
parmesan, grated
slices of parma ham
baby asparagus, blanched
green beans, blanched
fresh basil, chiffonade
ruccola
pine nuts, roasted
balsamic vinegar

1. Pre-heat the pizza stone in the oven at 230 C. Make sure to put in the stone when the oven is cold, otherwise the stone may crack. For the best result, heat up the pizza stone for 40 minutes before baking the crust.
2. Wash and dry the cauliflower. Cut off the florets and steam for 7 minutes, or until tender. For the steaming process, place a steaming rack in a pot and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, not touching the rack. Bring the water to the boil, add the florets and let steam with lid on.
3. Prepare the tomato sauce by frying onion and garlic in oil in a pan until soft. Add the tomato paste and fry for another minute. Pour in the canned tomato and dried basil, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pulse the steamed cauliflower florets in a food processor for 30 seconds, until you get a powder. Wrap up the powder in a dish towel and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible (this will make the crust hold together better). Put into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients for the pizza crust and mix well.
5. Using your hands, form the dough into a crust on the parchment paper. Slide the crust onto the hot pizza stone and bake in the oven for 11 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown. photo 5 6. Taste the tomato sauce and add sugar, salt and peppar. Taste and season more if needed.
7. Once the crust is ready take it out. Add the tomato sauce, mozzarella slices and grated parmesan. Place back into the oven for another 7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden.
8. Remove the pizza from the oven, add the slices of parma ham, the vegetables, basil, ruccola, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. Voila!