Pizza At Last
Submitted by pastry chef
Gluten-free pizza with a rice and potato starch crust, topped with a slow-simmered roasted red pepper and tomato sauce. A revelation for celiac and wheat-free eaters.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
90 minREADY
120 minThis is the gluten-free pizza recipe that actually delivers. Two-thirds rice flour and one-third potato starch make a dough that spreads like cake batter rather than rolls out like wheat dough, but bakes into a chewy, golden crust nobody will call a sad gluten-free substitute. The trick is the consistency: thicker than runny, more like cake frosting that holds its shape when spread.
The sauce is the secret weapon. Roasted red peppers blackened under the broiler get peeled, then pureed with fresh tomatoes and garlic, then simmered for a full hour with honey, basil, and red pepper flakes. The roasting adds smoky sweetness, the long simmer concentrates the flavors, and a touch of honey balances the natural tomato acidity.
A shower of grated parmesan covers the sauce before baking. Twenty-five minutes at 425°F (220°C) and you have a pizza that converts gluten skeptics.
Pro Tips
- Broil the bell peppers until the skins blacken completely. The char is what gives the sauce its smoky depth.
- Steam the broiled peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes before peeling. The skins slip off effortlessly with this step.
- Simmer the sauce at least an hour, longer if you have time. The flavor concentrates as the water evaporates.
- Spread the dough in concentric circles from the center out, building up the edges slightly to form a sauce dam.
- Use a pizza stone if you have one. It gives the rice-flour crust a crispier bottom than a metal pan.
Variations
- Vegan: skip the parmesan or replace with nutritional yeast and chopped olives for a dairy-free version.
- Loaded veggie: top with sliced mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and spinach before the parmesan.
- White pizza version: skip the red sauce and use a thin layer of ricotta and roasted garlic instead.
Ingredients
Directions
To prepare topping core and seed red peppers and cut into strips.
Place peppers on aluminum foil lined baking sheet, skin side up, and place under brolier flame until skin is blackened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove to cool.
Peel off skins.
Cut tomatoes into sections, but do not remove the seeds and juice.
Purée ⅓ of the peppers, tomatoes and garlic in the blender or processor repeat with remaining ingredients 2 or more times.
Transfer tomato pepper mixture to large pan.
Add honey and salt.
Cook on high heat until mixture boils, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, untill mixture thickeness of sauce, at least 1 hour.
Add red pepper flakes and leaves from fresh basil.
Meanwhile prepare dough.
Dissolve yeast in large bowl in ½ cup warm water until dough achieves consistency of cake frosting, that spreads but not runs.
Grease 10X15 inch jelly roll or baking pan.
Pour batter down center and spread evenly with spatula into circle.
Raise edges slightly to hold topping sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese bake 425 degrees F until done 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven.
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