The Pizza Crust Thread

[GlutenFreeManna]

There was discussion on another thread of pizza crusts and I thought perhaps we could start a thread to keep all the info in one place. So here it is! Share which pre-made crusts, pre-made pizzas, crust mixes and recipes you have tried and what the results were. Costs and how labor intensive is a good thing to share too. I'll share mine with my first post in this thread.

Here are some past discussions/recipes:

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/78531-gluten-free-pizza-crust-mix/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/66285-need-to-find-a-good-gluten-free-pizza-crust-recipe/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/63193-against-the-grain-pizza-crust-review/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/72285-rice-base-pizza/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/57344-good-gluten-free-pizza-crust/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/66922-glutino-frozen-pizza/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/70043-best-gluten-free-pizza-crust-recipe/

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/69759-help-i-miss-pizza/

[GlutenFreeManna]

Pre-made crusts I've tried:

Knickkinick: Comes frozen in a little four pack of small rectangular crusts. I did not care for these at all. They had the consistency and flavor of drywall to me. they didn't get crispy but were not really soft either. Okay for an emergency pizza craving if you can top with a ton of toppings and eat with a fork (they will break too easily with lots of toppings).

EnerG: Comes in a shelf-stable pouch sort of like a boboli crust. Tasted like cardboard to me however. Not good even for an emergency crust.

Mixes I've tried:

Chebe: I liked this--it was easy to make dairy free and different. It is a little rubbery and doesn't get crispy but at least it doesn't disinigrate under the toppings. This is a good option for a quick homemade crust as it takes very little tiem to mix and bake. The cons to this are that the crust can be really hard to mix (like making cement) and sticks to the pan (even non-stick with lots of oil) unless you put down parchment paper or foil.

Bob's Red mill pizza crust mix: before I figured out I couldn't have BRM products I tried this mix. The crust tasted like a burnt cornbread and crumbled much like cornbread when I tried to pick up a slice. It was so bad I actually threw it away (unlike the other bad pre-made crusts which wer ebad tastign but I ate anyway).

Recipes I've tried:

King Arthur's gluten-free crust reciep from their blog: Open Original Shared Link

This is by far the BEST recipe I have made. I have not tried many others because this one tastes so close to deep dish gluten pizza from Pizza Hut. The cons to this crust are that it takes a long time to make by the time you wait for the yeast to proof and wait for two rises. It also can stick and is a little messy to spread out, but as long as you put down parchment and re-wet your hands a lot it',s not that bad. I leave out the buttermilk powder that is called for and use coconut or almond milk (warmed up on the stove) in place of the warm water.

[love2travel]

Thanks for starting this thread! I knew you would.

Commercial crusts I have tried:

Kinnikinnick - man, what can I say? Just plain wrong. Wrong flavour, wrong texture. Rating: 2/10. OK. Maybe a 3/10 for effort or up to 5/10 if grilled.

Udi's - very crispy but as it has a neutral flavour it takes toppings well. The crust itsels is also strong (i.e. doesn't bend like K crust or a cheap paper plate). Pretty good if you like crispy crust. Rating: 7-8/10 (if you like crispy). Caution - do NOT over cook these as they are thin and can become hard and brittle (I did this once).

El Peto (I think) - the crusts come in several flavours including millet, basil, etc. I like that the basil crust has tons of herbs in the crust. Not fabulous but it will do in a pinch. I like it, don't love it. If I remember correctly, little packets of pizza sauce come with it. Softer crust. Rating: 7/10 for what it is.

Have not tried EnerG but have no desire to considering their bread should be banned from human consumption. Does EnerG make anything that tastes like food?

Have not seen Chebe - am guessing it is a U.S. thing.

Have not tried any mixes. Just not a mix person but perhaps I should give it a go!

As I mentioned before, grilling gluten-free pizza makes a huge difference to the flavour and texture (either on the indoor grill or outside BBQ). You get the great char. My preference for pizza crust is homemade by FAR. Will post some recipes later...

[jerseyangel]

This one

'New York Style' Pizza Crust

Makes one 16" pizza crust or two smaller crusts - foldable floppy and not crispy.

2 tablespoons rapid-rise yeast

1 1l3 cup warm milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1l3 cup brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

2 teaspoons guar gum

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons gelatin powder

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons apple cidar vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk and sugar.

In separate large bowl, blend together dry ingredients.

Stir in yeast mixture.

Add oil and apple cider vinegar.

Mix well.

Pat onto buttered and floured sheet - sprinkle flour on top of dough before you pat down, to avoid sticking to hands.

Rub olive oil on top of patted out dough.

Bake plain untopped crust for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and add toppings.

Return to oven and finish baking for another 20 minutes.

From this thread--

is very good.

I actually prefer the Gluten Free Pantry Mix.

[kareng]

GFM -

Thanks for starting this! Bored this afternoon? That took some time to accumulate!

[love2travel]

OK - this is one crust I like quite a lot. I like others better but this is definitely one of the better ones. I have posted others on here somewhere...

Open Original Shared Link

I really like this one, too...

Open Original Shared Link

This one looks alright - have not tried it yet...

Open Original Shared Link

This is another I want to try...

Open Original Shared Link

With any pizza crust I add lots of seasoning whether in the recipe or not - some roasted garlic pulp, lots of fresh or dried herbs, grated Parmesan (the real thing, of course, but not any more since I am currently dairy free).

[GlutenFreeManna]

GFM -

Thanks for starting this! Bored this afternoon? That took some time to accumulate!

Just mopped my floors and waiting for them to dry. Can't leave the computer until they do. I might as well do something useful.

[GlutenFreeManna]

OK - this is one crust I like quite a lot. I like others better but this is definitely one of the better ones. I have posted others on here somewhere...

Open Original Shared Link

I really like this one, too...

Open Original Shared Link

This one looks alright - have not tried it yet...

Open Original Shared Link

This is another I want to try...

Open Original Shared Link

With any pizza crust I add lots of seasoning whether in the recipe or not - some roasted garlic pulp, lots of fresh or dried herbs, grated Parmesan (the real thing, of course, but not any more since I am currently dairy free).

Love2travel, the recipe that you posted a while back (with the defatted soy flour) is in one of the links I put in the first post. Just copy and paste the recipe to this thread if you want

That one by GFgoddess look yummy!

[love2travel]

Love2travel, the recipe that you posted a while back (with the defatted soy flour) is in one of the links I put in the first post. Just copy and paste the recipe to this thread if you want

That one by GFgoddess look yummy!

You're right - I was just too lazy. Some days I am in so much pain that even cutting and pasting seem to take extra effort. Today is one of those days.

[GlutenFreeManna]

You're right - I was just too lazy. Some days I am in so much pain that even cutting and pasting seem to take extra effort. Today is one of those days.

No worries! I just didn't want you to go to the trouble of typing it all up again. I added the links to the first post after I made the thread.

[Bubba's Mom]

I tried the Gluten Free Pantry's French bread mix and made the pizza recipe on the box. Neither me, nor my gluten eating eating husband or son liked it one bit.

It was very much like biscuit dough.

When I could eat gluten pizza my favorites were Little Caeser's thick crust ot a thin crust one made by the Italian restaurant near here. It tasted sort of like Saltines?

I thought using a mix would be a lot easier than buying a bunch of various different flours which are pricey and I don't have much room to store.

I'm still craving a good pizza!

I can't try LoveToTravel's recipe because I can't eat soy.

[love2travel]

I tried the Gluten Free Pantry's French bread mix and made the pizza recipe on the box. Neither me, nor my gluten eating eating husband or son liked it one bit.

It was very much like biscuit dough.

When I could eat gluten pizza my favorites were Little Caeser's thick crust ot a thin crust one made by the Italian restaurant near here. It tasted sort of like Saltines?

I thought using a mix would be a lot easier than buying a bunch of various different flours which are pricey and I don't have much room to store.

I'm still craving a good pizza!

I can't try LoveToTravel's recipe because I can't eat soy.

I've heard that many do not like GFP French Bread mix. Sorry you had the same experience.

The breads with soy are sadly the best I've had and I think it partially due to the soy because defatted soy flour is very strong (one of the highest protein flours there is) which gives great chew and texture. Alas...I am now not eating soy on a trial basis, either. So far I've only been off soy two weeks but feel no different (am off not because I am sick but because I was hoping I would have a decrease in pain). We'll see!

[GlutenFreeManna]

I've heard that many do not like GFP French Bread mix. Sorry you had the same experience.

The breads with soy are sadly the best I've had and I think it partially due to the soy because defatted soy flour is very strong (one of the highest protein flours there is) which gives great chew and texture. Alas...I am now not eating soy on a trial basis, either. So far I've only been off soy two weeks but feel no different (am off not because I am sick but because I was hoping I would have a decrease in pain). We'll see!

I wonder if using coconut flour or almond flour or another bean flour would give it the same strength? I am not very fond of the flavor of bean flours however (with the exception of chickpea flour). They leave a metallic taste in my mouth. I know that's a personal thing though (just like pizza crust preferences! ) And some people love bean flours.

[love2travel]

I wonder if using coconut flour or almond flour or another bean flour would give it the same strength? I am not very fond of the flavor of bean flours however (with the exception of chickpea flour). They leave a metallic taste in my mouth. I know that's a personal thing though (just like pizza crust preferences! ) And some people love bean flours.

Some bean flours would be good substitutes although not as strong as soy. BUT it is certainly worth a try! Why not? Have you tried garfava flour? It is a combination of garbanzo and fava beans - my favourite bean flour by far. Doesn't taste "beany" to me.

Good recommendation. I will try it soon and compare it with that made with defatted soy and post about it.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Some bean flours would be good substitutes although not as strong as soy. BUT it is certainly worth a try! Why not? Have you tried garfava flour? It is a combination of garbanzo and fava beans - my favourite bean flour by far. Doesn't taste "beany" to me.

Good recommendation. I will try it soon and compare it with that made with defatted soy and post about it.

Yes, please let us know if you try it! I have seen garfava but have not tried it.

[love2travel]

Yes, please let us know if you try it! I have seen garfava but have not tried it.

My husband and I are booked to go to Croatia and Italy in 12 days so I may not try it until we get back. But we may not be able to go now because I have just hurt my pelvis and hips and literally cannot sit more than 5 minutes (am lying down typing). If I cannot sit more than a few minutes how on earth can I sit 25 HOURS? (I am including airports and such.)

Regardless, I will do the Big Pizza Experiment and report back.

Garfava is really worth buying in my opinion. I use it quite regularly.

[GlutenFreeManna]

My husband and I are booked to go to Croatia and Italy in 12 days so I may not try it until we get back. But we may not be able to go now because I have just hurt my pelvis and hips and literally cannot sit more than 5 minutes (am lying down typing). If I cannot sit more than a few minutes how on earth can I sit 25 HOURS? (I am including airports and such.)

Regardless, I will do the Big Pizza Experiment and report back.

Garfava is really worth buying in my opinion. I use it quite regularly.

Oh I hope you feel better soon! Whenever you get around to making it is fine!

[Marilyn R]

Ahhhhhh, in search of the perfect pizza crust. I've done so much research on this. I haven't tried Elana's yet, but I read that coconut flour makes better thin crust pie than Elana's. But you can't use Bob's Red Mill. I posted on the "What's for Dinner" thread that the bisquick pizza recipe is pretty abysmal, but made the house smell good. We both actually liked the warmed up version ok.

I'm still going to pursue pizza crusts, but DP mentioned he liked the "crustless" pizza we had last night (stuffed peppers).

[Takala]

lovs2travel, have you tried sleeping in alternative positions other than lying down? When I need to be able to move readily the next day without a 4 hour warmup, I will sleep sitting propped up with my head blocked carefully by pillows so my neck doesn't get torqued if it tilts off to one side. I will have another pillow under my knees so the net effect is like being in a recliner that fits. Huge difference in what my hip joints do when I wake up. This is why some cultures sleep in hammocks....

______

Pizza crust - meh. Just end up putting it on a crisped tortilla for thin crust. I do have a pie crust recipe that was a disaster, (chewy) that I should retry as a pizza crust sometime if I can remember what I did with it.... wrote it down somewhere....

[love2travel]

lovs2travel, have you tried sleeping in alternative positions other than lying down? When I need to be able to move readily the next day without a 4 hour warmup, I will sleep sitting propped up with my head blocked carefully by pillows so my neck doesn't get torqued if it tilts off to one side. I will have another pillow under my knees so the net effect is like being in a recliner that fits. Huge difference in what my hip joints do when I wake up. This is why some cultures sleep in hammocks....

______

Pizza crust - meh. Just end up putting it on a crisped tortilla for thin crust. I do have a pie crust recipe that was a disaster, (chewy) that I should retry as a pizza crust sometime if I can remember what I did with it.... wrote it down somewhere....

I can never sit more than a few minutes - have not been able to for nearly four years. When I need to go somewhere further than half an hour away my husband must drive as I need to lie down. In restaurants I must go to the bathroom to stretch every 15 minutes. I cannot sit to watch TV but lie down. When I weed my flowerbeds I spread out blankets on the grass and lie on my stomach. One of my biggest issues is muscle weakness - my back literally cannot support my body. It is incredibly painful to sit in any position, even with pillows and lumbar support and gel cushion. Of course after lying down so much for so long everything else tries to compensate. It is an utter mess. (I have herniated discs and such that cause extreme pain.)

Thanks for mentioning it, though...

Now, back to pizza. Have you ever liked pizza? It is something I used to like but could almost take it or leave it except authentic Italian pizza. Now that I must be gluten free I am on a mission to make fabulous crust!

[Marilyn R]

I tried Elana Amsterdam's almond flour crust today. It was ok, far better than Bisquick crust.

Pros: few ingredients, quick to prepare. Healthier than other flours (low glycemic, high protein).

Cons: mealy/sandy texture. (I drizzled EVO over before baking, even the the recipe didn't call for it, but that didn't help.)

My DP said it was like having a pizza cookie. Loved the toppings (precooked applewood smoked bacon, sliced portabella mushrooms, slivered shallots, sliced olives, red pepper, feta cheese, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and fresh parmesan. I'm thinking it may be better to dedicate good ingredients like this to other recipes. (They'd be the bomb in a twice baked potato or stuffed pepper or zucchini.) I think I'm done with gluten-free pizza...for awhile.

[sa1937]

Thus far my go-to crust is Jules Shepard's Open Original Shared Link I've made it so many times and it's the one I keep coming back to. It's quick and easy and only needs a 10-min. rise before prebaking. I have pizza crisper pans with holes in them and use aluminum foil for prebaking and then bake it right on the pan after topping. I do have her flour, which makes it even easier. I like a thinner crust and use a 14" pizza pan. If anyone wants to try it, here's the recipe for her Open Original Shared Link.

Other than that I've tried:

Bob's Red Mill pizza crust mix: blech

Glutino frozen pizza crusts: edible but I haven't bought them since very early after my diagnosis. I can do better.

King Arthur: I made it once and can't remember much about it except it took a long time with the double rise.

That's it...haven't tried any other recipes after I made Jules' even though I've printed out several of them.

ETA: I did buy one Amy's cheese pizza...yuck! Over-priced and not good. I don't buy any Amy's now. Too much CC. That was my first experience with gluten-free pizza.

[msFrancie]

During Passover, I get gluten free oat matzos. I brush on some garlic and rosemary-infused olive oil, a little pizza sauce, and shredded mozzarella, then heat in toaster oven. Yummy!

[zus888]

This is my Go-To pizza crust. We have it about once a week and the whole family likes it. I'd say it's as good as an average frozen pizza (not the self-rising kind they have now) from the freezer section. Very similar to Patty's posted recipe on the first page.

Open Original Shared Link

I double the recipe and add parmesan cheese to the dough. After baking, I'll transfer it to a pizza pan with holes to crisp up the bottom of the crust a bit. Then it's not so floppy. I basically spread it out on a large cookie sheet.

It may not be the best crust out there, but it is GOOD! Plus, I have 3 small kids, so I really need something that's quick and easy and this doesn't require rising. Trust me, I've tried. It doesn't make a bit of difference! Oh, the other thing I do is proof the yeast. It's just something I'm programmed to do.

[AMom2010]

I just had to weigh-in, tonight I tried making a pizza crust for the first time since going gluten free in July. I used the bisquick recipe and it was inedible it was SO disgusting! This was my first attempt to try to replace a gluten item, and I am discouraged I would honestly rather do without (truth be told I don't even miss those foods)!!