Connie's Pizza

[Connie R-E]

Connie's Perfect Pizza

(2 cups total flour for a large 15 1/2"X 11 1/2" rectangular pan, or 1 cup total flour for a 8" round pizza pan.)

2 c. Garbonzo Bean flour (works Great!) Or, 1 1/2c. rice flour and 1/2 c. tapioca flour.

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) cold butter

1/2-1c. milk (give or take)

1/4 tsp. chopped, dried herbs (orgeano,basil.thyme,...)

1.) Mix flour, salt, baking soda, & herbs in the largest bowl you have. Cut in butter using a fork until coarse crumbs appear. Add milk slowly--just 1/2 the amount at a time. Use your hands to knead dough.

When it makes a big ball, and has a smooth skin with no small cracks in the dough ball, but isn't a mucky ball of goo--that is the right amount of liquid! Hard to get just right the first time! It should be like new playdough...

> Take it slowly--you can add more flour, but it doesn't always work out right. Add liquid slowly and keep kneading until the round dough ball doesn't crack--or get too slimey. If it does get too slimey, let is sit and dry for a few minutes and dust lightly with flour kneading it in until the dough is workable. The floured board you roll out on may help that. Let dough ball rest for 5 minutes, covered before rolling.

2.) Tricky part-- Roll dough onto a floured board you can pick up. Try to get a big circle(but don't worry if you can't). Slide flattened dough off board onto pizza pan(or put pan on top of rolled out dough and flip over), and press your palms into dough to make it fit the pan. It should be just stretchy enough to do this.

Or, put the dough directly into the pizza pan and hand press it out until the pan is covered like you want it--my prefered method!

Perforate with fork (poke holes in dough so it won't bubble up when cooking!).

3.) Sauce your dough.

4.) Sprinkle on light layer of bottom cheese (acts as glue to hold toppings onto crust!)

5.) Add toppings: precooked meats, chopped fresh veggies.

--Not too many, or it will just be heavy and soggy... even though it looks like it would make it better :-)

6.) !!Top with mozzerella cheese then

7.) a sprinkle of salt, garlic powder, parmesean cheese and dried herbs! (This makes it GREAT--Pizza Hut's secret!)!!

(I like beef cooked with onions & garlic, sauteed mushrooms, chopped fresh green peppers and onions with a sharp cheddar/mozzarella cheese mix, with pressed garlic on top, w/herb sprinkles.)

8.)Bake on top rack at 350F until cheese is golden. 10-20 minutes. --your oven time and temp may differ (they all do!)

9.) Let it cool for a bit before you cut it. Enjoy!!!

>The crust should hold together and be crisp and triangular--just like real pizza...!

If you premake the crust for later, make sure to sauce it so the dough doesn't dry out. Best if made then baked and eaten immediatly!!

Let me know how this works for you! We love it!

The garbonzo bean flour gives the pizza a gourmet nutty flavor, but your regular flour mix will be fine.

Enjoy!

Connie

[jen-schall]

thank you, ma'am!

[Connie R-E]

You're welcome!

Hey, I made this the other day and must have loaded on too many toppings because the crust was underdone and doughy.... --but, it still held up its shape.

I may try prebaking the crust a bit to see if that helps or make the crust thinner!

Recipe perfection is an ongoing pleasure.

("What, you're making pizza again? Well, okay!!" )

Connie

[Connie R-E]

PS. Jen, Did I respond to your correct email address? I wasn't quite sure!

Connie

[plantime]

Connie, All of the recipes I have ever done with pizza crust requires pre-baking. Otherwise, the result is exactly what you got: an underdone crust! It only requires about 8 minutes in the oven.

[jen-schall]

Connie - I don't think so, I haven't received an e-mail if that's what you mean!

[Guest Evelyn's mom]

Connie,

We tried your pizza recipe the other night and it was very good! I am always suprised whenever I use that much bean flour that the end baked result doesn't even taste like the uncooked dough! Warning to gluten-free cooks, the days of eating cookie dough are over if you're using bean flour . I actually pressed out the dough on a stone sheet the size of a cookie sheet, next time I'll probably cut the recipe in half or use two stones to make a thinner crust like my husband likes. The flavor was very good and I loved the tip of adding the garlic powder, salt and seasoning to the top!

Thanks so much!

RaeAnn

[Connie R-E]

RaeAnn,

I'm glad you liked it! The bean flour gives it a(n) unique earthy taste. When I'm out of bean flour, I just use plain rice flour!

Jen-

Maybe I should ask if you were the Jen who asked about the pizza and beer in the first place!

This is the pizza crust I made for our local celiac group. They liked it, too!

Who said celiacs can't have pizza??!

Connie

where there is a will, there is a way!!

[azza]

Hey,

From all of ur replies you made me want to try it, but the problem is that I live in Dubai and they have no xanthan gum, tapioca flour nor potato flour... What is the bean flour?? The only knds of flour available here are : rice, chickpea and corn.

>> Plz reply soon, I really want to try it! Haven't ate pizza since a long time!!

Thanks anyways,

[Connie R-E]

azza,

Most of the time I am out of those things too...

I usually just use straight rice flour, oil, milk, and baking powder--and it works fine!

The other things aren't really necessary, they just are nice.

Enjoy your pizza!!

Connie

P.s. Do you live in Dubai, or are you ...visiting?

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[azza]

Thanks Connie,

Yeah I live in Dubai. It is in the gulf region. It is nice and advanced from the near by countries! But the problem is that even in "American" supermarkets you don't find that much substitutes. You only find pastas and rice,corn cakes! That's what I use... So, as you said can I use the same recipe and forget about xanthan gum?

Thanks anyways,

Azza

[Connie R-E]

Hi Azza,

I hardly ever use xanthan gum--I'm usually out...

Here in the US, our rice flour is a course grind. The flour I buy from Asia is very, very finely ground( like cornstarch). I usually mix them. I think the finely ground flour sticks to itself better so that's why I get away without using xanthan gum (or guar gum).

What grind of flour do you use?

Give the pizza a try anyway! I experiment all the time. ...you never know until you try!

Connie

[azza]

Thanks Alot Connie,

I tried making that Pizza is was a good one as a start... But it was a bit crumbly that you cannot hold the slice as one piece with one hand. Any suggestions to make it better...

Thnx again,

Azza

[Connie R-E]

Crumbly did you say? Hmmm...

I know it does cook differently in different ovens, but it won't hold up... Hmmm.

I'd say use just a bit more liquid. Was the dough wet enough? If you press a dough ball does it crack to pieces, or stay smooth and just get flatter? It should do the latter. But, don't make it so wet that it sticks to your hand. (flour the outside if it does.) Making the dough to the right consisancy is the tricky part! But, it is truely the key.

Don't give up--you'll get it!!

I made a pizza the other day and used 1/2 the crust recipe. I had to press it really thin to cover my pan, but it was very crisp and held its shape! --just what I was looking for...

Connie

[kejohe]

Hi all.. I haven't tried Connie's pizza recipe, but I have one of my own, and I know that the dough for pizza, like most leavened breads, needs the xanthan or guar gum. That's what prevents the crumbling and gives it the characteristic streachieness of a pizza dough. If you add more liquid, it may help a little, but I'd bet that the dough will just be more difficult to cook, as more liquid generally increases cooking time, and sometimes makes it more difficult to cook evenly.

Azza- Have you tried ordering the xanthan or guar gum on-line? It can be expensive, but it usually lasts a long time since you only use a few teaspoons at a time. Also in response to an earlier question you asked about flours, chickpea and garbonzo bean flour are the same thing, kind of like tapioca flour and tapioca starch.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful to someone. I know pizza was one of the first major hurdles I had to jump when I started gluten-free baking and now I usually keep a few partially baked mini crusts in the freezer for my son's unexpected school parties and birthday invitations. Once you get a good one that you like... don't loose it!

Cheers to all!