Baking Without A Stand Mixer - Pizza Crust

[Big Hair]

Hi, I registered to ask this question LOL.

I want to make pizza crust using Pamela's bread mix but I don't have the "heavy duty stand mixer" that it calls for in the recipe on the bag. Has anyone made this without a stand mixer? Also, how do you manage your gluten free baking without the use of a stand mixer? So many Pamela's recipes call for it. I hope I can get some help, I just bought a large amount of Pamela's.

Thanks

[sa1937]

Hi, I registered to ask this question LOL.

I want to make pizza crust using Pamela's bread mix but I don't have the "heavy duty stand mixer" that it calls for in the recipe on the bag. Has anyone made this without a stand mixer? Also, how do you manage your gluten free baking without the use of a stand mixer? So many Pamela's recipes call for it. I hope I can get some help, I just bought a large amount of Pamela's.

Thanks

Personally I wouldn't be able to make it without a stand mixer but that doesn't mean you wouldn't. I made exactly one loaf of yeast bread with a hand mixer shortly after going gluten-free and it was just about impossible to get it mixed properly. And then I baked a brick.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to either buy a KitchenAid stand mixer or a bread machine. The KitchenAid won as I felt it would be more versatile and I didn't have room for both. It was the right decision for me.

Welcome to the forum!

[Takala]

Here is the directions, in case anyone is wondering:

Pamela's Chewy Pizza Crust, using their Gluten Free Bread Mix (not the same as their all- purpose gluten-free )

Open Original Shared Link

I mix my gluten free flours into blends, and the other dry ingredients into that, mix the wet ingredients in another bowl, and then add the dry to the wet, but I'm mostly using baking soda and vinegar for leavening, sometimes egg, not yeast. I don't use much gums, just either flours that are naturally stickier, (like almond,amaranth,buckwheat) and soaked chia and/or psyllium, or just egg.

If I'm trying a yeast recipe, I will put the yeast in some warm water with a little agave syrup and maybe a bit of the flour first, to dissolve it and get it going first, then mix it into the rest of the mixture. Yeast does not like being assaulted with cold water, oil, salt, or vinegar directly, so I'm trying to avoid that.

Some of the flours work better if they are wet for awhile (like several minutes to an hour) before baking. But if you use baking soda and vinegar, you have to then time the addition of the vinegar so the whole recipe doesn't go kafffuuuuuuut from too early soda/vin reaction.

You might try splitting the water and putting the yeast into part of it with just a little bit of what yeast likes to eat, then after waiting until it starts to bubble, mix it into the other ingredients, but you'd better be prepared to muscle it a little with either a spoon or your hands (oiled) as the dough will be different with the gums. Maybe test by mixing up a very small batch first, like a quarter recipe of the above - can measure out the yeast packet and then split it that way.

[ciamarie]

Do you have a hand mixer? I have a kitchen aid hand mixer that I used for my first gluten-free (rice blend) yeast bread, and it worked fine. Though that dough was pretty wet, the next time I reduced the water and actually mixed it all by hand and that was fine too. I've mixed pretty stiff cookie dough with the hand mixer, it has enough power to work through it.

I didn't look at the link, but if it's similar to the King Arthur pizza dough (on another thread) it's probably pretty thick. I think that one suggests a stand mixer but said a hand mixer would work too, but that it's too stiff to do it by hand. If you don't use a stand mixer, I'd say just make sure it's all mixed thoroughly and perhaps let it rise a little longer than it calls for. Probably the stand mixer would incorporate more air for the dough to rise quicker... I haven't used Pamela's mixes, so ymmv and someone who has will hopefully drop by.

[Jenny (AZ via TX)]

ciamarie,

Did you use the regular beaters or the whisk attachment. I want to use my old hand mixer to make the Pamela's bread. This mixer is so strong, I hated to use it for simple things like mashed potatoes because it would spew out everywhere. I just bought a new mixer so if I burn out the old one, I won't cry about it!

I just wasn't sure which tool to use to make the bread. Thanks.

[ciamarie]

ciamarie,

Did you use the regular beaters or the whisk attachment. I want to use my old hand mixer to make the Pamela's bread. This mixer is so strong, I hated to use it for simple things like mashed potatoes because it would spew out everywhere. I just bought a new mixer so if I burn out the old one, I won't cry about it!

I just wasn't sure which tool to use to make the bread. Thanks.

My hand mixer came with regular beaters or dough hook type beaters. For the rice flour bread I just used the regular beaters, since I think the dough hook ones may be good to help with gluten-y dough but not gluten-free dough.

If you have a choice of regular beaters vs a whisk attachment, I'd go with the regular ones.

[Marilyn R]

If you can get Chebe's pizza crust mix (if not locally, you can get it at the gluten-free Mall), you don't need a mixer. You mix it with a spoon or a fork and then knead it. You can roll it out or pat it out. Helps to have one of those holy pizza pans (from any big box store). I find it best when I bake it 1/2 of the time directed on the package instructions on the lowest oven shelf, then rotate and turn and stick it up on the next to the top oven shelf for the remainder of the baking time. I really like this pizza crust, so does my non gluten-free DP. I haven't tried Pamela's yet. I was going to one of the Pamela's mixes today to make bagels but it was $8.95! and had xanthum gum in it, which currently isn't agreeing with me. Chebe's mix costs about $2.75.

You have to use eggs (2) and cheese (they say it is optional, but I've always used it, although I cut back on the amount in the directions). If you buy Chebes, you'll feel like you need to add more liquid before you knead because it's so dry and crumbly and isn't mixed up properly. Don't do it until after you knead it several times...it comes together when you knead it.

If you're new to kneading, it's just folding the dough over with your hands, flattening it out with you fingertips or knuckles, folding it again, flatten it again and fold it over, repeat several times until it all comes together in a coagulated dough ball.

This sounds like a long, drawn out process but it isn't. I can start a pizza (making my own sauce and dough) with 1/2 hour prep and 15-18 min bake time.

If you're using a holy pizza pan, press the ball of dough out on a piece of parchment paper, flipping it a few times. Or if you have a rolling pin, roll it out between two pieces of or parchment paper. I actually prefer pressing it out because you can make the built up crust (like a real pizza) out of it. The dough is very forgiving. If you get a hole or a tear, just grab a piece off the thick edge and pat it in.

Anyway, I love Chebe's, for a thin crust pizza with no special equipment needed. The bottom crust will have moisture to it, but it will have flexion (important to me, not sure about you, I couldn't stand the gritty texture from other gluten-free pizza crust mixes. Hope this helps, and sorry I went on a pizzalog.

[RiceGuy]

I mix all my doughs by hand, using a wooden spoon. They get uniformly mixed easily enough, even the thick/stiff ones. You can always do like people have for centuries, and mix with your bare hands, when the dough is considerably stiff (such as with some pizza crust recipes).

I actually find the thinner doughs and batters to be trickier to get blended without any clumps/lumps, when there's enough xanthan and/or guar gum in it. But a wire whisk makes a big difference for thinner consistencies.

This doesn't mean I don't have any use for an electric mixer. It can be quite helpful. But for dough, my experience suggests it's not really necessary.

[Skylark]

I use a wooden spoon with a comfortable handle and stir hard. Gluten-free doughs usually aren't stiff enough to knead but as RiceGuy mentions you can always stick your hand in the bowl and mash/squish until it's mixed.

[Big Hair]

Thank you, all These are all helpful replies. I am learning how to be a gluten-free baker, and I wasn't a fabulous regular baker, so these tips help. The instructions on the Pamela's bag for the pizza dough recipe look very ominous in all capital letters demanding you use a stand mixer, but I will be brave and use my wooden spoon/ hands. I want to try Chebe's too. Haven't heard of it but I'll look it up.