Gluten-free pizza dough

Gluten-free pizza crusts typically lack the bulbous, chewy quality of a traditional pizza dough, which is created by elastic strands of gluten. This is a simple, delicious alternative, but resist the urge to add too much flour, which could make it heavy and tough.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) warm water
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
2 1/4 tsp (11 ml) active dry yeast (1 pkg)
4 cups (1 L) gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
1 large egg
2 tbsp (10 ml) olive oil
1 tsp (5 ml) salt

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in half a cup of the water and sprinkle the yeast overtop; let it stand for 5 minutes until it’s foamy. (If it doesn’t get foamy, toss it and buy fresh yeast.) 

Add half the flour, the remaining water, and the egg, olive oil and salt, and stir until you have a thick paste. Stir in the remaining fl our and stir or beat on low with a paddle attachment until smooth; the dough will be wetter than traditional pizza dough.

Cover and let it sit for an hour, until almost doubled in bulk. Divide the dough in half, cover and let rest for another hour. When you’re ready to make pizza, preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll each piece of dough between two sheets of parchment to about 1/4-inch thick. Peel off the top piece of parchment and slide the rolled-out dough, on the bottom parchment, onto a heavy baking sheet. Top with your choice of toppings, and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. 

Makes 8 pieces.

Per serving: 333 calories, 4.8 g fat (1 g saturated fat, 3.1 g monounsaturated fat, 0.8 g polyunsaturated fat), 64.3 g carbohydrates, 23 mg cholesterol, 5.9 g protein, 2.2 g fibre.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, November 2013.