GF PIZZA DOUGH ALLA MAMMA - .. AND THE SECRET IS OUT !
PREFACE:
(A much needed read to change your point of view
especially if you have experienced past failures in this department ;)
By popular demand, I have been asked to share my secret recipe for the best GF pizza dough you will ever make. The success of my GF pizza dough version has been for my celiac family a few years in the making, and I can finally say that the recipe has been perfected thanks to a few tweaks, and most of all, letting go of the misconception that good gluten free pizza dough is hard to accomplish.
In fact, this thought should be exactly the starting point for those of you who are new to the GF lifestyle or have never made home-made GF pizza. For all those of you who have been gluten-free for a while, you probably know too well by now that each time you try making a dish, the results get better and better with time, so I ask you to have faith in your next attempt at pizza making, as my method may bring forth a nice unexpected surprise.
After all, making GF pizza dough is actually easier than making the regular one (I can certainly vouch for that, having made regular pizza for many years prior to finding out that I was celiac). The dough rest time is far much less, and so is the amount required for kneading. Many of us have experimented with all sorts of GF flour mixes resulting in pizza crusts that could only be spread and never rolled or kneaded, but I am going to show you a few "secret" tricks (look for them in green) that will make conquering this dough a success and will render a delicious final product that will wow you and your guests. The same recipe can be used to make Focaccia and Calzone.
The recipe I am sharing has been once again inspired by my wonderful Neapolitan Mom, who spoiled me with home-made pizza countless of times. Each time she would rigorously lock herself in the kitchen, thoroughly clean the surface of our big granite table, and communicate to the whole family that: "no one, under-any-circumstance, was allowed in the kitchen while she was preparing the dough". (She was the cleanest and most though rough cook I have ever seen, and pizza making to her was as serious business, as it was for us eating it!). Despite her request, and to my surprise, I was somehow allowed to sit and watch her make her famous pizza dough on a few eye opening occasions, for which I am truly grateful because now I can leave the same legacy to my family and all the pizza fans out there.
A very important aspect to take into account: my favorite GF flour mixes are the ones imported from Italy that have deglutinated wheat starch. Extracting the gluten from the wheat starch is a very complicated process, and one that apparently only my fellow Italians have mastered fully well. Based on various reputable studies I have read about (and my own personal experience being very sensitive to gluten), mixes containing deglutinated wheat starch from Italy are commonly deemed safe for even the most sensitive celiacs, as the majority of them test only to 5ppm, if not even less. (With that said, please always check with the manufacturer or importer of a specific mix containing deglutinated wheat starch, should you have any doubts.)
GF PIZZA DOUGH ALLA MAMMA 🍽
(Makes 2-3 pizze)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of your favorite GF flour mix (Please email me to find out what my GF flour of choice is)
- 1 extra cup of GF flour (to coat kneading surface or to add to a dough that may be too watery)
- 2 tbsp of a trusted GF yeast
- 1 tsp of white sugar (or sugar in the raw) - to activate the yeast)
- 4 oz of lukewarm water (*I microwave it in a safe glassware for 30 seconds. If you do not own a microwave, you can heat 2 oz. of water in a small pot on the stove for less than a minute, and add 2 oz. of natural/faucet water to it) + 2 oz. of milk or milk substitute (here is my first secret ingredient!)
- 3 tsp of EVO (+ more for sprinkling over the finished product)
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 balls of any of your favorite mozzarella, or any other melting cheese (See mozzarella suggestions at this link)
- 2 cups of tomato sauce or 2 large fresh tomatoes
- 1 tsp of fresh or dried oregano
- A few leaves of fresh basil
- Any of your favorite toppings: olives, capers, pepperoni, mushrooms, etc. (Two big no-nos on authentic Italian pizza are chicken and meatballs! 😅)
- In a heat-safe measuring glassware heat 4 oz of water (*see heating options in the ingredients' section)
- Add 2 oz. of cold milk, and 1 tbs of the yeast, ... stir, and wait for 1 minute, before adding the sugar and stirring again
- After 1 more minute, add the 3 tsp of EVO, and stir
- Coat a medium mixing bowl with oil, and pour the GF flour in
- Add the remaining yeast to the flour, and stir with a fork
- Slowly pour the liquids into the flour and mix with a spatula collecting the flour from the bottom up until everything is incorporated
- Add the salt and keep mixing until it starts taking shape. ( No "knead" to get your hands dirty at this point. If the dough is wet, do not worry, as you will be able to add more flour after it has rested).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and foil, and let it sit in a warm spot for 30 minutes
*****
Let's get kneading...
- After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 455F
- Add a handful more flour to the dough, and mix it in the same bowl with your hands
- Split it in 3 or 4 pieces, depending on what you want to make, (making sure you cover the rest, so it will not dry out). On a flat surface (a marble table top or a big wooden board will do) sprinkle some flour
- Knead the piece of dough, folding it and rolling it on the surface a few times to form a ball
- Press your fingertips gently into the dough flattening it by pushing towards the edge to make a round
- With the help of a rolling pin, stretch the dough from top to bottom, left to right, and vice versa to the desired thickness
- Lay the crust onto a baking sheet or directly onto the hot stone (If you have one... I personally use a metal pizza "stone" that I previously reheat on broil)
- Pour some sauce on the stretched dough, salt to taste, your toppings, and the sliced mozzarella/cheese
- Sprinkle the herbs and some EVO
- Let bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick the crust is
- Serve on a wooden board,
- Slice with a pizza cutter or scissors, and enjoy!
Buon Appetito!
The same recipe and process apply well to pizza dough made with regular flour,
For questions or comments,
please send me an email at: stressfree-glutenfree@outlook.com,
or leave a comment in the section below the recipe.
I would love to know how yours came out!
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