This recipe for gluten free pizza crust contains just six common ingredients – flour, sugar, yeast, olive oil, salt, and water. It is made with gluten free all purpose flour so it is entirely gluten free. In addition to being gluten free, this pizza crust is also dairy free, egg free, and vegan friendly.
What is pizza crust made of?
What is pizza crust made of? A basic pizza crust is made of five common household ingredients – flour, water, sugar, yeast, and salt. Olive oil is also often added to pizza crust to add flavor and help make the crust crispy. If you want to make a pizza crust recipe that is gluten free all you have to do is replace the regular flour with gluten free all purpose flour.
What flour to use for gluten free pizza crust
What kind of flour should be used for gluten free pizza? You are best off using a gluten free all purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum. If your flour blend does not contain xanthan gum you should add 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum to your pizza dough.
It is important to note that you should not use a single type of gluten free flour such as rice flour or tapioca flour to make gluten free pizza crust. Gluten free pizza crust should be made with a blend that contains a few different types of gluten free flour.
How do you make pizza crust from scratch?
How do you make a pizza crust from scratch? Here are the steps you should take to make a gluten free pizza crust from scratch.
- Proof the yeast. Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large mixing bowl then let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Mix the pizza dough. Add the flour, salt, and olive oil to the pizza dough and knead the dough ball a few times to make sure everything is fully combined.
- First dough rise. Put the pizza dough in a large mixing bowl and cover it with saran wrap. Leave the dough to rise for 30 – 60 minutes or until the dough doubles in size. If you are having trouble getting your dough to rise, check out our article on troubleshooting pizza dough that is not rising.
- Shape the pizza crust. Shape the pizza dough into a crust by pushing down on the center of the dough with an outward force.
- Second dough rise. Cover the crust in saran wrap and leave the crust to rise for another 20 minutes.
- Add toppings and bake. Add the toppings to the pizza dough then bake the crust for 15 – 20 minutes at 475 degrees.
How thick should a pizza crust be?
How thick should a pizza crust be? In general a pizza crust should be around 1/2 cm – 1 cm thick in the middle. The thinner the crust is, the less likely the crust is to get soggy when you add your toppings.
The thickness of the outer portion of the crust comes down to personal preference. If you like a thin, crispy outer crust then you should make the outer crust the same thickness as the middle of the pizza. If you prefer a thicker outer crust you should pinch the dough around the edges and build up an outer crust that is 1/2 inch – 1 inch thick.
How to shape a gluten free pizza crust
How do you shape a gluten free pizza crust? Gluten free pizza dough is more delicate and less elastic than pizza dough that contains gluten. That means that it needs to be handled a little more delicately. While a regular pizza crust is sometimes spread out by pulling at the edges of the pizza dough, it is better to spread gluten free pizza dough by pushing on the dough. You should work from the center of the dough outward and press down on the dough with an outward force so that the dough gets pushed toward the outside of the crust.
Should you let a pizza crust rise twice?
Should you let a pizza crust rise twice? The answer to this question will vary depending on who you ask. Some people always let their pizza crust have a second rise whereas others race to put on their toppings after they shape the crust to make sure that the crust does not rise any more. We recommend letting the crust have a second rise because it makes the crust lighter and crispier.
Should you pre cook a pizza crust?
Should you pre cook your pizza crust? In general you do not need to pre cook your pizza crust. You can just add the toppings to the uncooked pizza dough then cook the pizza all at once. If your pizza crust is cooked at a high temperature it should turn out fine. The main reason you might want to pre cook your pizza crust is if you need to cook your pizza at a low temperature for some reason.
What temperature should you cook pizza at?
What temperature should you cook pizza crust at? Pizza should be cooked at a very high temperature. Most recipes recommend cooking pizza somewhere between 450 degrees and 500 degrees.
The exact temperature you should cook your pizza at depends on the toppings you have on your pizza. If you are using thin, delicate toppings like spinach and basil that are at risk of burning you should stay in the 450 – 475 degree range. If your toppings are thick and chunky, you can go up to 500 degrees.
How to make pizza crust crispy
Everyone loves a crispy pizza crust! What can you do to make your crust more crispy? Here are a few tips for making your pizza crust extra crispy.
- Get a pizza stone. Using a pizza stone to cook your pizza is the easiest thing you can do to make sure your crust turns out nice and crispy. We recommend getting an Emile Henry pizza stone such this pizza stone, this pizza stone, or this pizza stone. This is the brand we use and our crust always comes out crust unbelievably crispy.
- Use a higher temperature. Temperature strongly impacts how crispy a pizza crust is. If you are finding that your pizza comes out soggy rather than crispy try turning up the temperature in your oven.
- Preheat your oven for longer. Preheat the oven for longer than you think you should. This helps ensure that your oven is as hot as possible before the pizza goes in it.
- Preheat your pizza stone or baking sheet. Preheating your pizza stone or baking sheet will make your pizza crust crisp up. It is especially important to preheat a pizza stone because a pizza stone is dense and takes a longer time to heat up. If you are using a thin baking sheet that heats up quickly then preheating your baking sheet is not as crucial. Nevertheless, it will help!
- Make sure to pre cook your ingredients. If you are using ingredients like mushrooms that let off a lot of water as they cook you should make sure to pre cook all of your ingredients to dry them out. Pre-cooking your ingredients will also help with flavor!
- Make a thinner crust. Of course this strategy has its limits and you do not want to make your crust so thin that it cannot support your toppings. That being said, thicker crusts are more likely to get soggy than thinner crusts.
- Add a thin layer of olive oil. If you brush a very thin layer of olive oil on the crust before adding the sauce or cheese it will help seal the crust and keep water from seeping into it. This strategy takes some finesse because you do not want to turn your pizza into a greasy mess.
- Let your dough rise longer. Dough that is dense and does not have enough air in it if more likely to get soggy that light, airy dough.
How to brown pizza crust
Is your cooked pizza crust looking a little pasty? Here are a few tips for giving your pizza crust more color. First you should try increasing the temperature in your oven. Try bumping the temperature up in 25 degree increments. Second, try adding a little more sugar to your dough. Sugar is a key ingredient that helps pizza crust develop that nice brown color. It is difficult to get a pizza dough with no sugar in it to brown in even the hottest of ovens.
Gluten free pizza crust
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour (plus up to 1/4 cup extra)
- 3/4 cup warm water (plus up to 2 tbsp extra)
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp white sugar
- 1/8 oz yeast (half a standard 1/4 oz package)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Proof the yeast. Combine the warm water, sugar, and the yeast in a large mixing bowl then mix them. Leave the mixture to set for 5-10 minutes until the surface of the water becomes frothy. If your water is too warm it will kill the yeast. You should be able to leave your finger in the water for 10 seconds without feeling any discomfort.
- Mix the ingredients for the dough together.The dough should be a little more wet than regular pizza dough but still firm enough that it holds its shape. If your dough is too dry you can add up to 2 tbsp of extra water 1/2 tbsp at a time. If your dough is too wet you can add up to 1/4 cup of extra flour 1 tbsp at a time.
- First dough rise. Cover the dough with a sheet of saran wrap and leave it to rise for 30 minutes - 1 hour until it doubles in size. The dough will rise faster if it is left in a warm area such as a sunny window. If the dough doubles in size before you are ready to use it you can pop it in the refrigerator to prevent further rising.
- Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.
- Spread the crust. Spread the crust out on a sheet of parchment paper. The best way to spread the dough is to press down on the dough with your fingers and apply pressure directed from the inner part of the crust outward. Gluten free pizza crust is not as stretchy and elastic as regular pizza crust. That means that you have to be more delicate with it and cannot pull it as easily as you can with pizza crusts that contain gluten.
- Second dough rise (optional). After the dough has been spread out, cover it with a sheet of saran wrap and leave it in a warm area to rise a second time This step is optional but recommended. If you prefer your pizza crust to be more dense you do not have to let the dough rise a second time. If you prefer a light and fluffy pizza crust you should let the dough rise a second time.
- Bake the pizza. Spread the toppings on the pizza and bake the pizza for 15-18 minutes at 475. You can cook the pizza on a greased baking sheet or a pizza stone.
Notes
Recommended pizza stones
If you plan to make your own pizza crust regularly, we highly recommend investing in a pizza stone so that your crust will come out perfectly crispy every time. We use a Emile Henry pizza stone and we cannot recommend the brand enough. Here are some of their most popular pizza stones.
Our favorite pizza recipes
This gluten free pear and caramelized onion pizza is absolutely decadent! The sweet caramelized onion perfectly complements the nutty spiced pear and the creamy ricotta cheese.
It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s tangy – it’s Hawaiian pizza! This tasty Hawaiian pizza features sweet caramelized pineapple, tangy BBQ sauce, spicy jalapeños, and zesty red onions.
Can’t get enough of that tangy buffalo sauce flavor? Check out this recipe for buffalo cauliflower pizza! This tasty pizza is loaded with spicy buffalo sauce, flavorful buffalo cauliflower, creamy sour cream drizzle, zesty onions, and lots of mozzarella cheese. It is one of our absolute favorites!
Are you looking for a fun new twist on gluten free pizza? Check out this recipe for gluten free calzones. In this recipe we tell you everything you need to know about how to make calzones from scratch with easy step-by-step instructions.
