As most of you know by this point, I have been doing the Arbonne 30 Days to Feeling Fit cleanse for just over a week and have lost nearly 10 lbs. (I admittedly haven’t weighed yet this morning). While the bulk of the plan utilizes the Arbonne protein shakes, fit chews, energy fizz sticks, detox tea, and fiber boost (all of which are vegan and gluten free), the plan also suggests maintaining a diet that is gluten free, dairy free, alcohol free, refined sugar free, and caffeine free as well.
So far the plan has been going great! I don’t feel deprived at all and I’m getting plenty of nutrients to still power through my marathon training and other workouts. As a side note, with the way our snow is projected today, I’m not 100% sure I’m getting a run in today. More on our blizzard warning later today.
A couple of days ago I started to get a hankering for pizza so I looked up recipes online for gluten free pizza dough. I had already bought some gluten free flour, but most of the recipes called for a bunch of other things I didn’t already have on hand. Since I haven’t yet decided whether I’ll give up gluten long-term, I didn’t want to invest in a bunch of ingredients that might spoil before I used them again.
So instead I decided to try experimenting with the ingredients I already had to make a homemade gluten free pizza. I hadn’t planned on sharing it, but after I posted the photo to Instagram, a couple of my followers asked for the recipe.
The chia seeds in this recipe are intended to replace xanthan gum or agar (neither of which I had). I hoped that by turning the chia seeds into a gel, they would help the flour stick together the way gluten normally does. Turns out my hunch worked quite well! I didn’t measure the water exactly because I was trying to reach a particular consistency. The dough should still be a little bit sticky and while it will rise a little bit after the second kneading, it will not rise extensively.
Ingredients:
Pizza crust
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/2 packet Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 – 1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Toppings
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six crust ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Place chia seeds into a small dish and add just enough water to cover. Set aside until seeds and water fully gel. Add warm water (closer to hot than lukewarm to activate the yeast) to flour mixture a little at a time until just before desired dough consistency (somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 c.). Add remaining ingredients (including chia seed gel). Knead and cover, allowing to rise for 10 minutes. Knead and cover again, allowing to rise for approximately 30 minutes.
Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet and flatten into desired shape (TIP: dough will be sticky, so spray your hands first with non-stick cooking spray first). Bake crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
While crust bakes, sauté mushrooms in a non-stick pan. Remove crust from oven and increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spread tomato sauce evenly onto the crust and add spinach followed by sautéed mushrooms. Top with vegan cheese and spray lightly with nonstick spray (to keep spinach from burning). Return to oven for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Have you ever made a gluten free pizza crust? What about something else that normally includes gluten? I’m always on the lookout for more recipes to inspire me!
That pizza looks amazing! I haven’t done a lot of gluten-free baking but I have read that many recipes that call for xanthan gum or guar gum don’t actually need them, and taste better without them. The chia seeds are a great idea! I bet flax seeds or flaxmeal would work too.
I have tried Bob’s Red Mill pizza crust mix. It was pretty good. Luke and I both agreed, though, that next time we’ll make the crust much thinner as it was quite heavy.
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It really depends what kind of gluten free flour you use, from my (limited) experience. Since gluten helps flour stick together once it’s wet, a lot of times you needs something to keep it together while it bakes. I used chia seeds for the same purpose when I made some gluten free tortillas last night and it worked like a charm.