My Delicious Gluten Free/Lactose Free (optional milk free)/Soy Free/Sugar Free/ (optional egg free) Pizza

Oh boy, what a mouthful! But hey it comes down to this! Allergy-free but yummy Pizza! That has got to be high up there on one of the foods I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat like ever again….or if I did, it would be pretty gross! Not true! I played with a recipe I saw online, and then experimented with the rest of my recipe. One of the great things about this recipe is that it is so easy to change to meet your allergy needs. Only gluten free? Great. Use some “real cheese” and savor it for the rest of us, OK? And you know what!? No matter how you make it, (even with all the ___-free options), it tastes pretty great too!

For the crust:

1/2 c. cornstarch

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1 t. honey

1 t. xanthan gum

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. potato flour

1 t. aluminum-free baking powder

1 to 1-1/2 t. Italian seasoning***

2 T. Earth Balance (or dairy free margarine, butter, etc)

1 egg or 2 egg whites (for egg free see note* below)

1/4 c. rice milk/almond milk/etc (if you’re lucky enough to eat the real stuff, go ahead)

Extra flour and cornmeal**

Start by preheating your oven to 400°. Take a 12 inch round pizza pan and spray it with your choice of cooking oil or grease it with some extra Earth Balance. Sprinkle it with extra flour (I used some brown rice flour) and cornmeal. Set aside. Next, grab a medium-small bowl. Add everything except for the extra flour (I used rice flour), “milk”, and cornmeal. Use a pie pastry cutter if you have one, or a fork if you don’t, to combine the mixture. Combine until you have many tiny balls of dough. Add the egg and “milk” to the mixture, and use your clean hands and a spoon to knead it in and form a ball. Flatten you ball somewhat so that it is now a still thick but flat circle. Take your prepared pan, stick the dough in the center, and carefully use your fingers to stretch the dough, covering the pan. Dough will be pretty thin, about 1/4 inch thick. If you are having trouble, wet your hands to lessen the stickiness of the dough getting on your fingers and to smooth out the dough. Repeat as many times as necessary. Place in the oven for 10-15 mins, depending on your oven. It should look slightly cooked when the time is up.

While that is cooking, take out a can of tomato paste and either thin it out with one can of water mixed with the contents in a blender or for a very strong flavor and thick sauce, leave as is. After that, take your cheese, whether it be dairy free, lactose free, or the real stuff (I used the lactose free cheese with the tiny amount of caisin in it that is reviewed on my site.) and start shredding it or just slicing it or breaking it apart. Check on your pizza. If it looks like it’s starting to cook, use potholders and take it out of the oven. Add your sauce, and cheese, and any other toppings you woud like, and bake it for another 10-15 mins. Pizza is done when the cheese is melted and the crust is slightly brown on the edges. Bonne Appétit!

* For egg-free use egg re placer or ground flax seeds. (1 T. ground flax seeds and 3 T. water stirred together=per egg). I particularly think ground flax seeds would work great in this recipe.

**For those of you who can’t consume corn, or don’t have any cornmeal- leave it out. It’s traditional and adds a tiny bit of texture/flavor, but you won’t be missing out on too much if you leave it out.

***I used all Italian seasoning because I often have problems with onions (1/2 t. was called for in the original recipe), and I didn’t have any dried rosemary leaves on me. (1/2 t. was called for in the original recipe) Go ahead and try it with those original spices plus the 1/2 t. Italian seasoning if you like. And although I love spices, the red pepper in 1-1/2 t. of Italian seasoning was a tiny bit too hot for my tastes, but hey I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to “hot”. So if you try it with just Italian seasoning, feel free to use the whole amount or more. Also, the sauce is plain because the crust has so many spices in it!

Let us know how your version turns out and what your favorite toppings are! And if you know a good dairy free cheese, let us all know! Any questions or comments are welcome also! Have fun! I’m thinking pizza and a movie night, aren’t you?