Gluten-Free Pizza Bases!

Gluten-Free Pizza Bases

One of the best things about these pizza bases is you can make a big batch and freeze the par-baked based ready for quick meals. If you don’t already have xanthan gum in the pantry, just leave it out.. The texture will be less chewy but still delicious! Adapted from a recipe by Melbourne chef Karen Martini.

makes 6 small pizza bases
takes about an hour
500g (1lb) chickpea or other gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon xantham gum (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil
750 ml (3 cups) water

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).

2. Place flour, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using) in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and water and whisk to make a smooth batter. It’s more like a runny cake batter than a dough as such.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Weigh out 200g (7oz) of the batter. Top with another sheet of baking paper. Use your hands to push the batter into a pizza shape about 20cm (8in) diameter or slightly larger.

4. Bake with both sheets of paper for 10-15 minutes or until the base feels firm and the top layer of baking paper peels away easily.

5. Place pizza base on a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter until all used up. You should end up with 6 bases in total. When cool remove the bottom layer of paper.

6. To serve, crank your oven to its highest setting. Top cooled bases with your favourite pizza toppings and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the toppings are cooked and the base is crisp.

Variations

do ahead? – absolutely! The cooked bases will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and in the freezer for months.

no xanthan gum – just skip it. The texture will be slightly less chewy but still good.

no chickpea flour – Chickpea flour goes by many different names including besan, gram flour and garbanzo bean flour. I like it because it’s much cheaper than commercial GF flours and has more fiber and less carbs. But you can use any commercial gluten-free flour mix. I wouldn’t use straight rice or potato flour as the protein content will be too low.

low carb – I find if I stick to two slices it’s fine for my blood sugar. But chickpea flour is still about 60% carbs so while it’s better than wheat flour at about 75% carbs it’s not what I would consider low carb. Chickpea flour does have more fiber as well so it’s a better alternative to wheat. I have been working on a recipe using cauliflower and almond meal as a pizza base so watch this space!

crisper base – use a pizza stone preheated in your oven and dust the bases with a little more flour before baking.

pizza topping ideas – in the photo above I’ve used a tomato based sauce with cheese and fresh chilli with fresh basil. Other favourites include Kale & Onion, Salami & Ricotta, Potato & Rosemary, and for the adventurous the ‘Tiger Pizza‘ using Vegemite.

gluten lovers! – looking for a traditional wheat based pizza dough? Head over here for my favourite.