Gluten Free Pizza Crust

This recipe came after a LOT of experimentation, failed attempts, successful attempts and many taste testings. This version works out well enough that my non-Celiac daughters love it as much as the one with Celiac Disease.

Ingredients:
Wet
1 1/3 C Non-Dairy Milk* warm (100 Degrees)
1 T Sugar or Honey
2 T Yeast
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar**

Dry
1 C Brown Rice Flour
1/4 C Garbanzo Bean Flour
1/4 C Millet Flour
1 C Tapioca Flour
2 t Xanthan Gum

1 T Flax Meal
1/4 C Coarse Corn Meal
1 T Herbs***
1 t Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the warm milk*, sugar and yeast in a large enough bowl to allow the yeast to “bloom” and expand. Meanwhile, mix the first 5 dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add in the last 4 dry ingredients one at a time, whishinkg in well to distribute evenly. Set the bowl aside.
The milk*, sugar and yeast mixture should have “bloomed” and foamed up. Give the mixture a quick stir and then add in the other wet ingredients, the Olive Oil and Vinegar and give it another couple quick stirs, just enough to mix but not too much as to loose all the “bloom”.

Now, add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. I tend to use a rubber spatula at this point to help mix as the dough that gets created is more like a batter in consistency. Once everything is evenly mixed I leave the bowl in a warm place, covered by a towel (like the top of the preheating stove).

The pan you use can vary but what has worked best for me is a well seasoned 3/4 sheet pan. My pan is seasoned enough that I don’t need to oil it beforehand. You can use any pan you prefer, but DO NOT try and use a pizza stone. Any sheet pan you use, if not seasoned, should be oiled/greased first to prevent sticking.

Use the rubber spatula and spread the pizza dough onto the sheet pan. If the spatula begins to stick to the dough a little, dip it in some olive oil and then spread the dough to fit in the pan. The 3/4 pan size I use allows me to spread the dough to the edges, keeping the dough fairly thin, this is ok as the dough will rise or puff again in the oven.

Place the pan with dough in the 400 degree oven for approx. 5 t0 10 min. (I check on it once) just to allow the dough to rise a little and precook. Take the pan with dough out and top dough with sauce, cheese and toppings of choice and place back into the oven for approx. 10 min. or until the cheese has melted and the edges just begin to get golden to dark brown.

* I prefer Almond Milk but you can use any kind.

** I use Bragg’s Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

*** This can vary in amounts, I’ve used less and more. I typically use a combination of what I have on hand like Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary.

Also, I was asked about using Skim Milk in place of the non-daily milk. I think anything would work for the liquid, Cow milk, Soy Milk, Rice Milk, etc… I never buy cow milk so I’ve never tried it but I’m sure it would work.

I think that even water would work in a pinch but I find that the yeast blooms really nice in the Almond Milk and adds a richness to the dough that you wouldn’t get with water.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

I use my bread machine* to make the dough for this, in the time the dough is being made I can make the Gluten Free Pizza dough for Peyton so that works out. All bread machines have a dough setting, mine runs for 1:30 and based on the manufacturer suggestions, I add in the wet ingredients follwed by the dry and then adding the yeast last, check your manual for specifics on yours.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C Water (warmed to 100 degrees)
1 T Honey**
1 t Salt
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 C Organic, Unbleached, Unbromated White Wheat Flour
2 C Organic Whole Wheat Flour***

1 T Yeast

Coarse Corn meal to use to sprinkle on the pan or pizza paddle to get the dough on and off but I also like the added crunch for texture.

Heat the oven up to 400 degrees (if you’re making the GF dough at the same time, this maybe done) If you have a pizza stone, I highly recommend using it for the WW crust but NOT the GF crust. Place the stone in the oven now in order to heat up and be ready to use.

What I do is heat the water up on the stovetop first to approx. 100 degrees, then measure out the 1 1/2 cups right into the bread machine. Then add the honey, salt and oil.

In a separate bowl, sift and measure out the 2 cups of white flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour and mix together with a whisk and then add into the bread maker. Make a small well in the center of the flour in the bread machine and add the yeast, close the lid and turn it on.

I will watch the dough during the knead cycle, if it looks too wet I can sprinkle in a little flour or if it looks too dry I can add in a few drops of warm water at a time until it looks right. These instructions are mostly for me though as I bake like I cook and I am not always precise with measurements.

Once the cycle is done, you should have an nice smooth ball of the WW dough ready to use. You can decide on how you want to break this up. This recipe typically yields me about 4 “individual” size pizzas, roughly a little larger than a dinner plate. This allows me and 3 of my daughters to personalize each pizza. You can split the dough to 2 or 3 larger crusts if you like, I have done this for time as making 4 individual pizza’s take a little time.

My thick crust method is using the dough right out of the machine. I cut it into 4 even sized pieces and start with the first piece, I roll the dough out onto a reusable cutting board sheets (I buy them in a 4 pack for $1) to the size I want, then sprinkle the corn meal onto a cookie sheet or a pizza paddle then turn the cutting board sheet upside down onto the pan with corn meal and peel it off the dough. This alleviates the dough sticking to anything and it’s quicker. Then I add the sauce, cheese and toppings of choice and place in the oven (with or without pizza stone) for approx. 5 to 10 minutes.

My thin crust method is taking the dough out of the machine and then onto a floured surface and I will knead for another 5 min, then place the dough in a bowl for approx. 10 min. I will cover the bowl with a towel and in a warm place like the stovetop. Then, remove the dough, knead on a floured surface for another 5 min. and then cut it into 4 even sized pieces and start with the first piece. The rest of the directions are like the thick crust instructions above. The kneading and second rising gives you a thinner crust, if that’s what you like.

* You don’t HAVE to use a bread machine for this recipe I do just for the convenience.

** Sugar can be substituted for this but I like the flavor of the honey with whole wheat.

*** I have made dough utilizing varying proportions of whole wheat flour, this is what works best for me. I have made 100% WW dough but it just does not raise enough. The mix of the white and whole wheat makes a dough that rises nicely and I have found a white flour that I can live with. I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic 100% whole wheat Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Organic Hard White Wheat Flour.

Creamy Vegan Pasta Sauce (formerly vegan alfredo sauce)

I came up with the idea to create this recipe after successfully making Vegan Mac and Cheese for my daughters and I a number of times (I’ll post that recipe another day) and I wondered if Alfredo could also be made vegan?

I played around with a number of different vegan alternatives to make the Alfredo style sauce with results that were just, well…ok. What I came up with ended up not mimicking real Alfredo but with the addition of the walnuts made for a very savory and tasty sauce to go over whole wheat or gluten free pasta.

 

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic (peeled, chopped)
extra virgin olive oil
vegan non dairy spread (I use Earth Balance)
1 T Paprika

 

1 C non Dairy Milk (I have used Soy and Hemp or any neutral flavored variety with high fat content)
1/2 block of Silken/Soft Tofu
1 T Onion Powder
1 C Nutritional Yeast (I used Red Star)
1 C Raw Organic Walnuts

 

1 C Chopped Organic Fresh Parsley (reserve 1/2 C for garnish)
Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper to taste

 

Heat a saute pan, add olive oil and then garlic, brown garlic and then add 2 T of non-dairy butter and 1 T paprika. The garlic and butter should take on golden reddish color.

In a food processor add in the non-dairy milk, tofu, onion powder, nutritional yeast and then pulse to mix and then let it run for a few minutes to blend. Add in the walnuts and blend for another minute.

Add the mixture from the processor into the pan with garlic and using a whisk, bend together over medium heat. The sauce will begin to thicken, but if it’s already too thick thin it out with some of the non-dairy milk or vegetable broth.

Once the sauce has cooked and is to desired consistency, add in the 1/2 C parsley, grate in some fresh nutmeg and then season with salt and pepper to taste. This sauce (much like real Alfredo) works well when you heat the sauce up in a pan and then toss the pasta in to coat and heat.

OK, I’ve tested this recipe out a couple times now and am quite pleased with this version. It’s NOT going to fool anyone that it’s real Alfredo but I think it tastes good enough on it’s own without trying too hard to be exactly like the real thing. Even my skeptical youngest daughter liked this version.

Your mileage may vary…

 

Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

High protein and high fiber. I came up with this recipe years ago for when my daughters had a very long (and early) drive to school when I was living quite a distance from their school. I wanted something with high protein and high fiber to fill them up but make them tasty and but less expensive than the Clif Bars that they all liked.

On an episode of “Good Eats” on the Food Network, Alton Brown had a recipe for something similar that was to replace the “energy bars” you find in stores that often are nothing more than glorified candy bars. I used his idea of the dried fruit but I made it gluten free and higher in fiber and protein. You can change the types of dried fruit and add in whatever you like, I listed the 4 I commonly used for flavor and nutrition.

Dry Mix:

1 C Soy protein powder (I use the whole soy protein powder from Trader Joes)
3/4 C Ground whole flax seed
1 C of All Purpose GF flour blend (Bob’s Red Mill or homemade)
2 T Cinnamon
1/2 t salt

Dried Fruit, coarsely chop and mix together:

1/2 C Raisins
1/2 C Blueberries
1/2 C Cranberries
1/2 C Apricots

Wet Mix:

1 Package of silken Tofu (organic)
1/2 C Unfiltered Apple juice or Cider
1/4 C Sucanat or Organic Sugar (Honey would work too and help keep it moist)
3 Eggs
2/3 C Peanut Butter (I use Crunchy for the texture)

Canola oil, for pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 13×9 pan with canola oil. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the Dry Mix. Set aside.

Coarsely chop the Dried Fruit Mix, place in a small bowl and set aside.

In a third mixing bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth while adding apple juice/cider. sugar, eggs, and then peanut butter, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine after each addition.

Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Gluten Free Waffles

Gluten Free Waffles

For my first recipe to post, I wanted something that was vegetarian, gluten free and for breakfast. Big breakfasts were always a favorite growing up, and breakfast foods were some of the first things I learned how to cook as a kid. Cooking for my daughters later in life, I also imparted the love of the big breakfasts to them as well. Pancakes and waffles were always favorites of theirs but after my daughter Peyton was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, breakfast became quite laborious, as I made a batch of gluten free pancakes or waffles and then a batch of whole wheat pancakes or waffles. After time and many many weekends of trial and error experimentation, I came up with a gluten free waffle that all the kids (and myself) loved and I only had to make 1 batch!

The recipe below works well in your standard waffle maker and in the thicker Belgian style waffle makers. You can also add chocolate chips or your favorite fruit like blueberries. They’re great with just warm maple syrup or fruit preserves over top, they keep well in the fridge for a few days and can be warmed up in the toaster (never the microwave!).

Wet Ingredients

5 eggs – separated
1/2 C oil (typically I use canola)
1/2 C non-dairy milk unsweetened (I use almond, but can use soy, hemp or rice)
1/2 C honey
1 T vanilla

Separate the eggs, leave all the whites in a separate bowl for later.

Whisk together the egg yolks, oil, milk, honey and vanilla until frothy. Set bowl aside.

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 C GF All Purpose flour mix (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1 C Oat Flour (I buy GF rolled oats and grind what I need)
1/2 C Teff Flour
1/4 C Coarse Grind Corn Meal
1/4 C Flax Meal (I buy whole seed and grind my own)
1 T Cinnamon
2 t salt
2 t Baking Powder
2 t Baking Soda

Mix all the dry ingredients until well blended. Set bowl aside.

Take the bowl of egg whites and mix with beaters until whites are stiff peaks.

Pour the egg yolk mixture into ingredients and gently blend until dry mix is wet. DO NOT OVERMIX or you’ll end up with tough waffles. (sometimes need to add a little more milk if its too dry).

Once mixture is wet, take and fold in the egg whites also being careful not to overmix or you’ll lose the airy consistency of the egg whites. You’ll have pieces of the egg white in the mix, it’s ok.

Follow the instructions of your waffle maker, make the waffles…fight back hungry kids and most of all ENJOY!