Gluten-Free Pizza

Just because you've discovered you're a Celiac doesn't mean you have to give up everything you've known and enjoyed for your whole life—and pizza is no exception. Think about it, those foods you thought you were enjoying were actually making you sick. I'd like to share some ideas with you that might help you along your way, regarding cravings and substitution. Gluten Free Pizza is usually a challenge, and everyone thinks they have to leave those days behind them, but that is not at all the case. As a matter of fact, the Gluten Free Mall has a wide variety of pizzas and fixings, either prepared or not. Really, the toppings are not a challenge. Simply add or take off mushrooms or cheese, depending on your limitations.

The biggest challenge for baking up a good gluten free pizza pie is really in the crust. Most wheat-based prepared crusts are a little "iffy" anyway. So what will you be missing? Let me recommend using a Flatbread recipe, cook it part way, and then deck it out with your favorite toppings toward the end. Or, make the flatbread, freeze it, and then toast it up with sauce, garlic, oregano and mushrooms whenever you're ready. Also, try goat cheese for a change. Another great gluten free pizza can be made by adapting a fluffy bread dough recipe. The gluten-free pizza recipes on Celiac.com will help you get an idea.

One product, found in the Gluten-Free Mall, made by Authentic Foods, is a gluten-free pizza crust mix that makes it simple to bake up a fresh gluten free pizza pie in four easy steps. (1) Blend two egg yolks, oil, water and yeast to the mix. (2) Roll the dough into a circular shape and place it on a pizza pan to rise. (3) Then, put the pizza pan in the oven to partially bake the dough. (4) Remove from the oven, put on your toppings, bake a little more and serve. With each luscious bite, the crust flavor is like honey whole wheat. This excellent mix is made from superfine brown rice flour with a touch of honey, no perservatives, dairy free, soy free, and US Kosher pareve.

For more information, please visit the author's Celiac Disease Information Site.