Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tasty Gluten/Egg/Corn/Nut-free Pizza

South Africa being the unique country that it is, shopping aisles took a long time to catch up to food allergies. I think back to 2005, the year I was diagnosed with coeliac disease, when the only gluten-free flour available on the shelves was sorghum meal (masquerading as Maltabella porridge). I baked a batch of muffins using that, and recall that they were "killer" for all the wrong reasons.

Thankfully, times have changed. And while pre-made gluten-free items are still over-priced and under-yummy, the availability of a grand variety of gf flours means that the opportunity exists for one to take the plunge into the world of allergy-free baking.

Enter my new-found, magic flour combo. First, I mixed a little bit of each of the flours below with some water and used a teaspoon to taste each one for bitterness and after-taste. Second, I used the 700:300 flour ratio suggestion from gluten-free girl and the chef. Third, I combined the flours according to my preferred taste quotient and came up with my new favourite all-purpose gluten and corn-free flour.

Here's the recipe for my magic flour mix:

400g white rice flour
200g sorghum flour/meal
100g millet flour
300g potato starch

Now, using this flour combo, bring on the pizza!

I used as my starting point the "Thin-crust pizza base" recipe from Jacki Passmore's
Gluten Free Bible: Delicious gluten-free food (Bible (Penguin))


Ingredients (modified from original recipe):
  • 2 x 10g sachets dried yeast
  • 2 tsp white sugar
  • 2 cups gf plain flour (I used my magic flour mix)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
 Method:
  1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast and sugar with a quarter cup of lukewarm water. Stir through and let it sit for 10 minutes to make the yeast all frothy and happy.
  2. In a deep bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre, and add in the yeast + water, as well as the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Then use one cup of lukewarm water and add it bit by bit (you probably wont use the whole cup, so please don't pour it in all at once) while you stir till you get a dough that is soft, but not sticky. Don't worry if it's a little too much on the sticky side, because you can always add a little flour in to bring it back. Also, bear in mind that you're not going to knead this dough, so don't expect it to look like a ball of tough, gluteny dough.
  4. Cling wrap the bowl and leave it to stand around for 30 minutes until some rising action has happened.
  5. Line a baking sheet with some non-stick baking paper, and spoon some dough onto the sheet. Use your fingers to smoosh it out to the desired shape.
  6. Brush the top with a little olive oil and bake at 220 degrees Celsius (428 Fahrenheit) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly toasted at the edges.
  7. For freezing: Allow to cool and then use pieces of baking paper in between pizza bases in a sealable container before freezing. You can reheat these from frozen under the grill in about 6 to 10 minutes.
  8. For eating straight away: top with your choice of toppings and enjoy!
Topping: Homemade Napoletana sauce, raw mushrooms, Danish feta cheese and alfalfa sprouts

13 comments:

Kate from Scratch said...

Your story reminds me of my early days of cooking vegetarian. When I was about 15 and I told people I was a vegetarian, they'd always look at me like I had 5 heads and then offer me a salad or grilled mushrooms (with nothing on them - blegh). Isn't it great when the stores finally catch up? I love it.

Tiffany said...

I'm always looking for gluten free options. Thanks for sharing!

flowers on my table said...

Hi Juanita, I am sorry that you are coeliac. You seem determined to overcome obstacles...good for you. Does it effect your health on a day to day basis? Congratulations to your giveaway winner! Thankyou so much for your lovely comments. Have a wonderful Wednesday, love Linda x

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

So glad you can find more gluten free options...though I had to giggle at your killer muffins. How wonderful you can now enjoy pizza :)

fashioneggpplant said...

consider yourself lucky, all we have is all purpose flour :(

The Mistress of Spices said...

Glad to know that there are more gluten free options in SA now! Wish that I could say the same about France.

Stacey @ bakercourt said...

Hi Juanita, your recipe is ingenious! Well done! I'll have to give it a try. I know this is very silly, but every time I type in your blog url I think of a funny advert that used to be on TV in the uk here... I felt I should share it with you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xknub_pILt8 :)

Aaaand, I'm flying home to SA next week and I simply CAN'T WAIT! :)

Juanita said...

@Kate: I hear you on the vegetarianism thing! When I was a vegan as a teenager, people used to offer me fish...because fish IS a vegetable, right? :-)

@Tiffany: Loved your awesome version of that bread pudding the other day! :)

@Linda: I hope you're mending well after your surgery! Being undiagnosed for a good decade did have long-term repercussions on my thyroid and immune system, but now that I'm strictly gluten-free, the symptoms of coeliac itself are all gone! Yay!

@Lizzy: Variety is the spice of life indeed! Thanks for catching my little joke. ;-)

@fashioneggplant: I'm sorry there isn't more variety available in the Philippines :-( Have you looked for coconut flour?

@The Mistress of Spices: I LOVED the movie with Aishwarya Rai! Your comment about France surprised me...I guess I thought that most 1st world countries would be pretty stocked on the supermarket variety front. Is it because France is culturally quite a lover of breads and pastries (or is that just what cooking programs would have you believe)?

@Stacey: Click your heels Dorothy...there's no place like home :-) I absolutely LOVED the youtube video...it made me laugh. The butt close-up was priceless! Thanks so much for sharing it with me :-)

flowers on my table said...

Juanita, undiagnosed for 10 years, that is so terrible. I'm so glad you have worked it out for yourself and are keeping well. I am doing well thankyou, hoping to return to work tomorrow, so a bit of normality will be good. Thanks for your comment on the espresso ice-cream thing, it is really good isn't it? Love Linda x

pierre said...

bravo juanita i love this home madepizza !!pierre

Dreams of cakes said...

What a great idea for a pizza! You don't stop to amaze me :-)!!

Nadia said...

I don't have food allergies, but I'd be happy to have a slice of this lovely pizza. :)

Kitchen Simmer said...

I'm so happy for you that you have found more alternatives to gluten free cooking. Rice flour is awesome. We use it a lot in Sri Lankan cooking too. I have just been introduced to millet and now I eat millet as a substation for rice. I hope the shelves provide you with more and more options in the future. Great job on the pizza crust. I must try my and at making some homemade pizza crust too... : )