I’m working hard to cut the gluten out of my diet. This has not been an easy process for me as I come from a family that LOVES bread and carbs–but with recipes like this Cauliflower crust pizza I feel hopeful that I can remove bread and gluten from my diet without feeling deprived. It was down right delicious!
This recipe was adapted from The Lucky Blog and I must say it’s as good as promised. I cooked the crust about twice as long in my oven as recommended. This pizza will definitely make a weekly appearance at my house 🙂
Grain-Free Cauliflower Crust Pizza
makes one approx. 10-12 inch pizza
1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower – should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 eggDesired amount of sauce, cheese for topping, and other toppings. I added fresh basil from the garden to the pizza and for my husband I added pepperoni.Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 eggDesired amount of sauce, cheese for topping, and other toppings. I added fresh basil from the garden to the pizza and for my husband I added pepperoni.Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.
Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets, you don’t need much stem. Just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. See above photo. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.
Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.Dumped cauliflower into a bowl. Now add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow, this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add your egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.
Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.
Using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I’m not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza – so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.
Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!
*3/15 update – If you are using a larger sized cauliflower, up the eggs to 1 egg plus 1 egg white. You want your “dough” to be sticky. When I make a bigger sized pizza (using more cauliflower) I up the seasonings and the egg, but often leave the amount of cheese the same. Make sure you pat the dough tightly together when forming your crust. It really helps to place the crust (on an oiled sheet of parchment paper) on a HOT pizza stone or baking sheet. Make sure the crust is golden in color before topping it and baking it again. I truly believe cooking it the proper length before topping it helps keep the crust together.*Disclaimer – the slices will still be kinda floppy, but they shouldn’t be crumbly.
This is the third recipe I’ve tried for a cauliflower base. While I have yet to eat it (it’s in the oven), the consistency has turned out perfectly. It is perfectly crisp and not a soggy mess like the other two recipes I tried. Well done you!