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Simple Gluten-Free Pizza Crust, Yeast-Free

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Serves 2 to 4
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 to 25 minutes

Crust:

2 eggs or egg substitute
2 tablespoons unrefined oil
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1¼ cups tapioca flour (starch), plus some extra for kneading the dough
¼ cup almond meal or other gluten-free flour (OR you can just use more tapioca flour)
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning
Optional: 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Olive oil for brushing

Preheat the oven to 400º. Whisk together egg, oil, and honey or agave syrup in small bowl. Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine the ingredients as well as possible with spoon or fork – it will be quite sticky. Put about 1/8 cup of tapioca flour on a clean surface. Pull everything out of the bowl and make a dough ball. Knead the dough on the tapioca-dusted surface until it stops sticking to your hands (3 to 5 minutes). Roll the dough out into a circle; you can either use a rolling pin or your hands to press it out until it is the thinness you desire. I like to make two smaller rounds for two different pizzas! Transfer this circle to a baking sheet. Brush the round with a bit of olive oil, prick it in a couple of places with a fork, and place it in a 400º F oven for 15 minutes or until slightly golden on the top. Remove from the oven and add the sauce or pesto and toppings of your choosing. Place back into the hot oven and bake another 5 to 10 minutes until it’s all nice and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Simple Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free Calzone Crust

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Preparation time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 to 25 minutes
Serves 2 to 4 (makes 2 full-meal calzones)

Crust:
2 eggs or egg substitute
2 tablespoons unrefined oil
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1¼ cups tapioca flour (starch) plus some extra for kneading dough
¼ cup almond meal or other gluten-free flour
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning
Olive oil for brushing

Filling:
1 cup any combination of fresh veggies, cooked beans, or cooked meats
½ cup marinara or pesto sauce
½ cup your choice of cheese, or non-dairy “cheese”

Preheat oven to 375º. Whisk together egg, oil, and honey or agave syrup in a small bowl. Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine as well as possible with a spoon or a fork – it will be quite sticky. Put about 1/8 cup of tapioca flour on a clean surface. Pull everything out of the bowl and make a dough ball. Knead the dough on the tapioca-dusted surface until it stops sticking to your hands (3 to 5 minutes). For smaller calzones, separate the dough into 4 balls; for larger ones, make 2 balls. Roll dough out into a circle; you can either use a rolling pin or your hands to press it out until it is about 1/8-inch thick.

ADDING FILLING:
Transfer this circle to a baking sheet. In the center of the lower third of the circle add the following:
-For smaller circles, use ¼ cup of any combination of fresh veggies, cooked beans, or cooked meats, ⅛ cup marinara or pesto, ⅛ cup of goat cheese, Italian cheeses, ricotta cheese, or dairy free “cheese” options.
-For larger circles double the above amounts.

Once the filling has been placed, fold the dough over towards the front tip so that it comes just over the top of the filling. Bring the exposed portion of the bottom piece up and fold over the top piece, using your fingers to press down, creating a seal. Brush with a bit of olive oil, prick the top in a couple of places with a fork, and place in a 375º F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

GF Calzone Crust, continued

Other options:

1. Pizza Crust: This dough makes a great pizza crust. Just roll it out nice and thin, crimp edges, prick several places with a fork, and bake in a 400º F oven on a pizza stone or baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove, add toppings, and bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes until bubbly.

2. Crackers: Flatten the dough to the thickness of a tortilla. Place on a baking sheet and brush with oil or butter. Cut into bite sized pieces and bake 20 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp. Let cool and store in an airtight container. Get creative with seasonings!

3. Soup Bowl: You can press this dough into ¼-inch thick layer over ovenproof bowls. Bake at 400º F for 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from bowl and pour in soup of your choice! Idea adapted from “Gluten Free for Dummies,” by Danna Korn.

Gluten-Free Yeasted Calzone

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I love calzones, and I spent quite a bit of time, and wasted a lot of flour, trying to create a gluten-free version that would stay together and taste good. The xanthan gum is a must, and this mixture of flours creates a nice flavor.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes

Crust:
1½ cups warm water (110º F to 115º F)
2 tablespoons sugar, honey, or agave syrup
1 packet dry, active yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
1½ teaspoons sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups Tif’s GF baking mix, consisting of 2 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups tapioca, 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
Extra olive oil and gluten-free flour for kneading

Filling:
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 or 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoons crushed red chili flakes
2 tablespoons dried parsley and/or Italian seasoning
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Italian cheese
1 cup GF marinara sauce (I like Amy’s brand)

Pour the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and package of yeast. Stir the mixture slowly until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Let it sit to allow the mixture to “mature” for about ten minutes or so. The mixture will begin to react; clouding and forming a foamy “head” on the surface of the mixture. Add the salt and the olive oil and stir again to combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup of Gluten-free flour mix and whisk in until dissolved. Mix in the second cup of flour and xanthan gum. Add the third cup of flour and combine. By now the dough mixture should be fairly thick. Add the last cup of flour and, with your hands, begin to combine and knead the dough. Remove the dough ball to a tabletop to knead it. You may need to add a dusting of flour from time to time to reduce the stickiness of the dough. Knead dough for about 5 to 8 minutes. You may need to add olive oil during this process.
You’ll know you’ve done well when the ball no longer sticks to your hands. It will become a smoothly-textured ball.

ADDING FILLING:
Transfer this circle to a baking sheet. In the center of the lower third of the circle add the following:
-For smaller circles, use ¼ cup of any combination of fresh veggies, cooked beans, or cooked meats, ⅛ cup marinara or pesto, ⅛ cup of goat cheese, Italian cheeses, ricotta cheese, or dairy free “cheese” options.
-For larger circles double the above amounts.

Once the filling has been placed, fold the dough over towards the front tip so that it comes just over the top of the filling. Bring the exposed portion of the bottom piece up and fold over the top piece, using your fingers to press down, creating a seal. Brush with a bit of olive oil, prick the top in a couple of places with a fork, and place in a 375º F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

Bake at 400º F for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and eat!

Sprouted Quinoa Flat Bread

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Ok, hands down this is one of my most favorite recipes! It is oh-so-delicious and very popular with folks. Not being much of a baker myself, I wanted to create a recipe that was easy to make, abundantly healthful, and as satisfying as a bite of bread. In this lesson you learn how easy it is to sprout quinoa and make the perfect flatbread for wraps, rolls and pizza!

This flat bread is best made thin. It is oh so easy, delicious, incredibly healthful, AND it even freezes well! I have a friend who doesn’t like quinoa, but he loves this flat bread! The sea veggie is not a must in the recipe, but it is a great way to get life supporting minerals in your body and it does add a subtlety to the flavor that I enjoy. This flat bread can also double as a pizza crust!

Preparation time: 10 minutes (in addition to overnight soaking of grain)
Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes
Yields about a 9X11 piece, or 2 smaller pieces

1 cup of quinoa
2 inch strip of kombu or wakame (sea veggie)
1/8 cup unrefined olive oil
2 cloves raw garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
A little less than 1/8 teaspoon Xanthan gum (purchase at healthy grocery store)
Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons or any herb that you may be fond of.

1.Soak the quinoa and sea veggie over night in 4 cups of filtered water in a large jar or bowl (cover with a sprout lid or paper towel). The next day, rinse the grain at least one time, but two times is recommended. Use the soaking water to water your plants… they will love it!
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
3. Put the rinsed grain and sea veggie into a blender. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, the optional herbs, garlic, and Xanthan gum. Blend until rather creamy. You will most likely need a tamper of some sort to help the blender because the batter will be pretty thick.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Use your hands or a spatula to spread the batter over the parchment paper. I find it easier to make a rectangular type shape, but you could do two rounds (or whatever shape you like for that matter). Make it nice and thin, but without holes.
5. Place it in the oven on a baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then slide it off the baking sheet and right onto the over rack for an additional 8 minutes or so, or until crispy.
6. You can then dress it up with pesto or tomato sauce and toppings of your choice. Then put it back into a 375-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Another option is to cool and freeze the flatbread for later. I also use it for sandwiches or to dip in soup. Fantastic!