My hubby joined the paleo lifestyle because I pretty much made him — KIDDING! But in all honesty, it’s how I cook so he followed suit and he is actually very mindful about what he eats and really understands why I chose this route. One thing…..he says he misses a lot, is pizza! He loved pizza and beer and though he’s given up so many other things to be a healthier person, he will have beer on occasion and he will get a gluten free pizza if there’s that option when we eat out!
Many places offer gluten free pizza’s now. It’s exciting for those that are celiac and need to eat gluten free but for those of us who steer clear of the white flour and sugar, what are our options? There aren’t many. What I do like about some of these ‘build your own’ pizza places, is that you can choose the gluten free crust and load your pizza with veggies. You can choose the cheese (if any) and it’s become a good option for those who just really would like a taste of pizza but need to make the changes due to dietary restrictions or choices.
I personally didn’t miss pizza. I have always been the girl who took the cheese and pepperoni’s off and ate them without the crust. I’m not a big fan of pizza crust and I guess that’s why making the switch to give up grains/flours etc. was so easy. I am not a sandwich lover either — bread in general (unless it’s a treat!) has never been big on my “like list”. That being said, when I realized there was a thin crust option for pizza, I became intrigued! It resembled a thick, crusty tortilla and that is something I was on board with! When I made personal pizza’s for my family – prepaleo days – I used whole wheat or spinach tortillas for myself. Thin crust soon made me a pizza lover!
This pizza crust recipe is made with Ottos Cassava Flour and as mentioned, I’m a thin crust lover so I rolled it out pretty thin. Baking instructions are for a thinner crust. I’m sure you can make this a thicker crust if preferred but I’d definitely modify the cooking times accordingly. Additionally, there are 2 methods of baking the crust — I prefer to the cast iron to oven method but the ‘straight to the oven’ works just as well! Well, have at it! Happy pizza eating 🙂
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup ghee or brown butter
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp italian seasonings
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup paleo pasta sauce or pizza sauce
- 2 spicy sausage links, crumbled & cooked
- 8 applegate pepperoni slices, cut into 4's
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 6 roma tomato slices
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 6 basil leaves, chopped
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Mix all ingredients (except the olive oil) with a stand mixer or you can use hand mixer or whisk, making sure you incorporate well until you have a dough-like consistency.
- Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat.
- Separate the dough into 2 dough balls.
- Roll one dough ball out in between 2 pieces of parchment paper making a 9in circle in diameter.
- Carefully peel away the parchment pieces from dough round and place the dough into the cast iron skillet.
- Let it cook up for 3 minutes, turn over and cook another 2 minutes - brush on some olive oil, then place it in preheated oven for 9 minutes. While this one is in oven, prep the 2nd dough ball!*
- *Take out and start layering on your favorite toppings! Put back into oven just long enough to melt cheese if using or warming through the toppings, excluding basil.
- Toss basil on before serving.
- I also made this crust without the cast iron pan by placing the pizza dough rounds on a preheated pizza stone. Just add the pizza stone into the oven when you turn it on to preheat, carefully take out the hot stone and place the pizza dough onto the stone - put into oven for 15 min, brushing on olive oil about 1/2 way through cooking. Top with favorite toppings, back into oven to warm for a few minutes.
- *When you top your pizza that's been made in cast iron, you can transfer to the stone and put back into oven to warm so you free up your cast iron to start your 2nd pizza 🙂
