Adriana Rabinovich, Glutenfree4kids.com
Quick Pizza
Ingredients
275g plain gluten free flour (Doves Farm)
1 tbs gluten free baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp xanthan gum
100g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
250ml crème fraiche
140ml milk
Method
Pre-heat oven to 200 C. Measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum in a large bowl. Add the cheese and mix together. In a separate bowl combine the crème fraiche and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients mixing with a fork until you get a sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured board. Gently knead the dough using a little more flour until it holds together. Roll the dough out to about 1 cm (1/4 inch) thickness. Using a 7.5 cm (3 in) round cutter, cut out rounds and place these on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. In the meantime prepare your toppings.
If you are making your pizzas straight away then once the bases are out of the oven, add your toppings and then place them back in the oven for another 10- 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.
If you are putting the bases in the freezer then leave the bases to cool completely before packing them in airtight containers or plastic bags. You do not need to defrost these before cooking. Simply add your toppings and put in a hot oven. Your baking time may be a little longer.
Note: You may prefer to make one large pizza. You can do this easily but remember to adjust your baking time accordingly.
Pizza Topping Suggestions
Mozarella
Cheddar Cheese
Tomato sauce
Peppers
Pepperoni/Chorizo
Mushrooms
Jalapenos
Basil, Oregano, Thyme etc.
Breadsticks or Dough Balls
Use recipe as per Quick Pizza.
Add flavourings such as sea salt, rosemary, thyme, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, roasted garlic or onion, garlic butter
To make breadsticks- roll the dough out into thin pencil shapes. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the breadsticks with water and then roll in your selected flavouring or herb. Bake in a hot oven 10- 15 minutes until crisp. These are best eaten straight out of the oven.
To make dough balls- Shape into balls. Bake in a hot oven 10 – 15 minutes until golden. Brush with garlic butter. Best eaten hot - straight out of the oven!
Garlic butter ingredients
Unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves – crushed
Salt/pepper
Selection of fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, rosemary – optional
Cheesey Snakes
To Make Cheesey Snakes make the following adjustments to the Quick Pizza recipe
• Reduce gluten free flour to 250g
• Add 1 tsp Coleman’s Dry Mustard to the dry ingredients
• Reduce Crème Fraiche to 200 ml
• Add 50 ml plain natural yoghurt
• Increase milk to 150ml
• Increase oven heat to: 220 C
Follow recipe as per quick pizza- adding the mustard to the dry ingredients. Proceed up to making a soft dough. Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and tap into a round disc shape. Using your hands pat the disc down to a thickness of 1.5 cm (1/2 in). Cut into strips using a sharp knife and then cut each strip in half. Using a palette knife, gently place these on a lined baking sheet well spaced as they will expand in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving. These freeze well.
Heart of Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
A great classic salad to serve alongside your homemade gluten free pizza. The dressing can double up as a quick dip for crisps or raw vegetables. Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large head of Romaine Salad or 4 Little Gems- washed and spun dry
Cherry Tomatoes- optional
Toasted pumpkin seeds- optional
Blue Cheese- about 150g
Greek style plain yoghurt
Crème Fraiche
Fresh Lemon juice
Method
On a small plate mash up the blue cheese with a fork, removing any bits of hard rind. Place the mashed up cheese in a bowl. Add 2-3 large tablespoons of yoghurt, followed by a similar amount of crème fraiche. Mix to combine. Add a little lemon juice to get a good consistency, salt and pepper to taste. The dressing should be thick but you should be able to pour it over the salad. You can make the dressing up to 2 days before required.
Wash and spin dry the lettuce. Place it in a large bowl Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the lettuce. In a small frying pan, dry roast the pumpkin seeds until they start to puff up and pop. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
When you are ready to serve, pour the dressing over the leaves, sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and serve.
