Gluten Free Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water, heated to 100 - 115°F
• Scant* 1 tablespoon honey, agave, or sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/2 cup white rice flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup potato starch (or more cornstarch)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or more potato flour)
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, for heat (or minced sun dried tomatoes) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (or Kraft canister) (or gluten free nutritional yeast + 1/8 teaspoon additional salt, for dairy-free))
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (or guar gum)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh, minced)
• 12 slices gluten free pepperoni
• 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) shredded Mozzarella cheese*, plus more for tops
• 1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 1/4 cup Gluten Free Pizza Sauce Recipe (or your favorite GF brand including pesto (Buitoni)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pan
• 1 tablespoon butter (or oil, for dairy-free), for basting
For the Egg Wash:
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon water, for basting

Instructions:

1. Oil the cups of a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan or standard 12-cup muffin pan (or line with muffin papers; set aside.
2. Add honey to the warm water and stir. Add yeast and stir again. Allow the mixture to rest for at least 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy on top.
3. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whisk/balloon attachment, add white rice flour, potato starch, cornstarch, red pepper flakes (if using), Parmesan cheese, xanthan gum, rosemary, salt, baking powder, and thyme; run on low to combine.
4. Add small pieces of your favorite meat and/or cheese, about 1 slice of pepperoni per standard muffin (2 for jumbo muffins) and half of the Mozzarella cheese. Run the mixer on low to evenly distribute.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, pizza sauce, oil; add to the mixer. Also, add the yeast mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth (1 minute if using a KitchenAid mixer). The dough should be sticky enough to stick to your hands/fingers. If not, mix in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it is. Gather the dough into one mound. Set aside to rise in an 80ºF environment for 45 minutes.
6. Distribute the dough evenly among the 6 cups without smashing the dough down too much. Using wet fingers, smooth out the tops.
7. Brush the tops with melted butter; set aside to rise for an additional 15 minutes.
8. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 475°F.
9. Whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon of water; brush on top of the risen muffins. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining Mozzarella;
10. Bake on the center rack of the oven 14 - 15 minutes for jumbo muffins and 12 minutes for standard muffins, rotating pan mid-baking for even browning if your oven has some hot spots.
11. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to set in the pan for about 3 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes. (If you serve them too soon, they will taste a little gummy.)
12. If desired, serve with additional pizza sauce.
13. To store, once completely cool, freeze leftovers in a single layer in gallon-size freezer bags. Defrost muffins in the microwave on low heat or at room temperature. Reheat by microwaving on low or slicing in half and toasting. I even leave them on the dashboard of my car in the sun while I'm driving.

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