I keep hearing from some of my readers that it’s just too hot to bake, even a good gluten-free pizza! In researching how to grill a gluten-free pizza in a cast iron skillet, I came across Man Tested Recipes’ Pizza Dough for Cast Iron Skillet Pizza recipe. Though it is not a gluten-free grilled pizza recipe, it provided me with how much yeast to use, so I could skip the Expandex used in my previous gluten free pizza crust recipe. In addition, my last recipe was a bit too chewy for my taste. So, this time, I added a little more sorghum flour, used less tapioca starch and more potato starch, skipped the agar-agar, and tripled the yeast. It came out great in less than hour! I hope you enjoy!
On a hot day, make grilled gluten free pizza or for those cold winter days, bake it. Either way, this pizza crust is wonderful.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup non-fat milk (or nut milk), heated to 105 - 115°F
- 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or honey or agave)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (1 tablespoon for dough; 1-1/2 for pan; and 2-1/2 for crust)
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sorghum flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Oil, for skillet
- Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, dried basil, garlic powder, grated Parmesan cheese, shredded cheese, garlic powder, etc.
- 5 tablespoons Gluten-Free Pizza Sauce
- Gluten-free meat and/or vegetables
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Green bell pepper, chopped and sauteéd
- Red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions:
- Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil to a 12-inch or larger cast iron skillet (or 500°F oven-safe skillet). Coat the entire inside of the skillet. If you wish to spray it with oil, do so heavily.
- Add yeast and sugar to warm milk. Stir, and allow to rest, for about 5 minutes, and until it becomes foamy on top.
- Add vinegar, oil, and milk/yeast mixture to the bowl of your mixer. Blend for 10 seconds on low.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together potato starch, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, guar gum, and salt; set aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture. Mix on high speed for 1 minute. It will form into a ball, just like real dough, but continue mixing to create a softer and fluffier dough.
- If you wish to speed the rising, preheat your oven to 170°F.
- Scoop the dough into the center of the skillet. Sprinkle some water onto the dough. Using a rubber spatula, dipped in water, evenly distribute. Create a rim around the edges, however thick you like your gluten-free pizza crust edges to be.
- Place dough in a warm environment to rise. If using a preheated oven, now is time to turn off your oven and place the pan in the oven with the door closed until it rises, about 15 minutes.
- Once the dough rises, preheat your gas grill to medium-high, about 5 minutes. If baking, preheat your oven to 475°F.
- Top the gluten-free pizza dough with your favorite pizza toppings (sauce, cheese and toppings, a little more cheese, in that order, if you're using cheese).
- Baste the raised edges of your dough with oil to prevent cracking and aid in browning.
- Bake the crust in the center of your gas grill for 8 - 10 minutes with a closed lid. Check on it often to prevent burning. If you like doughy crust, you may try 7 minutes. If baking at 475°F, cook for 12 minutes.
- Immediately remove the pizza from the pan using a large pizza spatula or 2 regular metal spatulas. Set it on a pizza stone or large, wooden cutting board to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Slice and serve immediately. Using a pizza slicer helps significantly, especially if you are using a pizza stone. A good pizza slicer may cut into other surfaces. Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or store in a resealable storage bag and refrigerate.
Tips
*For corn-free dieters, use corn-free xanthan gum or 1 1/4 teaspoons guar gum. **Lower in sodium, if on a low-sodium diet, use no less than 1/3 teaspoon.
Additional Photos
I often post additional photos on my Facebook Page. Join me at http://www.facebook.com/glutenfreecarla.
See other gluten free pizza crust recipes:
Gluten Free Pizza Crust made with Expandex
Gluten Free Focaccia Bread Recipe
Gluten Free Polenta Pizza Crust
Gluten-free Taco Pizza with Udi’s Pizza Crust
See all of the Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipes.
The first time I made this it turned out perfectly! I used rice and oat flour instead of sorghum. But the last two times I’ve tried with sorghum it’s become really dense and very clumpy. I remember the first time it was really sticky and spread out easily with the wet spatula. But it wasn’t these two times it was a fairly hard ball. Any suggestions??
Hi Megan,
I can only assume it is dense because of the way you are measuring. When you measure dry ingredients, be sure to use dry measuring cups (you know, the individual cups for 1, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 cups) and spoon loosened flour into the cups. Then level off with a knife. If you scoop the flour out of a container, it becomes condensed and you end up using much more. The best thing to do is to weigh ingredients as you add them and make note of the weights. Then you can measure exactly the same as the previous time.
When you say clumpy, do you mean lumpy?
Carla
Hi Carla,
I did use dry measuring cups and I didn’t pack it in the cups. If I make this again I will probably try weighing. Or use a different flour.
Yes very lumpy and it was very stuck together. Smooth on the outside, not sticky to the touch.
Megan,
Recipe testers used sorghum flour successfully with rave reviews. So, I know there isn’t an error in the recipe. If it turned out lumpy, it was not mixed long enough. You want to mix it for 1 minute until it forms a ball. Then beat past that point until it becomes fluffy and sticky. Mixing times are based on the use of a 325 watt KitchenAid stand mixer. Less powerful mixers will need longer mixing.
Oat flour is one of my favorite flours. I prefer it over sorghum but so many people with celiac disease are oat intolerant that I don’t publish a lot of oat flour recipes. If you’re having success with oat and rice flour stick with them.
Usually, when I use sorghum flour to replace oat flour I add additional oil. So, I find it interesting that you’re having it turn out dryer when using sorghum flour. It must be the combination of using rice flour that is making the difference.
Good luck on your experimentation.
Carla
Fantastic! This is the first wheat-free pizza dough that I have enjoyed working with and eating…this would fool me for wheat crust I think. I had almost given up on pizza. I appreciated the substitution suggestions, which allowed me to use what I had (cornstarch for tapioca, all xanthan instead of xanthan/guar). I’m pretty new to gluten-free baking, so those suggestions were very helpful. I added some Italian seasoning and onion powder to the dry. Thank you so much!
Hi carla
Where i live potato and tapioca starch is not available. Can i use one and a half cup of corn starch instead.
Thanks
Hi! This looks fantastic! Besides gluten, I’m also dairy free. Any ideas on what to replace the milk with to get the same texture? Thanks!
Theresa,
I cannot recommend any other suggestion other than the “milk of your choice” which means using dairy-free milk is okay, too. Can you tolerate rice? If so, use gluten free rice milk such as Rice Dream.
Enjoy!
Carla
We have been cooking wheat free for almost two years now and tried many a pizza crust recipe. This one was absolutely amazing, just as all the other recipes I’ve tried from your site. I did a recipe review on my thereislifeafterwheat.blogspot.com and linked over to this recipe. Thank you for sharing!!!
Do you bake it in the oven the same as if it was on the grill My oven only goes to 550 degrees and I didn’t have a 12″ cast iron skillet so I used a pizza pan. I had to bake it longer as the crust seems doughy and not cooked thru.
Thanks
Hi Dianna,
You do have to bake it longer. Just test the crust and when it seems done take it out. A covered grill gets pretty hot. A cast iron pan is a must or at least a pizza stone.
Carla
Can I used quinoa flour or millet flour with the same kind of results?
thank you
Sylvia,
Millet should work as a sub for the sorghum flour, but it may be a little heavier.
Carla
DO YOU HAVE TO USE A CAST IRON SKILLET?
Yes. You need to use a cast iron skillet if you’re using a grill. That’s the only thing that can withstand that much heat. (Update: They now make pizza stones for the grill.) If you’re baking it in the oven, you’ll want to use something that is oven proof such as a cast iron pan or pizza stone. If you use an aluminum pizza pan or baking sheet, you may need to bake it longer. However, the texture will not be the same. Cast iron skillets and pizza stones achieve a nice crunch on the bottom and an airy texture inside. The grill gets the best results, though.
You’re are amazing! I tried this dough last night and it was a hit. I ran out of sorghum so I replaced it with sweet rice flour. The dough was soft and chewy and a delight. This one is a keeper. Big thanks