Grain Free Thick Crust Pizza (Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free with directions to make Egg Free.)

As we all know, Pizza can come in a variety of thicknesses, textures and shapes. But when it comes to Grain Free recipes currently online I quickly noticed that this variety in recipes was lacking. Since all I could really find were thin crust recipes, I knew I needed to go the opposite direction and put together a recipe with a phenomenal perfect thick texture.

This crust holds together beautifully and reminds me just slightly of a light foccatia- though not that thick. It has a really delicious crispy outer crust, while it is perfectly soft on the inside. Pending how long you cook it, it also can have a slightly gooey texture (which I know I love!)

My Friend Jessica tested out this recipe for me this past week and reported back that it was the best gluten free crust she has ever had, let alone grain free. I hope you all agree!

 Grain Free Thick Crust Pizza.

2 packed cups Blanched Almond Flour
1 cup Arrowroot or Tapioca Starch (Potato Starch will work too).
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder (optional)

3 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk (Any variety- dairy or nondairy)
1 Tbs Oil or Melted Butter
1 Tbs Whole Psyllium Husk
1/2 Tsp. Vinegar or Lemon Juice. 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment on either a 8 inch round pizza pan or  a small square  or rectangular cookie sheet. Lightly oil the parchment and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder, salt and garlic powder. In a second smaller bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, psyllium husk and vinegar. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and mix until well incorporated.
3. Pour the wet batter onto the prepared parchment and oil a spatula. Using the oiled spatula spread the dough into the shape you would like. If you like, make the edges taller.  Re-oil the spatula as often as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to it.
4. Place the crust into the oven and par-bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, place desired toppings on and then bake again for 15-25 minutes depending how well done you would like your pizza.

A Few Tips:

• I like to brush the par-baked crust with a little oil before putting the toppings on.
• The crust is not going to absorb much sauce, so go easy with the red sauce or else it will just run over the edges. try using crushed tomatoes without their juice as your base.
• Though I have not yet tried it, I suspect the par-baked crust could be cooled and frozen to top and bake another day.
• We used applegate farms pepperoni! We LOVE it. The only problem is that its a little large for pizza- I solved this problem by slicing my pepperoni into smaller pieces using a little round biscuit cutter.

RECIPE UPDATE: An awesome reader figured out how to make this crust Egg Free. (I have not tried  these alterations myself yet) BUT wanted to pass along her notes. Here’s what she said: 

 ” I followed all your measurements, except I used the chia egg instead. 

Chia Seed Egg: 3 tablespoons of chia meal, 9 tablespoons of water ( a 3:1 ratio) to make up for the real eggs.

Then your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of milk. I double that to make it 1 full cup.  The dough should be kind of spongey. It should have a tendency to bounce right back in your bowl. Make sure to  use a well-oiled rubber spatula to spread it out because again, it’s kind of spongey and will stick if not oiled.” 

-Brittany-