Not everyone has the privilege of eating everything they want. Sometimes the most commonly known and most diversely liked foods such as pizzas and other goods can be out of the reach of many individuals just because of one little culprit; gluten.
Gluten intolerance is a kind of allergy that can lead to any of the four medical conditions in the individuals; celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia and wheat allergy. This means that having anything from baked goods to snacks and even beer can trigger unwanted side effects and this leaves gluten intolerant people see their food choices being narrowed to a point where all their favourite food is out of bounds.
However with the right ingredients and suitable alternatives, it is now possible for such allergic individuals to eat whatever they want, whenever they desire.
Bake Yourself a Gluten-Free And Disappointment-Free Pizza
Pizza cravings do not pay heed to the time, day, event or even the allergies a person suffer from. They just arrive out of nowhere and do not leave until the temptation to have a pizza isn’t satisfied by a hot, steamy, cheesy slice itself. While satisfying an intense pizza craving might not seem such a hard feat for regular people, those with gluten intolerance really have to pay for this temptation.
A gluten-free pizza maybe the best and perhaps the only option available, but with a dough that lacks regular flour and eggs and milk, the only thing that stands between a gluten intolerant and a real deal pizza is not the allergy but disappointment because what is a pizza crust that does not have these basic ingredients.
However, a gluten-free pizza doesn’t have to be a disappointment just because it’s devoid of the regular ingredients. It can still be the pizza we all adore, which looks, smells and tastes the same and doesn’t even have to trigger unwanted side effects. Only, if you know the right technique. This is because once the right ingredients are known, the way they have to be incorporated is well understood, a perfect gluten-free pizza will be nothing but a craving that you will welcome wholeheartedly. But, don’t be scared as this does not involve weird ingredients and scary procedures, just some plain alterations and you are good to go.
The Crust of a Gluten-free Pizza
While it is already an established fact that a pizza crust that caters to gluten intolerants cannot have regular flour, eggs, milk and even cauliflower if someone’s a big fan, it is also not supposed to have a texture that resembles a flat bread or to be more extreme; a cracker. The crust should be exactly like a regular one; thin in the centre, crisp from the bottom and slightly soft from the top owing to all the saucy goodness that lies there. The edges should be crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. But wait a minute, all this brings a gush of saliva to your mouth but seems like a tricky business? Fear not because ActivEats has made it easier and you can do it too.
Your Guide to Gluten-free Pizza Dough
To get the impeccable gluten-free crust, all you need is gluten-free flour (because obviously), baking powder, olive oil (because vegetables oil are preferred in gluten intolerance), salt, yeast, sugar to stimulate the yeast and lastly, xanthan gum.
Why Xanthan Gum?
A gluten-free flour that does not contain gluten which is a protein found in grains. Gluten acts like a glue that when mixed with water holds the flour and gives it a sticky and stretchy consistency which in turn proffers the baked dough a chewy texture. In the absence of gluten, it is important to render the dough the same stickiness and stretch and here is when xanthan gum comes into the picture. It acts as a binding agent that holds to the moisture and provided the dough a distinct structure.
Baking Powder; Where Did That Come From?
You may be surprised by the addition of baking powder as it is one ingredient that is not found in regular pizza dough. This is because the regular pizza dough contains gluten. In the absence of gluten, while a certain degree of elasticity is rendered by Xanthan gum, it still does not match or replace the strands that exist during prolonged kneading of the gluten-containing dough. Furthermore, gluten is also responsible for entrapment of gas bubbles that are produced by the yeast during the proofing step and no matter how good a gluten-free dough is, it still does not own the capability to catch these bubbles needed for the dough to rise. And here’s why you need baking powder.
While yeast acts to give a slight rise to the dough prior to baking and also the typical taste, the baking powder is needed to render a double boost during the baking process happening inside the oven.
And you know what is the result of all these weird additions, it is the yield of a perfect, mouthwatering pizza crust and that too without the hazards of gluten.
Getting It All Together
Once you know all the right ingredients and why you have to add them, the next step is to bring it all together. The main idea of getting the right dough consistency is to mix, mix and mix until you end up not feeling your hands. The idea behind this great deal of mixing is that gluten-free dough unlike the regular one needs to be more sticky. This is because such dough needs more moisture in order to rise and to prevent the dough from drying out during baking.
The next step is to transfer this sticky dough on a flat surface and to punch it or knead it thoroughly. The dough might stick to the surface and thus it is a good idea to keep a scrapper at side to scrap out the sticky dough to prevent any hindrance during kneading. Once the dough is kneaded to a great deal till the point it is super soft and smooth, leaving it to rise for sufficient time until you move on to add the topping delicacies.