Vegan Gluten-free Pizza Dough with Chickpea Flour

Gluten-free Pizza Dough

By Chef Katie Mae
 
Makes two 8-inch pizzas | Ready in 45–75 minutes | Stores 4 days in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup brown rice and/or almond flour
• 1 cup chickpea and/or fava bean flour
• ½ cup potato flour or starch
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
• ½ tablespoon garlic granules
• ¼ oz active-dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
• 1¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed, ground

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine flours, herbs, garlic, and dry-active yeast. Stir well and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil. While it heats, put ground flaxseed into a small bowl. Once the broth is boiling, turn off the heat. Pour two tablespoons of the broth over the flaxseeds and whisk immediately until a thick gel is formed.
3. Pour the rest of the broth into a small bowl or measuring cup - it should be about 1 cup. Then pour half of that broth into the dry ingredients. Add the flaxseed gel. Use a fork to mix the ingredients. Add more broth as needed. You may not need it all; I usually have ¼ cup of broth left. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be slightly sticky when all ingredients are combined. With your hands, shape the dough into a ball and set it inside the bowl (See Chef’s Note below). Dip your fingers in the remaining broth and gently wet the outside of the ball(s). Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 1 hour or longer if time permits.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F. Flour your pizza stone, or line a baking tray with parchment paper and set side.
5. Once the dough has had time to rise, lay a little bit of brown rice flour over a cutting board or flat surface. Place a ball of dough onto the floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin or your fingers, to flatten the dough into a crust ¼ to ½ inch thick. Then go around the dough, gently tucking over the edges to form a slightly raised crust. Repeat with second dough ball if there is one.
6. Bake the crust(s), on the middle rack, without any toppings for 5 minutes.
7. After 5 minutes, pull them out of the oven and top with a sauce of you choosing. You may want to try my Quick & Easy Oil-free Pizza Sauce. Bake for another 5 minutes on the middle rack.
8. Then add your toppings. Bake once more, this time on the top rack, for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how long your toppings need to cook for. (Hint: consider using seasonal veggies for more nutrients and flavor!)
9. Use a pizza slicer or sharp knife to slice each pizza. Serve immediately.

CHEF'S NOTES

As the dough sits, it will rise because the yeast is creating air pockets in the dough. This air in the dough makes for a lighter and less dense pizza crust. However, when the dough is kneaded and played with that air gets released.

Therefore, you want to handle the dough as little as possible. Before forming the dough into a ball, decide how many pizzas you’re going to make. Split the dough, and subsequently, shape it, so that you have one dough ball for each pizza you plan to make.