I have a buddy for whom I make pizza. He loves it. But the bummer of it all is that his wife cant also enjoy the pizza due to a gluten allergy. I kinda took this as a challenge to see what I could find out about making pizza with this restriction in mind. This is basically that recipe.
Recap Video
The Flour
After doing a quick search for what flour people use I reached out to a friend to see what they made their GF pizza with and was met with the same result but with an additional backing of my friend which honestly tips the scale a bit. First hand reactions are always great indicators.
I went with the Caputo Fioreglute I grabbed from Amazon because it was easy, but this seemed to be the most recommended.
The Recipe
I wanted to use the most familiar recipe and swap the flour I used. I didn’t want to overcomplicate it, and I also wanted to see if I could simply swap the type of four from bread to gluten-free.
I’m leaning on the J Kenji Lopez-Alt Detroit recipe from Serious Eats. This is the only Detroit recipe I’ve ever used and I like it so much I’ve not even considered investigating any other.
Here is how the recipe breaks down
For the Dough:
- 300g bread flour
- 5g instant yeast
- 9g salt
- 220g water
- 2tbsp of EVOO (more on this in a bit)
The Method
Measure your water and add your instant yeast and set it aside to bloom and combine with your water.
Measure your flour and salt and throw it into your stand mixers bowl.
With the mixer and dough hook, start the mixer and add your yeasty water mixture bit by bit. When it’s combined, cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.
With your mixer on low continue to mix your dough for 10 more minutes.
When mixing for the 10 minutes I didnt like the way things were looking. Other than the smell you’ll immediately see that the gluten free flour behaves very different from not having gluten in it [DUH]. Its at this point that I added 2 tbsp’s of EVOO to the mix and crossed my fingers.
Periodically stop the mixer to scrape off the dough ball from the hook so it can mix better. Try not to freak out that adding the oil late ruined things. Just let it continue to mix and incorporate.
Mixing is done now what?
After the 10 min you should be left with something that is kinda going to look like white playdough but feel like magic sand and playdough combined. You’ll naturally feel like this is a failure. Please endure.
Take your ball and shape it into a ball shape. It will not stretch like a normal dough ball but do your best to be gentile and shape away.
Place the ball in a well-oiled Detroit-style pan. I swear by Lloyd Pans and have a couple of their 8×10 pans. No, I’m not sponsored, but Lloyd Pans, please, I love your pans!
Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
After 1 hour come back and check on the progress. Your ball should be bigger and fill more of the pan. Gently stretch the dough and work it out towards the edges.
Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
At this point you should have some dough that fits your pan. You can now top and cook.
Cooking
I cook my Detroit-style pizzas in a countertop oven with the help of a cast iron plate I put in my oven. I preheat the oven to 500°F. This is the hottest my June Oven gets. I set a timer for 12 minutes and then add time if it needs more.
Conclusion
I delivered my first gluten-free to my buddy, and his wife said it’s “Fucking Amazing!” It’s hard to know just how amazing the comparison is cause I’ve only made a single pizza, but I’m going to replicate this recipe again to see if I can hit the mark twice in a row.
Good luck.