Friday, May 16, 2008

Kid-Friendly Food Fridays - GLUTEN FREE PIZZA!! (GF, CF, EF, SF)


Welcome back to Kid-Friendly Food Fridays! We started this weekly event to feature healthy, yummy, delicious, and quick recipes to make for kids! For more information on this weekly event, please visit the Kid Friendly Food Fridays Headquarters! We welcome you to submit recipes and ideas for this feature to gingerlemon_girl at yahoo dot com!






This week I'm featuring a wonderful recipe from a book by Carol Fenster called, "Cooking Free."

This book by Ms. Fenster was published in 2005 and it is still very up to date and perfect for the gluten free diet. The great part about this book is that most of the recipes are also egg free, wheat free (of course), sugar free, and dairy free! How accommodating is that?

This book is perfect for those following a gluten free and casein free diet. Many of the recipes in this book are perfect for kids and most are recipes that can be prepared quickly (my favorite!) There are over 200 recipes in this well-written, informative book. The book includes very helpful appendixes which teach about common sources of major allergens, how to convert butter or margarine to oil, a glossary of gluten free cooking and baking ingredients, and pages of online, regional, and national resources for people who are on special diets. These resources alone are worth the cost of the book!

I have to admit, I was originally going to give this book away, but I think I'm enjoying it too much to share! We have tried several recipes in this book including the basic chocolate cake without eggs (pg. 175), stir-fry orange chicken (pg. 134), Ms. Fenster's quick bread focaccia (pg. 34), and her pizza crust recipe below! We have loved every recipe we have tried from this book! I really love the egg free and sugar free options that "Cooking Free" provides!! This is truly one of the best gluten free cookbooks I have used.

This book is available for purchase through Penguin Books here, or through Amazon here.

Ms. Fenster has also kindly allowed me to share her wonderful pizza crust and pizza sauce recipe with you.

We loved this recipe. This is going to be our "go to" gluten free pizza crust recipe. I think next time we will double the recipe for a thicker, deep-dish style pizza crust, but we also loved it as a thinner crust!

I know your kids will love love it! I would love to know what you think in the comments below!





Carol Fenster's Pizza Sauce and Pizza Crust
excerpted with permission from: Cooking Free by Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
All rights reserved. Copyright © Carol Fenster, Ph.D., 2005.



"This is possibly my favorite recipe in the entire book. Why? Because pizza is the food we really miss when going on a gluten free diet. I know you'll like this recipe as much as I do." -- Carol Fenster


Pizza Sauce:
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar -or- honey
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Toppings of your choice

Pizza Crust
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sugar -or- honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm milk (cow, soy, or rice) (warm to 110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Extra rice flour, for sprinkling


Directions:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes while crust is being assembled. Makes about 1 cup.


2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet. In a medium mixer bowl using regular beaters (not dough hooks), blend yeast, flours, xanthan gum, gelatin powder, Italian seasoning,sugar, and salt on low speed. Add warm milk, oil, and vinegar.


3. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Dough will resemble soft bread dough. If dough is too stiff, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Put mixture on prepared pan. Liberally sprinkle rice flour on dough, then press dough into pan, continuing to sprinkle dough with rice flour to prevent sticking to your hands. Make edges thicker to hold toppings.


4. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with sauce and your preferred toppings. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until top is nicely browned. Cut into 6 slices.




Ginger Lemon Girl's Notes:

I did not need extra water when blending the dough. It is a wonderfully soft dough that makes a delicious "chewy-on-the-inside, crusty-on-the-outside" crust!!
Most gluten free doughs can have a tendency to stick, even to a greased pan, so I also highly recommend using parchment paper or a silpat mat for baking this crust. (Just remember not to CUT your pizza on the silpat mat!) This recipe is truly a keeper! We cannot wait to use this recipe again! Many thanks to Carol Fenster for allowing us to share her recipe!!

UPDATE: The last 2 times I made this, I allowed the formed pizza crust to rise for about 25 minutes, then prebaked it in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes before adding toppings. Once toppings were added I baked an additional 10-12 minutes to heat toppings through and melt cheese. I really like the texture of the pizza crust better with these additions! Enjoy! - Carrie


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