Pizza Margherita





Gluten Free Pizza Margherita

In case you’re unfamiliar with the history of the Pizza Margherita,  the original version was made in 1889 by Chef Raffaele Esposito to honor Queen Margherita during her visit to Naples. The tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, were meant to represent the colors of the Italian flag.  There’s really something to be said about simplicity.  This was my second attempt at making pizza crust since becoming gluten free.   The recipe itself is very simple.  I thought I might keep the toppings simple as well so I could get a fair gauge of the crust itself.  My first attempt at pizza crust was the (gf) Bisquick recipe I used in the Focaccia Style Pizza about a month ago.  It was enjoyable but not quite as chewy as I would have liked.  That crust also had a slight underlying sweetness due to the sugar in the GF Bisquick mix.  It might be better suited in a breakfast pizza recipe.  Now this crust, on the other hand was delicious.  It was thin and crispy yet it had a nice chewy texture the way a pizza should have.  The recipe itself came from the StrawberryMermaids Youtube channel.  That recipe called for one cup of (gf) self-rising flour mixed with one cup of Greek yogurt.  I didn’t have the GF self-rising flour called for in the recipe so I had to add a few ingredients to make it work.  As for the yogurt, since I had 11 oz instead of the 1 cup called for, I increased the flour amount as well.  Unable to find either a full fat Greek yogurt or my usual brand, since hurricane Irene left the store shelves bare, I was forced to use a fat free yogurt variety.  I’m guessing that more fat in the yogurt might make the dough slightly easier to work.  When I try it again I’ll let you know.  This recipe is definitely worthy a queen, or at least a gluten free queen. 


Crust Ingredients:
 
1 1/3 cups of Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
11 oz of Greek Yogurt


Topping Ingredients:


1 cup of Tomato Sauce (with a thick consistency)   
1/4 cup of Grated Pecorino Romano
1/2 lb of Mozzarella (Bocconcini)
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Pepper Flakes
Dried Thyme or Oregano
Fresh Basil Leaves


Video Tutorial:

Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit  (220 Celsius)


Prepare the pizza pan of your choice with some olive oil and or nonstick spray. 


For the crust, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Stir it all together with a wire whisk to make sure everything is well combined.  Add the yogurt and mix well. I started with a rubber spatula but found the mixture a bit too stiff so I moved onto to combining it by hand. 


Once the ingredients are mixed well scrape the pile of sticky dough onto the center of the greased pizza pan.  After washing your hands grease them with a few drops of oil before patting out the dough.   You could use the back of a spoon to help push the edges in towards the center to give you nicer edges.  Once I had the dough roughly where I wanted it, I laid a piece of waxed paper on top and used a rolled up piece of paper towel to further smooth it out and get it even thinner.  After peeling off the paper the crust is ready to top.


Drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil then sprinkle a few red pepper flakes, a little fresh chopped basil, and a sprinkle of dried thyme.  Spoon the sauce over the pizza then sprinkle over the grated cheese. Slice the Bocconcini in half then evenly scatter them across the pizza.  You could use larger mozzarella slices or even grated mozzarella. 


Bake the Pizza at 425 for 20 minutes to get a deep golden brown crust.  If you prefer a lighter crust start checking it out at around 15 minutes. 

Gluten Free Pizza Margherita

Once the pizza came out of the oven I let it cool down for a few minutes before removing it from the pan.  Just slide a spatula under the pizza around all the edges to make sure it has no sticking points then you can easily lift up one corner and slide a wooden cutting board or pizza peel right under the pie to remove it from the pan.  Sprinkle on more fresh basil and cut this baby up.