[Breakfast pizza: topped with sweet potato-almond spread, chopped chard, and cinnamon-coated apple slices]
Although the anti-candida diet doesn’t require its victims suckers followers to eat a grain-free diet, I’ve found more and more that I tend to find it easier to adhere to the torment misery regimen when I eat grain free.
But let’s face it: cutting out yeast, sugars, gluten, fermented foods, and basically all common allergens (the critria of the ACD) is hard enough; why would someone also want to cut out all grains as well? (For some insightful, inspiring musings on living a life with food restrictions–for whatever reasons–take a peek at Iris’s honest post about her own dietary parameters).
As it stands, my friends generally think of me as pretty wacky (oh, wait, they thought that even before the ACD) and it’s always a challenge to join in on “normal” social activities while on this diet. Even at home, it can feel like deprivation if the food you eat is markedly different from that of everyone else in the house, or excludes many of the ingredients you enjoy eating.
[A full meal: topped with pesto, zucchini, black olives, green pepper, jalapenos and seasoned tofu]
That’s why I vowed to make my ACD-friendly foods just as appetizing as “regular” food. And, for the most, part, I think I’ve succeeded (well, there was that one early experimental muffin that the HH spewed across the table when he taste-tested it, but we won’t revisit that unfortunate incident today). Today’s recipe for grain-free pizza is a great example of an alternative that works.
After no less than a dozen trials, I finally hit upon the magical combination of grain-free ingredients that (a) mimic the texture of a grain-based crust to a great degree (I won’t say it’s 100%, because let’s face it, the base is made mostly of puréed beans–but it’s damn close); (b) allows you to hold a whole piece in your hands and eat it without crumbling to dust–just like regular pizza!; and (c) contains no xanthan gum (which, while it remains an ingredient in many of my baked goods, is one I know many people dislike). With a wee bit of care in preparation, this crust has become my favorite pizza base and the one I use most often, even on days when I feel it’s okay to consume grains.
I first shared this recipe on Susan’s blog as part of her My Legume Love Affair celebrations over the summer (congrats again, Susan, on four years of a fabulous blogger event!). After I posted photos of last weekend’s apple-cinnamon breakfast pizza on Facebook, I received a few inquiries about it, so thought I’d share it here as well.
Yep, there’s nothing like a classic pizza for dinner. With or without grains!
“Mum, we don’t care if it has grains or not–we love pizza crust! And for some reason, our pals think our diet is wacky, too. Don’t all dogs eat grain-free pizza crust?”
[Classic pizza dinner: topped with spicy pesto, red peppers, tomato, black olives and nut-based “goat cheese“.]
Grain-Free Pizza Crust (suitable for ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
It takes a little bit of advanced preparation, but apart from the extra baking time, this crust is a breeze to make.
1 can (19 oz or 540 ml) white kidney or navy beans, rinsed well and drained (about 2 cups/480 ml)
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic, plus about 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra
1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened plain soymilk or almond milk
5 drops plain stevia liquid (or 1 tsp agave nectar)
4 tsp (1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp or 20 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (45 g or 1.6 oz) coconut flour
2 Tbsp (30 ml) whole chia seeds, ground to a meal in a coffee grinder (about 1/4 cup or 60 ml of the meal)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) potato starch
1/4 cup (60 ml) buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking soda
3/4 tsp (7.5 ml) baking powder
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt
1 tsp (5 ml) dried basil, optional (omit if you’ll be topping with sweet ingredients)
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line a large pizza pan with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.
In the bowl of a food processor, process the beans and 1/4 cup (60 ml) oil until relatively smooth. Add the soymilk, stevia, vinegar, coconut flour, chia meal, potato starch, buckwheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and basil and process again until the mixture comes together in a ball. Do not overprocess!
Take the ball of dough and, using your hands, pull of chunks the size of baseballs and distribute them evenly over the pizza pan. Use the final 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of oil to grease your palms and fingertips; then press the dough evenly in the pan until all the chunks come together in a single crust. Keep greasing your hands as necessary to avoid sticking. If desired, make a slight rim all around the edge of the dough.
Bake in preheated oven 35-45 minutes, until the crust is quite dry and lightly browned on the edges and bottom (if you underbake at this stage, the inside of the dough will remain moist after the toppings have been added). Top with desired toppings, then return to the oven for another 30-35 minutes, until heated throughout and toppings are cooked. Slice and serve. Makes 4-6 servings. May be frozen. To freeze, wrap slices individually in plastic and freeze until solid, then store in a ziploc bag.
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[Note: a later version of this recipe exists, tweaked to switch the chia for psyllium and to remove the potato starch. See the other recipe here. ]
This is my contribution to Wellness Weekend and Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays this week.
Last Year at this Time: The Most Outrageously Decadent Ice Cream You Will Ever Eat (No Ice Cream Maker Required) (ACD Stage 2 and beyond; GF)
Two Years Ago: Swamp Thing Smoothie (ACD all stages; GF)
Three Years Ago: Holiday Apple Bundt Cake (not GF; not ACD friendly)
[Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links. If you buy using these links, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission from the sale.]
oh you eat such wonderful pizzas – who needs grains – I don’t know if I will ever try the grain-free base – would like to but struggle for time to make regular bases – but I do love the combinations on top of the pizza
I’m not sure I’d go for this, either, if I could make the kind of yeast-based crusts that you do! I would think this one would take less time than a yeast-based one, though–no leaving it to rise before baking. Most of the time with this one is in the oven. 🙂
Grain-free works better for me and Rita – monocots vs dicots seems to be the dividing criteria. Your pizza crust flours are the ones that we are leaning towards. Finally Don will get some relief from the impossible number of bags of gluten-free flours on every shelf in the freezer.
Ha! I know what you mean–our cupboards are filled with containers of flours, too (though I tend to go through them pretty quickly). 😉
PS – woke up this morning thinking about another Quizza!
I made one yesterday! 🙂
Ricki this looks really wonderful — beans in a pizza crust! That sounds so good and I like the technique of dough balls pressed together!
The crust looks good! I don’t know if I’ll make it because I’m pretty fine on the allergy department. I will give this recipe to a friend of mine, whose sister is gluten intolerant!
I drooled over the toppings though.
Thanks! The sweet potato spread is a staple in our fridge now. I love it straight on rice cakes. 🙂
You have DEFINITELY succeeded! Man oh man Ricki you are truly gifted 🙂 I really want to experiment with beans in my baking. Do you sub beans cup for cup of flour?
Aw, thanks, Maggie! No, I didn’t use beans cup for cup–they are wet and heavy! I just kept playing with proportions until this came out. 😉 We ate quite a few ultra-dense and heavy, or totally crumbly, crusts, though, until I got it right. It’s fun to play, though. 🙂
These pizzas are impressive!
Thanks for the link love 🙂
I haven’t baked anything in months that my body can handle, but I’d love to give these a try. I’ve been grain-free for about 2 (or 3?) weeks now, and not really noticing a difference, but maybe it will make the difference when it comes to baked goods. Fingers crossed!
Wow! Hard to believe that crust is grain-free. It’s gorgeous!
Thanks, Nancy! 🙂 (and I promise, it is. . . buckwheat isn’t a grain). 🙂
Super interesting recipe Ricki – looks delish!
Thanks, Carol! I fell in love with it–texture, flavor, even the color! 😉
Hi
I have been trying many different GF crusts lately and most of them are a little doughy. Glad to see you suggust baking at a much longer baking time then the others suggested. I’ll have to try this. THanks
Hi Kelly,
Yes, I’ve had that same problem. The extended baking time–and baking until dry BEFORE adding the toppings–really does make a difference. I found that with a tomato sauce topping, the crust can absorb a lot of the moisture, so it helped to brush it with olive oil before adding the sauce (it creates a barrier). But even without, it was still much better than what I’d tried before! 🙂
Ricki,
That pizza crust looks amazing! I also love the texture that I am seeing! I especially need a recipe that my Grandsons will eat!
Thanks for sharing!
Jeanie
The texture is halway between bread and cracker. . . it’s got a crispness on the edges, softer inside. Hope they like it!
I think this is a brilliant crust, Ricki! That breakfast pizza is magazine-page worthy for sure! The irony is that many who stay away from grains also avoid beans. Then one is really narrowing down the allowed foods, huh? (BTW, I love it when you do the strikeovers. Hehe!) I made a grain-free (not vegan though) pizza crust last night. It was more cake-like than crust like though. I’ll keep working on it. Oh, and black beans were part of the topping. My body is not liking me today. Sigh.
Shirley
I know what you mean–food restrictions can become so crazy! Gah. Well, if I gave up beans, too, that would leave me precious little to eat except lots and lots of fat. . not a pretty pictures. 😉 Do you have problems with beans? Sorry to hear that! Bet it tasted yummy, though.
This pizza crust looks perfect!
I have been trying to make grain-free crusts for so long and I never seem to like any of them. I’m really looking forward to trying this one though! Thank you!
Thanks, Isobelle! Let me know what you think if you give it a try! 🙂
All three of your pizzas look stunning and the flavor combo’s are so creative. You’ve definitely got me craving pizza for breakfast! 🙂
It sounds weird, but it works! 🙂 Another favorite breakfast combo is a socca (chickpea flour) pizza with the sweet potato spread, sliced plums, spinach and pomegranate seeds. Fabulous.
Wow! What a recipe! Looking forward to giving it a try! I’ve been looking for a good go-to pizza recipe for ages! Thanks!
Thanks so much, and thanks for reading! 🙂
Those are some seriously awesome pizza creations Ricki. The top 2 especially!
Thanks, Ashley. I’m loving pizza these days. 🙂
This looks awesome and very creative! I have a grain free crust on my blog as well, but it usese lots of cheese to hold it together. I love the look of this, and especially because I’ve been trying to lighten up on dairy.
Once you tweeted about this, I had to look and see what it was made out of. Looks delicious, as usual. None of those ingredients would ever be missed.
Thank you, Shannonmarie! It really does taste pretty close to the “real” thing. And HH-approved! 🙂
For all this time I thought buckwheat was a grain! Thanks for this amazing recipe.
Technically, it’s a seed (and so is quinoa). 🙂
I found your recipe over at Susan’s blog “The Well-Seasoned Cook” and tried this pizza crust the other night. It tasted wonderful with the pepita sauce, mushrooms, a few black olives and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. Although we used to eat a whole pizza between us, it was so filling that we packaged half of it up for lunch the next day. My husband made sure I couldn’t snaffle his share for my evening shift lunch, and said it was absolutely delicious.
me52, thanks so much! I’m thrilled that you liked it so much (and what great toppings!). I find the same thing, that the pizza is very filling because of the beans in the crust (and the extra protein boost). I’ve just tweaked it a little, actually, to make it even better–will be posting the recipe most likely next week. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
I was looking for vegan recipes and came across your blog. Your pizzas look amazing! I am definitely going to be trying this. I love that you’re using beans! 🙂
Thank you, Denise! I just posted an updated version of this crust recipe as well, here.
Ricki,
I was looking for a good recipe for a grain free pizza crust and I know yours will be yummy! I wanted to feature one of your amazing recipes in a lineup of recipe posts I’m doing for my site this week and this one will be fantastic! I hope you don’t mind if I put the link to this recipe and your site with one of the pics in the post.
Shelley