Passion of the Crust

Not that I would compare pizza to my Lord and Savior, but I believe this is a staple up in heaven. I mean how can it not be? Delicious crust, flavorful toppings, melty cheese.  Geez.....Where is my pizza? I know when I start to try to eat healthier I need to find a way to eat my favorite food of all time!  Either that, or I will have to overlook the emotional and physical affair I have with Pizza. My diet will understand. :)

Over a year ago, I came to my husband and said "I think I will start us on a Paleo diet." And he responded "Ok, but if it tastes like crap I'm going to McDonalds."  I can feel the love now.  But since I do most of the cooking he is generally along for the ride.

My best friend was already on Paleo, and we were searching high and low for a good crust recipe.  She shares my love affair with pizza.  We found one that used sweet potatoes that was pretty good but was labor intensive.  Everything Paleo sometimes seems labor intensive.

Then, the clouds parted, a single ray of sunshine shined down on my computer and a single dove took flight into the sky!!!! I found a general recipe for 2 ingredient pizza dough.  I brought this to my friend and said "Do you think, is it possible, is it true?? Can we make this Paleo?"  And make it we did.  It tastes delicious. Both of my kids eat it like its reg pizza dough.  My husband says even if he wasn't eating paleo he would eat this pizza crust.  It is so simple as well. I make this usually at least once a month.

One disclaimer, my family eats Dairy.  Yes dairy.  I know, I know, some view it as not Paleo, but our bodies tolerate it well, and I shouldn't have to say more than...cheese...  But, when you buy Dairy, please make it good quality!

So we move onto, the recipe

Paleo Pizza Crust

1 to 1 1/2 Cups Paleo Self Rising Flour
1 Cup Greek Yogurt***
Spices of your choosing.

Paleo All Purpose Flour Mix
2 Cups Blanched Almond Flour
1 1/3 Cups Tapioca Flour
2/3 Cups Coconut Flour

To make your All Purpose Flour into Self Rising add 1 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda to each 1 1/2 Cup of flour.

Directions:
Combine Self Rising Flour and Greek yogurt in a bowl. I then add the seasonings I want to flavor my crust with.  This includes some salt, garlic Powder, onion powder, and Italian seasonings.  I think this adds a special flavor to the crust (Don't worry about the amount, but if you are scared start with small amounts and add more if needed.).  Mix until well combined. The dough will be sticky.  I let it sit for 5 minutes to let the coconut flour Soak up the moisture.  The batter will still be sticky.  I leave it usually, but if its too wet for you add a Tablespoon of Tapioca flour at a time until its to your liking. We eat this pizza in individual sized crusts. This is because all 4 of us usually wants different items on our pizzas.  It also is easy to make leftovers to take to work with individual pizzas.

I then use a measuring cup (1/3rd of a cup) to scoop out the pizza dough onto my parchment paper.

As you can see its pretty sticky.  I lay of piece of plastic wrap over the dough and shape into a biscuit shape.

I use my rolling pin now to roll it out about 1/4th an inch thick.  You can roll it out to be as thin, or as thick as you like.  We like thinner crusts, so if I get it 1/4th of an inch or less I can get it crispier in the oven. ;) Notice also, its not perfect in shape. I think this gives my pizza character.  And, shows I'm too lazy to care what shape my pizza is in.

I continue on doing this until I have used up all my pizza dough.  This recipe can be easily doubled tripled etc.  The Paleo All Purpose Mix above makes for cups, so I buy 4 cups of Greek Yogurt and make the Full batch.  We can eat half of this at one sitting.   This will make around 15 individual sized pizzas and I can eat 2 pizzas at one sitting.  My husband can too.   Each kid eats around one.

I now place the parchment paper and crust on my cookie sheets and bake for around 10-12 minutes. (Sometimes I go closer to 15 minutes if I have 2 cookie sheets in the oven. I will check to see if its like the pic below.) It is ok if it is not ALL the way done because you will add toppings and bake more. This recipe is forgiving.  If after 12 minutes you think to yourself, "This woman is nuts, this pizza crust is raw." Then please place back in the oven and bake in 2-3 minute increments until it is to your liking.

You can immediately top your crust with your favorite toppings.  After this, place back in the oven for 10-15 more minutes at 425 degrees.  Check after 10 to see if it is cooked to your liking.  I go more for 15 minutes because I want a  nice golden brown on my cheese.

I generally make my pizza crusts a day or two in advance.  I take out of the oven (without toppings) and allow to cool.  I then place in plastic bags and put in the fridge.  During the week, when I get home from work, all I have to do is top our pizzas and bake.  Easy, fresh meal!

Here is our latest creation.  This pizza has a pesto sauce, fresh diced tomatoes (from the garden), a mix of garlic powder and Italian seasoning sprinkled on top,

I then added the pepperoni and cheese.  And baked...  Mmmmmmmmm....Heaven!!!  

You can make this crust with any toppings you have. Sometimes we have "Leftover" pizza which will be whatever toppings we can find in the fridge.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have! 

*** If you are dairy free, replace the Greek Yogurt with a Non Dairy Alternative.  Also, instead of topping your pizza with cheese use more veggies.  For example, caramelize some onions and use that as your "cheese."  Or buy some non-dairy Daiya cheese.