Actual Almost Pizza!

I'm not the most accurate person when it comes to cooking, preferring to go on instinct and make things up as I go along, using my pre-established knowledge and natural skillz to make awesome concoctions of food joy. This is fine when you've mastered basic techniques that you can adapt at will, but as soon as I went gluten-free I found any attempts at baking came out like disappointing, soggy, structurally unsound globs of NO.

So, basically, I miss pizza and begrudge paying nearly £20 for an average sized piece of edible pepperoni smothered dough. So, I decided that I was finally over all my previous gluten-absent baking attempts and ready to start again!

I found this simple recipe  and thought- I could probably do that. I made a few changes- obviously- and here is the result.

It's Not Right, But It's OK Gluten Free Pizza Recipe

Serves probably 4-6, but I ate it all myself over two days.

40g gram flour

40g corn flour

75g rice flour

75g potato flour

1 egg

150-200ml(ish) water

1 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp fast acting yeast

pinch salt

1 tsp thyme

1. Pre-heat oven to gas mark 7. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the egg in.
2. Gradually add the water, stirring with a spoon or spatular until it reaches a wet, sticky cake batter consistency- do not try to whisk! My mixture was much wetter than the one in the linked recipe and I definitely did not knead it.
3. I did cover and leave for 30mins to rise a bit though.
4. After a little bit of resting, I spread the batter-like mix with a spatular into my seasoned stoneware dish, but you could just grease a tin.
5. Spread your dough with your own choice of homemade or shop-bought pizza sauce and pre-bake without any other toppings for around 10-15 minutes. Gluten free dough tends to take longer to cook, and I don't want under-done dough or over-done mozzarella, 'cos I'm fussy like that.
6. I then added a shit-ton of awesome toppings- now I know I've broken the rules on the cured meats which aren't from Kent, but this is pizza, and a bloody rare treat, so forgive me, but I ain't skimping!
7. Pop in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until desired melty/crispiness is achieved.

Mushroom, onion, garlic, spinach, mozzarella, hard goat's cheese, olives, and meat (not shown)

Now, the result was actually quite pleasant- it actually had a pizza dough like consistency, like actually. It was a bit deep pan for my preferences, but still, a huge leap from past experimentation. I would also use less gram flour, as it has a rather distinctive taste- it didn't overpower, but I could taste it, and I'd rather not be aware of an individual flour in a faux pizza base.

Now go try it sluggers! You might be surprised. Even given my adhoc style, it actually passes for pizza! I baked gluten-free and didn't cry afterwards. That's progress.