Homemade Veggie Pizza with Oat Flour Crust (Gluten-Free)

When I was young I could easily eat half a pizza, without thinking twice (seriously, it's true).  That is, only if it wasn't made by my mom.  Not to say her pizza was bad.  In fact, it was always delicious, but when you're young you never want the homemade version of things, you want the store-bought or restaurant-made version (it was the same story with mac and cheese.  My mom tried enticing me with her mac and cheese all the time, but I wanted the Velveeta Shells and Cheese!).  Now that I try to follow a gluten free and low FODMAPs diet, I basically have no choice but to make my own pizza (and Nick, well, he gets stuck eating it too).

Thankfully for both of us I've finally perfected the crust, and as you learned last Friday, I've perfected the sauce as well.

Gluten-Free Veggie Pizza with Oat Flour Crust

Gluten-Free 

Serves:  12

Ingredients 

3 cups oat flour

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. oil (for your fingers when spreading the dough)

1 tsp. salt

1.5 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup warm water 

2 cups pizza sauce **

8 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (~1/4th inches thick) **

2 Tbsp. fresh grated parmesan cheese **

2 cups spinach

8 ounces button mushrooms

2 red peppers, sliced and chopped

Fresh pepper and oregano (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine and mix the flour, salt, sugar, and the yeast in a medium sized bowl. Next, add the EVOO and water.

(NOTE:  The dough will be very sticky.  You will want to use your hands to mix this. You will get dough on your hands, just scrape it off and keep mixing)

3. Coat your hands with some oil, or non-stick spray. Use your hands to spread the dough evenly on a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Try to get the dough as spread out as possible, without ripping the dough (I used a large baking sheet and spread the dough to cover about 90% of the sheet).

4.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and add toppings (sauce, cheese, veggies, spices).  Finish baking for about 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven and how crispy you like your pizza!).  Take out the pizza and allow it to sit outside of the oven, on the hot pizza pan, for about 10 minutes before slicing.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will want to use the Rao's Sensitive Formula Marinara Sauce, or make one of these two homemade sauces.  Or, if you have another brand in mind with no garlic or onion, use that.  If you are lactose intolerant just go easy on the cheese, or use a lactose-free brand (keep in mind there is very little lactose in the small amount of cheese that is included on this pizza).

I've found that fresh mozzarella really makes pizza that much better.  Not to say you must use fresh (and when I say fresh I mean house made at the supermarket where I shop) but I think it makes a difference in the end result.  It's a difference I probably wouldn't have appreciated as a young girl, but now I crave it.

It took a few rounds of failed attempts before I finally perfected the art of making gluten free pizza.  This recipe was finally one that Nick and I both enjoyed, equally as well.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did!

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/12th of pizza
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of fiber, iron and calcium, excellent source of vitamins A and C.

QUESTION:  Was there a food that your mom or dad tried to make themselves, but which you refused to enjoy as much as the processed/packaged variety, when you were young??

Have a great Thursday everyone, and thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd