Pizza Pizza

I was feeling adventurous last night, with a sudden craving for pizza. A few weeks ago I bought a package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix, but for some reason it took me almost 3 weeks of procrastination before I finally turned on the Kitchen Aid and whipped up the dough.

I had no idea what to expect with the gluten free crust, for all of the GF pizzas I have eaten (either frozen or at a restaurant) have had a really thin and gluten-less tasting crust. And believe me, there is nothing worse than a flavorless pizza crust that breaks apart in your hands, that can't hold any toppings and leaves your mouth feeling dry and coated in rice crumbs.

However, my pizza creation was delicious. The crust was thick and slightly chewy. It didn't fall apart and just had the certain pizza-crust taste that I really can't explain. Maybe it came from the yeast used in the dough, or maybe it was the Bob's Red Mill recipe. Whatever the reason, this was by far the best pizza I have ever eaten in my entire life and I am never going to peel away the cellophane from those over priced, measly little frozen pizzas again!

For my pizza I used the following ingredients:

• Muir Glen Italian Herb pasta sauce ( I know, it says pasta sauce, but it worked perfectly for this)
• Sliced tomatoes
• Sliced sweet yellow pepper
• Goat cheese
• Fresh basil leaves 

This recipe called for baking the crust for 7 to 9 minutes before putting any toppings on it,which worked perfectly. After I baked the crust for 7 minutes, I spooned on the sauce and spread it evenly over the crust. Some of it began to soak in which made for really great flavor once the pizza was fully cooked. I then spread the goat cheese on top of the sauce. * I microwaved the cheese for about 30 seconds to make it spread easier as this was not a shredded cheese.* 

I then placed the tomatoes and peppers ever so artfully on the pizza. I placed it back in the over for 15 minutes and once I had 5 minutes of bake time left, I decorated the pizza with the basil leaves. I probably could have cooked the pizza for another 2 minutes to get a little bit crunchier crust on the bottom, but the flavors were so tasty that once I started eating I didn't even care about having that little extra crunch. 

As you can see, my pizza was not round but rectangular! I had to used a cookie sheet as I don't have a round pizza pan, but I honestly enjoyed this shape of pizza. It was easier to cut and eat and the pan was the perfect size for the amount of dough. 

I will say that even my mom said the house smelled wonderful from the cooking of my pizza, which means it was a true success! And again, cooking this pizza was a great way to release the stress and anxiety from my day. I listened to music and even danced around a bit in the kitchen while I made my pizza. A new Olympic sport perhaps...synchronized dance-cooking in the kitchen?

Anyways, not to sound like a really bad advertisement, but I really hope all you gluten free and dairy free eaters out there will try Bob's Red Mill. They truly make amazing products that are easy to prepare but taste like real food. I will definitely be buying their pizza crust again. And now I really want to learn Italian...

Buon appetito a tutti