A bit over a week ago, I tried making my own dairy-free pizza. It turned out pretty well. Now I am experimenting with a nut-based cheese substitute and a gluten-free crust mix.
Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza crust mix is the big test today. The company produces a huge range of alternative flours, baking mixes, organic flours, etc. We will see how this particular product fares.
The instructions on the bag are fairly clear, and it includes a packet of yeast. I followed the instructions and started by letting the yeast mix with some hot water. Then I added the eggs and oil, although I may have reversed the proper order of operations by pouring the wet ingredients into the dry flour mix. It still worked though.
The resulting dough was strange, somewhere between cornbread and cookie dough in consistency and not at all bread-like. Nonetheless, I mixed it, divided it for two pies, and let it rise for 5 minutes per the instructions. My only real question about those instructions was here. Was I supposed to place the plastic wrap over the bowl or directly over the lumps of dough? I just covered the bowl.
After that, I used the plastic wrap as a barrier while forming the crust, again following the instructions on the bag. Did I mention how weird the consistency is? Yeah, it is still weird. After that, I baked the crusts for 7 minutes as instructed and then added my toppings.
I again used pre-sliced storebought mushrooms and browned hot Italian sausage as my main toppings, and the cheese was a mix of 8 oz. of "mozzarella" and 4 oz. of "cheddar" total across both pizzas. This time, I used Lisanatti almond-based cheese. It isn't too bad for fake stuff, flavor-wise.
The minimum listed baking time was not long enough. Neither was the maximum. This may be partly because I was using a baking stone instead of a metal pizza pan. The crust under the center was too dough-y for too long. But the rest did not burn while I waited for the middles to bake. Now that they have had some time to cool, I need to try a slice and see how they turned out!
The crust is strange, but serviceable. The mix of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes burnt my tongue and the roof of my mouth. The fake cheese melted passably well, assisting in the infliction of the aforementioned burns. I could have been more generous with the italian seasoning, but it's pretty flavorful nonetheless thanks to the sausage. And, as always, it needs more garlic.
I do not think I will use this crust again though, because I do not need a gluten-free diet myself. In fact, 