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Tag: chickpea flour recipe

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

A few weeks ago I posted a simple recipe for pizza crust made from garbanzo bean flour, salt, oil, and water that I learned from Sandy Gluck on Martha Stewart Radio’s “Everyday Food.”

I was intrigued by the idea, so we tried it… and the whole family loved it (see the results and recipe here). So I’ve made it a few times since, every time with delicious results.

Here is a version I made this week where I poured the batter into the oiled pan and then spread marinara sauce around (more like flung it, because the batter is pretty runny in this recipe) and topped it with grated goat cheese (mozzarella and Monterey Jack) and mushrooms.

A few things I’ve figured out about this recipe, now that I’ve made it several times:
1. I use more chickpea flour (about 1 cup) and more water (about 1 and 1/2 cup) than the original recipe called for because I like to make a pizza that fills my entire 14″ diameter round cast iron griddle.

2. Be sure to let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes before using it or else the crust will have a mealy texture.

3. It’s important to preheat the cast iron pan and then to spread a generous amount of oil right before pouring the batter around evenly. I’ve been using olive oil for this, but any oil would do.

cast iron round griddle
We use our round cast iron griddle for everything from pizza to pancakes and dumplings to burgers.

4. The batter will seem really runny when you’re pouring it in. That’s ok. It may not self-level because it starts to cook as soon as it hits the hot oil, so try to spread it around evenly when you pour it into the pan. When it’s too thick, the crust is too dense and heavy.

5. Keep the pizza in the oven until the bottom is lightly toasted. This may take longer than 15 minutes, depending on how heavily you’ve loaded it with toppings.

We love the thin, crispy crust on this paper, reminescent of the addictively-crunchy, wood-fired crispy pizza crusts I adored during the year I lived in Florence, Italy.

Other benefits of this recipe: it’s yeast-free and doesn’t rise, so it is safe for Passover; it’s gluten-free and wheat-free, so it is safe for Celiac sufferers; it doesn’t require any fresh foods, so it’s easy to pull together in a minute and top with whatever you have on hand (see this recipe with artichoke hearts and green chiles), or even simply sea salt and spices for a cheese-free flatbread.

Gluten-free Garbanzo Flour Pizza Crust

I was listening to Everyday Food with Sandy Gluck on Martha Stewart Living Radio before my recent interview about veggie burgers, when Sandy described a chickpea flour pizza she had made out of chickpea flour, water, salt, oil, and some rosemary. She topped it with broccoli rabe and gouda cheese and and served it like a foccacia bread.

I was intrigued.

gluten free pizza crustCould you really make a flat bread with essentially just flour made from garbanzo beans and water?

Well, YES you can! And it is quite delicious, too.

I topped mine with chopped artichoke hearts (packed in water and rinsed), a can of diced roasted green chiles, and shredded Monterey Jack goat cheese. It came out with a Florentine-type thin crispy crust irresistably topped by the classic combination of spicy-cheesey artichokes. Yum!

I used my 12″ diameter cast iron circular griddle to bake it, and the only thing I would do differently next time would be to increase the amount of batter by 1/3 or so, because it didn’t quite cover the entire pan and our family of 4 would have eaten more had there been more of it.

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Chickpea Flour Pizza
Makes one 10-inch pizza

Ingredients
2/3 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
Sea salt
1 cup cold water
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts packed in water, chopped
1 4-oz can diced green chiles
6 oz. shredded cheese (cow, goat, rice, almond, soy, etc.)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or other preferred oil)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Gradually whisk in the water until smooth. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the chopped artichoke hearts, undrained green chiles, and cheese.
4. Whisk 1 tablespoon of the oil into the chickpea mixture. Place a large cast iron skillet or griddle in the oven and let it heat up for 10 minutes. Coat the pan with 1-2 Tbsp. oil. Pour the chickpea mixture into the pan, top it with the cheese mixture. Place in the oven and cook  until the bottom is crisp and the sides are golden, about 15 minutes.