This month our Vintage Recipe Redo/Swap features a recipe for Pizza from Mary’s Italian Dinners in Spokane Washington. I love the simplicity of how the original recipe is written. It seems familiar and relaxed. I will admit for the first time since beginning this swap over a year ago I felt ‘there is no improving on perfection’. There is nothing like a homemade pizza which is something most of us don’t take the time to make. I decided instead of turning this into something else I would make a gluten free pizza from scratch with a recipe I’ve had for years and also do not make enough.
Gluten is a binder so when baking with grain flours without gluten one loses the binding power found with wheat flour. Gluten free recipes always have multiple flours because it requires the combinations in order to secure the necessary texture that can be found in using only wheat flour. The consistency of pizza dough without gluten is unique when at the pre-baking stage. It is much more delicate that wheat dough and also feels much more gooey for lack of a better word. This crust is something my family loves and can be topped with anything.
We recently received a shipment of fresh pears from an out of state relative. Exclusively ‘eating local’ in Colorado is really impossible from now until June. We’ve been working through stores of apples. Our local pears are long gone since they do not store as well. Getting a fresh shipment is like the sun coming out on a dreary day. I wanted to fold them into my pizza and decided to marry them with some of my favorite things; arugula, prosciutto and parmigiano reggiano cheese.
This dough recipe produces a unique cake-like consistency crust. A sort of hybrid between thin and thick crust, crossed with a foccacia. I realize the time required to prepare from-scratch baked goods is not what we all have the time for on the average day. You can always apply the toppings to your favorite pre-made crust to enjoy the flavors in a fraction of the time.
HOMEMADE GLUTEN FREE PEAR PROSCIUTTO ARUGULA PIZZA
Yield: 1 large pizza crust
Total time: 1 hour 20-30 minutes (Prep time: 20-30 minutes; Rising time: 40 minutes; Baking time: 20 minutes (longest))
Ingredients (Pizza Crust):
· ¼ cup millet flour
· ¾ cup finely ground brown rice flour*
· ¼ sweet rice flour*
· ¼ cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
· ½ cup tapioca flour
· ¾ teaspoon salt
· 1 ½ tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
· 2 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast
· ¾ cup water (heated to 115-120 degrees)
· 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
· 2 eggs, room temperature
· 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
· ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
· 1 tablespoon honey
*I prefer ‘Authentic Foods’ brand because their flour is so finely ground.
1. Mix olive oil, ricotta cheese, honey and vinegar in a small bowl and allow to come to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and ¼ cup of warmed water. Stir to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes so the yeast can activate (it becomes foamy and smells like bread).
3. Combine millet flour, brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, arrowroot/tapioca starch, tapioca flour, 1 ½ tablespoons sugar and sift into mixing bowl (for a standing mixer preferably or a bowl to be used with a handheld mixer).
4. Using the paddle attachment on a free standing mixer add eggs, one at a time, mixing in between to combine.
5. Add olive oil mixture slowly mixing at low speed to combine.
6. Begin to slowly add some of the warm water, watching the consistency of the dough. You will note it to be drier like bread and begin to become glossy. Only add water until the dough begins to turn glossy; do not over thin the dough. I used approximately an additional ¼ cup to reach the desired consistency. This amount will vary depending on your location and flours used.
7. Spoon dough onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet. Spread dough to cover the pan either with a spatula or by hand. Note: the dough can be sticky so putting some olive oil on your hands before working the dough should address the stickiness and allow you to press it into the pan.
8. Place a thin kitchen towel over the dough and allow it to rise undisturbed in a warm spot for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees while the dough is rising.
9. After the dough has risen, bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove crust and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
10. Brush with olive oil and place toppings on crust. Bake for around 6-8 minutes. Broil pizza under the broiler for 1-2 minutes (be sure to watch so it doesn’t burn). Allow to cool until able to be handled, cut and enjoy.
Toppings:
Note: topping quantity is a completely personal affair. I’ve provided suggested amounts but think a visual check for the amount of coverage to meet your desires is the best way to load a homemade pizza!
· 1/8-1/4 pound thinly sliced Prosciutto
· ½ pear, peeled, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise
· ½ cup arugula, washed (torn if large leaves)
· 1/2 -3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I used a vegetable peeler to make thin, rectangular slices)
THE INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM – SAUVIGNON BLANC/SEMILLON 2011
Just stating the winery name, The Infinite Monkey Theorem, will give a clue about the degree of hipness of Denver’s star urban winery. The name is derived from the actual probability theorem that if a monkey were given a typewriter and unlimited time he would eventually recreate the works of Shakespeare. I have no comment on the theorem but can say were a winemaker (Ben Parsons) given Colorado grapes (and some from out of state), a Quonset hut in the Santa Fe Arts District, that in a relatively short time, superior wines will be created. So agrees Wine Spectator; read their reviews here.
Growing up in awe of the original Planet of the Apes movies I was immediately drawn to IMT’s graphics and the fact that every person I’ve ever mentioned their wine to lights up like a Christmas tree and begins gushing over it as if recalling their first crush. Completely justified I can attest. Last fall I attended a party to roll out their Wine in a Can. We were asked to wear Speakeasy costume, the movie Bonnie and Clyde was projected onto the outside of a neighboring Denver skyscraper. The food was good, the verve palpable through the mixed crowd, happy to be part of anything Infinite Monkey Theorem. (Just by saying the name out loud, don’t you feel a teensy bit cooler than 5 minutes ago?)
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I chose a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2011 as a perfect pairing with my pizza |
The winemakers surely are cool themselves but completely unpretentious and really just want to get down to the business of making good wine. The back of the bottle reads: ‘The Infinite Monkey Theorem represents the counter culture in winemaking. No vineyard. No pretense. We buy the best grapes and make ridiculously good wine.’ And they do; make ridiculously good wine.
I found this video of a ‘bad review’ they received from Yelp, that I feel sets the tone for this cutting-edge winery. My suspicion is they loved this review; and who wouldn’t? Have you ever seen so much care taken when issuing a ‘reprimand’? I think not. (Email subscribers; click the title of the blog post in the subscription email to view the video on the website blog post).
A Bad Yelp Review from The Infinite Monkey Theorem on Vimeo.
This monthly recipe redo and swap features a vintage recipe for which the swappers change at least 3 things and stay true to the intent of the recipe. Other variations of the original recipe can be found in the links below.
Part Time House Wife says
I have a majore obsession with arugla right now! This looks great!
Boulder Locavore says
Thank you. It was a really great combination of flavors. I usually default to a tomato sauce base and I really liked NOT having that and keeping it more direct instead.
Lea Ann says
Love the combination of flavors on this pizza. LOVE it. I've met the wine maker at Infinite Monkey, but never been to the facility. Would be fun to go.
Boulder Locavore says
I have not been to the winery either (and if you watched the video am not sure we could find it!) but love the process of making wine. I've loved the other urban wineries I've visited and the tasting is always great fun!
Kirsten@My German Kitchen...in the Rockies says
This is a pizza for my taste buds, loving it!
Since I grew up in a wine growing area in Germany it is still hard for me to accept winemakers from a city in which the climate would never be suited for growing grapes. I am sure they are cool guys, who else would take on this kind of a challenge?
Boulder Locavore says
Though there may not be grape growing in Denver proper Colorado has over 100 winemakers and microclimates parallel to all the great wine growing regions in the world. This is actually a great place to grow grapes, the Grand Valley in particular, which is one reason so many peach orchards are being converted into vineyards.
There are a number of urban wineries in Denver now with great wine as well, The Infinite Monkey Theorem being just one of them. It's a cool concept and one that dovetails well into our growing food scene, allowing those interested more direct access to the winemakers and their processes. Nice to not have to travel to the wine region but drop in locally!
Monique says
I keep tipping my toe in the gluten free region but never fully committing. You give me inspiration; that there can still be a homey feel and delectable pizza at the same time is exciting. Great use of the fresh pears. It's difficult to live in cold weather regions during these months but glad to see you are making the best of it!
Boulder Locavore says
In my case Monique I did not have a choice with going gluten free. I've had people ask if I'm ever tempted to 'cheat' and it's not that kind of thing for me since it is a medical necessity. That being said I won't let it be my cross to bear; I love food and life too much! It truly is not difficult to eat gluten free it only takes some learning. I do not feel I'm missing out on anything and in my case feel completely differently in a good way. If you ever decided to take the plunge I'm more than happy to help you in any way I can!
The Cozy Herbivore says
As soon as I saw the original recipe, I instantly wondered what you, my incredibly creative gluten-free friend, would do with it. This is absolutely LOVELY. The crust looks so crispy and good, unlike most gluten-free pizza crusts I've had! And I love the combination of toppings. So happy you could get some fresh fruit in this in-between season… it really makes the waiting for spring tolerable, doesn't it? Beautiful recipe, beautiful photos, beautiful everything!!
Boulder Locavore says
You are TOO sweet! I really did immediately feel I needed to stay with pizza but maybe sharing a different GF crust from scratch would be good. I wondered if that was not mixing it up enough but when you are dealing with a classic….This crust is different as I described. Pizza crust is so personal for people this just offers a different take with great flavor. And yes this is a long wait when eating like a locavore. Seems more and more there are sources popping up which is encouraging. The fruit is the longest wait (insert frowny face here).
Shari says
I was so excited when I started reading this recipe because it had a gluten free base, but then it was topped with pear (which under the FODMAP diet I can not eat). I also can't eat cheese, but it was really the pear that I wanted to eat. It's funny because when babies are born it's one of the first things you can give them … it's one of the things that people are the least allergic to … but it's a no no under the FODMAP diet. Anyways – great post and beautiful looking site 🙂
Shari from http://www.goodfoodweek.blogspot.com
Boulder Locavore says
So Shari I'm all about experimenting and mixing it up! I know you want pears but what else could you use? I'm unfamiliar with the diet you mention so I may speak out of turn. Apples? Though I whined about them it is from saturation not from lack of love! Plums? Asian Pear? Strawberries; would those be in season for you now? Can you not eat any cheese or just dairy? There are many substitute cheeses you could try or just forgoe. I say use the crust and layer it with what you CAN have and find delicious.
Mary says
This sounds DELICIOUS! I love the sound of the thinly sliced pears mixed into the toppings. I'm quite “appled” out at this point myself!
Boulder Locavore says
The pears were so good Mary I highly recommend trying them. The salty proscuitto and reggiano were a great combination with the sweet pears too!
Baker Street says
Woah! Pear Pizza! That's a first. Would love to give it a try! 🙂
Boulder Locavore says
It's really good especially with the salty Proscuitto. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as I did!
Chef Dennis says
what a gorgeous pizza, its always nice to have food that looks good as well as being delicious! What a delightful blend of toppings, I've never had pears on a pizza but they sound perfect with the proscuitto (I may have added a little Roquefort too)
As for the winery it sounds like they certainly aren't monkeying around with wines (hahaha) sorry couldn't resist, it amazes me how many wineries we have in this country, areas you never thought of for growing grapes are producing stellar vintages of local wines, I'll have to trade you some of New Jersey's finest for some of your Colorado wines!
Thanks for such a great swap recipe and review!
Boulder Locavore says
Thank you Dennis. The pizza was really good (in fact I wish I had another one as I read all these delicious comments!). I think the salty-sweet aspect really worked well. Would love to do a wine trade! It's always fun to taste wines of the same varietals from different areas so taste the subtle difference.
Lisa @ Tarte du Jour says
Mmmm… This pizza is my kind of meal!! It looks like what I hope for when I go to those wood fired pizza joints, but am disappointed. See…making it at home is always better. Toni, you've inspired me to make a gluten-free tart. Do you have any good gluten-free tart crust recipes? I'm swamped with work this month but come April I will reemerge and want to start experimenting. I love this post! Oh and sauv blanc is my fav!!
Boulder Locavore says
You know I made a soft crust tart I posted: https://boulderlocavore.com/2011/08/black-raspberry-creme-soft-shelled-tart.html I'm unsure I've actually made a gluten free 'regular' tart. I'll poke around and send you an email! It's so fun to have time to experiment in the kitchen isn't it? Seems a novelty with our mad schedules!
RavieNomNoms says
This is totally amazing. I am loving the pear and arugula on the pizza. How creative and so delicious!!
Boulder Locavore says
Not only are you posting from Hong Kong but commenting too? You are my hero. This pizza was great but I'm still thinking of all the fab food at your fingertips. Hope you are eating all you can!
Jacqueline - The Dusty Baker says
You are my favorite person in the world right now, lady! I looked that the pizza crust recipe list and realized, with much excitement, “I HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS TEN FEET AWAY IN MY KITCHEN RIGHT NOW!”. You guys are killing me with all this amazing looking bread yumminess. As soon as I work my way through the frozen Udi's crusts I have in my freezer and need to review – this one's a'comin! And pear, prosciutto and pecornio are three of my favorite things in the food world – so naturally they're going on mine too!
Boulder Locavore says
It's so great to have availability of frozen crusts isn't it? Especially as they are improving in the gluten-free world. None compare with a good homemade pizza though. Do let me know what you think when you try it! And you are one of my favorite people ALL the time!
Shumaila says
I love all the information in this post about gluten free baking, especially in pizza crusts. Not being gluten allergic, it never crossed my mind, how would one achieve the binding in bread doughs, and didn't know you had to use different gluten free flours to get the desired texture. And I think its absolutely wonderful to use pear in your pizza topping! (And does you relative ship to Arizona as well?)
Boulder Locavore says
You know it's not something that would cross anyone's mind unless you needed it to! Did not cross mine before I learned I was intolerant. It does open the doors to wonder so much about food restrictions and how to work with them without compromising the love of food! I have learned about more types of flour than I ever imagined existed. Any startch, grain, legume or bean you can think of probably has a correlating flour that has a very specific flavor and texture profile. I believe it has opened a whole world to me I would have never discovered otherwise!
laurarees says
I love that combo of pizza toppings – I needed some motivation to bust out of my pepperoni rut!
And thanks for sharing that fun stuff on the winery – I work in marketing/branding so I found it especially interesting!
Boulder Locavore says
I too feel I really get into the tomatoe sauce pepperoni rut! This swap has been great to make me think a bit differently and this pizza makes be really feel I need to do more! Glad you enjoyed the winery scoop. There are so many great new wineries that are making it all fun AND with good wine. Taking the old school high brow reputation out of the industry a bit.
Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking says
What a great combo of flavors in this beautiful pizza! Thanks for the inspiration! Love your blog. 🙂
Boulder Locavore says
Thank you Georgia! I'm flattered by your comments and hope you'll keep reading!
Jamie says
I am obsessed with the salty/sweet combo… this pizza is right up my alley! It looks wonderful!
Boulder Locavore says
You know Jamie I really has not thought about the salty sweet thing overtly at least but these flavors popped to mind, loving all of them individually. I was so delighted it turned out so delish!
Lindsay @ Rosemarried says
You're totally right, there is no improving upon perfection. Pizza just might be the perfect food! I love the combination of flavors you went for with this pizza. Pears and proscuitto?! yes, please. 🙂
Boulder Locavore says
Thank you Lindsay. Being such an inspired flavor innovator yourself I'm flattered (and loved your swap dish).
Kiri W. says
First – that is one of the coolest wine bottle designs ever.
Second – The pizza sounds to die for. Pear and prosciutto must be a wonderful combination. Amazing!
Boulder Locavore says
I completely agree on the wine bottle! Aren't they just the most clever? Love their whole vibe AND the wine is good. It really stands up to the cheeky graphics. The pizza was great. I'm going to have to stop answering comments and go make another one! Just thinking about it is making me too hungry….
Sara says
Oh that pizza looks divine! I love using fruit on pizza, pear with prosciutto is such a great combo! 🙂
Boulder Locavore says
Admittedly Sara I think the only other time I have used fruit is on a Hawaiian pizza. I feel like a culinary 'trail horse' in the pizza department! Not sure what made me think of this combo but it was great and I'll strive to think of more using fruit like this now.
Jay @ LocalFood.me says
I'm terrible with pizza crust…but this looks promising. Can't wait to try it.
Boulder Locavore says
Pizza crust is time consuming, no doubt about it. It's so personal too in terms of how one likes the consistency. This is very unique, a hybrid of sorts. Do let me know if you make it what your thoughts are. Have been wondering about how your seedlings are doing?
PolaM says
that is an interesting pizza! Looks delicious too!
Boulder Locavore says
Maybe a bit off beat I agree. It was delicious!
Carolyn says
Gluten really does have somewhat magical properties, but you did a great job on that GF crust!
Boulder Locavore says
Thanks Carolyn. I completely agree with you. It's been long enough now that fortunately I have a bevy of recipes for these types of things that I can rely on! That is a great part of the battle as you well know.
Ann says
Wow – this is stunning! Not only did you make gluten free glamorous…your toppings are stunning!
Boulder Locavore says
Thank you Ann; very generous of you. I am determined eating gluten free will not stand down to gluten-filled foods! This absolutely upheld that goal.
El says
gonna have to look into gluten free more. this looks delicious.
Boulder Locavore says
I hope you will!
El says
yum
Claire says
Pears and Cheese – yum. As always your recipe, words and pictures are delicious!
Boulder Locavore says
Thank you Claire!
Jane says
This looks amazing! I've actually never heard of Authentic Foods brand, but just did a google search and see you can find it at Vitamin Cottage! I will have to look for it .. I've not had much success with GF pizza dough, so I will have to try this!
Boulder Locavore says
That is where I actually buy it Jane. Not all Vitamin Cottages carry it though (I think they each carry some varying brands at their descretion). I've called the store I know carries it and asked them to put a few bags on hold which I then keep in the refridgerator. It works great in any flour blends calling for rice flours.
Rachel says
Love those toppings and that crust looks good even to a gluten lover like myself. The consistancy you describe actually sounds wonderful!
Danguole says
This looks ridiculously good! I've made something similar before. Pears are really great on pizza.
Eric @ Happy Valley Chow says
This looks delicious! Definitely going to have to try this recipe. If you get a chance you should check out my deep dish pizza recipe! http://happyvalleychow.blogspot.com/2012/01/deep-dish-pizza.html
Kim Bee says
This is the bomb. Oh my goodness you give good pizza. Wowsers.
Julia says
I love that you created such a unique gluten free crust. While it might not be 'traditional' it sure looks tasty!