Why make your own pizza base?
There are many reasons for making your own pizza bases from scratch. Firstly, it is much cheaper than buying store-bought pizza bases. Plus, you get to see what goes into the base and this allows me to control the flavour and the ingredients.
The main ingredient: Chickpea flour
Chickpea flour (or gram flour) is a gluten-free alternative for people who are intolerant to gluten or choose to follow a gluten-free diet. But you don’t need to follow a gluten-free diet to enjoy gluten-free food. It can be nice a way of introducing variety to your diet. If you’re unsure about chickpea flour or want to see how I incorporate gluten-free flours, have a look at this post >> How to use gluten-free flour.
Step 1: Make the batter
Unlike traditional pizza bases, this recipe does not form a dough. It doesn’t need kneading or time to rise, making it not only easy but quick to make this pizza base if you decide you want to make last minute. Start by adding all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk. The batter should be thick, slightly yellow in colour and almost resemble the consistency of pancake batter.
Step 2: Cook the base
Lightly grease a frying pan with olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. After the pan is hot, pour in the batter and cover the frying pan with a lid. As the pizza base cooks, you’ll see small bubbles appearing on the top. I recommend cooking the pizza base for at least 5 minutes but preferably longer. Use a spatula to gently lift one side of the pizza base and see how well the bottom is cooked. I prefer it to be well cooked to make the pizza crust crunchy.
Step 3: Add your toppings!
Once your base is cooked, place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Then you can start to add your favourite pizza sauce and toppings!
Gluten Free Pizza Base
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- If you are planning on using the pizza base(s) straight away, start by pre-heating the oven to 180 C degrees. If you are making it ahead of time you can skip to the next step.
- Add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk well. The consistency should resemble a pancake batter. If the batter is too thick add water one tablespoon at a time. Conversely, if the batter is too runny, try adding a tablespoon of chicpea flour.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Brush lightly with olive oil and pour in the batter. If your frying pan has a lid, place this on top and cook for at least 5 minutes (if you don't have a lid then don't worry, it should still cook well but may take a few minutes longer).
- Use a spatula to check how well the underside of the pizza base is cooked. Once the base is cooked, place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a baking sheet.
- Add your favourite pizza sauce and toppings, and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Did you make this GF pizza base?
If you like this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment below, tag #fiveelementswithanna on Instagram or pin this post on Pinterest.
Also, if you’re looking for other easy and delicious soup recipes, take a look at some of my other posts.
