Saturday, August 9, 2014

Low Carb Herbed Pizza Crust -- NEW No-Flax Recipe!

This evening I decided to make a pizza crust that does not contain flax like my regular pizza crust does. I've had numerous requests from folks that either can't eat flax or don't care for it for a flax free version, so I decided to give it a whirl tonight. It turned out fabulous! It's similar to my original Herbed Almond Flax Parmesan Pizza Crust...just not quite as crispy. It's still definitely a crust you can pick up to eat, but it's more flexible than my original crust (which can stand up on its side by itself like a frisbee...LOL). This one will allow you to fold your pizza slice in half when you eat it if you want to (like what many folks commonly do with traditional NY style pizza). It tastes amazing! While ground flax makes a crispier crust than ground chia does, this one was so good that I actually ate half of the pizza! Oftentimes I only eat 1 or 2 slices (instead of the 3 slices I ate tonight). I topped my pizza with a little pizza sauce (go easy on the sauce if you don't want soggy crust), sliced provolone cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, thinly sliced onions, red and yellow bell peppers and cooked fresh mushrooms. I then lightly sprinkled the top with some shredded Parmigiano Reggiano to help it brown as it baked. 

The pizza crust gets baked first and then topped after it's cooked. It then is baked again for about 10 minutes until the cheeses are melted and the toppings are heated. If you like it a little browned and bubbly on top, run it under the broiler for a few minutes before removing from the oven. Let it cool for just a few minutes so your hot cheese doesn't go rolling off. If you've already tried my regular crust, let me know how you like this one compared to the original version with flax. This crust is definitely worth trying. Even though I like golden flax...I will definitely be making this crust again! The recipe for my new Low Carb Herbed Pizza Crust and a few photos are below. Enjoy!




Ball of dough
Dough pressed out onto the pizza pan with a rubber spatula
Crust is baked and fresh out of the oven after 18 minutes
Toppings added and baked for an additional 10-15 minutes

Low Carb Herbed Pizza Crust (No Flax)
Makes One 10" - 12" round pizza (approximately 2 servings)

Dry Ingredients:
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground chia seed 
2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 to 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)
1 tablespoon olive oil (a little more, if desired)
2 tablespoons water (start with 1 tablespoon of water and add the second, if necessary)

Toppings (Optional):  
Pizza sauce, pesto sauce, etc.
Cheese: shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced or diced fresh mozzarella, provolone, etc.
**Vegetables of choice: onions, green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc. 
**Meats of choice: sausage, ground beef topping, etc.
Other: artichokes, olives, pepperoni, etc.

**Tip: Fresh vegetables and meat toppings should be pre-cooked and drained to prevent crust from becoming soggy

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together; add wet ingredients and mix well. Let the dough sit for approximately 5 minutes to thicken. 

Spread dough on a lightly oiled large pizza pan, nonstick pizza pan or cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper or non-stick foil. Use a lightly oiled rubber spatula to press the dough out to desired shape and thickness (I typically make mine about 1/4" thick - *see note below).  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (check crust after 15 minutes and remove from oven when it looks and feels done).  Remove cooked crust from oven to add toppings.

Spread crust with a thin layer of sauce, cheese and desired toppings. Fresh vegetables and meat toppings should be pre-cooked to prevent soggy crust. Place pizza back into oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.  If desired, run pizza under the broiler for a few minutes to lightly brown the toppings and make the cheese bubbly (be careful not to burn it).

*Note:  For a crust that is flat, smooth and even in thickness, place ball of pizza dough centered between 2 sheets of lightly oiled parchment paper on prepared pizza pan or baking sheet.  Using your hands or the flat edge of an object (a large container or small rolling pin) press the dough smooth by swiping it in the direction you want the pizza crust to go.  When it is the desired thickness and shape, carefully peel off the top layer of parchment paper...and "Voila"...perfectly flat, smooth, thin pizza crust! If you don't have parchment paper, pressing the dough out with a lightly oiled rubber spatula works nicely, too.


           

16 comments:

samudra said...

i will definitely be giving this a try SOON! just made the regular recipe last pm, ate half and have the other half for tomorrow. looking at yr pics makes me want to go raid frig right now at 1am!!

i also made the new no-flax sandwich buns yesterday but haven't tried them yet. i LOVE LOVE the original version, always have them on hand, so am looking forward to trying the new version. i made them in the muffin top pan, and they did stick coming out, which the others have never done. not sure what's up w/that. anyway, i'll report back.

and, once again, i'll say how much i LOVE all your recipes i've made. and how very much i appreciate your creativity and generosity in providing them and presenting them so beautifully. xoxo

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Samudra,

Thanks so much! I like both of the pizza crust recipes. The original/regular recipe is good because it is the crispiest one. This new one is not crispy but more flexible like a regular softer crusted pizza. It's good too.

Interesting that the new rolls stuck in your muffin top pan. I haven't tried making them in that pan yet. The other pan I use by USA pan is the most nonstick type of pan I've ever used...almost too nonstick! Maybe next time you use the muffin top pan you should grease it a little more heavily -- I usually use either olive oil spray or coconut oil spray. Let me know how they turn out in that pan once you've tried them. Also curious to see which version you prefer. I like both but still think I like the regular version "with" flax best...it's the closest to regular bread in taste and texture to me.

I'm so happy you love the recipes you've tried and you are so very welcome. Let me know what you think about the other version once you've tried them. Thanks again for all of your kind words! :-)

Peg said...

OK definitely will be trying this version of pizza crust. Your original crust is in my "arsenal" of pizza crusts. Actually my favorite one so I'm anxious to try this one (yes, I know it uses flax but it holds up well). I think I'll be making pizza on Tues. I just made some sauce from some pureed tomatoes from our garden. So this will be a great experiment.

Thanks again for looking out for those of us that are looking for alternatives to flax.

Peg

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Peg,

Hope you enjoy it. Let me know which you like best! :-)

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

Thanks for this recipe. I'll definitely be trying it for my next pizza. I recently bought a 1-1/2 pound bag of white chia seeds from Sam's Club. I already had about a pound of the black ones in the freezer ... so I can foresee lots of stuff made with chia in my future. :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis,

Wow...I'll have to look at Sam'e for the white chia seeds. I have a bag of Nutiva's white chia seeds in the pantry and prefer them only because of the color and it doesn't make everything you bake look as dark. I've been using the ground chia which is made from the dark seeds.

Let me know what you think about the flax free pizza crust compared to the regular kind when you get around to trying it. Thanks! :-)

samudra said...

i just posted on FB re the no-flax sandwich buns…which i have to say i did not enjoy. (shocking because i so love everything else i have tried AND i use chia seeds in salads and smoothies all the time!) to me they had an unpleasant smell which carried over to the taste. i will definitely stick w/the original version w/flax. even though i'm not a big flax fan, i really love those buns. so…..i'm assuming that the no-flax pizza crust would be similar and that i should just stick w/the original.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Samudra,

I prefer the flax version too but don't notice any smell or taste in the chia version. I use the pre-ground chia. The one thing different about you using chia in smoothies and salads is that the chia is not cooked. I wonder if its the flavor of "cooked/baked chia" that you don't like? It might just be that the flavor changes when cooked. Thanks for letting me know -- I really am curious to see which one people prefer and why. :-)

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

An interesting side note is that Sam's white chia is from Flax USA, the same company that their golden flax seed comes from.

Like Samundra, I noticed an unusual smell and taste when I used the chia recipe for the bread/buns (I ground the whole seeds.) It was more noticeable when I had the bread/buns plain with butter. It was fairly undetectable when I used a more flavorful topping or when I made a sandwich out of it. (My hubby didn't really notice the mystery flavor much at all.) Chia is normally very mild-mannered, but perhaps it changes in the baking, as you say ... except for one thing ... *you* didn't notice anything unusual. So maybe it's something to do with the *white* chia seeds. I'm going to try using the black ones next time to see if there is a flavor difference. Or maybe it's some difference with commercially ground vs. home ground seeds, although I can't imagine that. Well, I have too much whole seed on hand to get the pre-ground right now ... so *that* experiment will have to wait for a bit! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis,

I had no idea USA Flax sold chia seed! Interesting though about the taste. Do you suppose since yours were freshly ground that maybe the oils released were more fresh and stronger tasting/smelling? Maybe the pre-ground loses some of its power? I'll have to try grinding them myself to see if I notice the difference. I just had the rest of my pizza for lunch and I was trying to taste it (chia) but couldn't. Maybe the onions and pepperoni and cheeses covered it up. I'll have to experiment with both pre-ground and freshly ground. Or, maybe I'm just one of those that doesn't have as sensitive a taste...who knows? :-)

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

That's a great theory about the freshly ground chia. It really makes perfect sense.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis,

I really do need to do an experiment one day and split the recipe in half and make half with the pre-ground chia and half with freshly ground chia to see of that might be it! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Love Flax, but was not a big fan of the Flax pizza, as I always liked my dough softer. When I read your description of a softer dough with Chia seeds, I thought, gotta buy some of that.

Finally got around to making this pizza crust today.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again :-)

It was as good as any pizza I've ever eaten in the past and will definitely join the many,many regular great meals I enjoy thanks to you.

Luc

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Luc,

Thanks so much. I'm so happy you liked this crust. There is something for everyone now -- for the crispy crust folks and the softer crust folks...as well as the flax/no flax people. Thanks so much for letting me know you liked it. Hope you enjoy many pizza meals with it! :-)

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

We had this pizza tonight and it was great! I used white chia seeds which I ran through the Magic Bullet ... no "odd" flavors at all this time. I rolled the crust out *very* thin and it baked up much like your flax crust. After the sauce and toppings went on it came out of the oven more the texture that you described in your post. We both loved it!

I picked up some Fiorucci uncured pepperoni to try. I'd not seen that brand before and it turned out to be a *very* nice product. We ended up really liking it, so it looks like my search is over, at least for now! :-) http://www.fioruccifoods.com/products/

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis,

So glad you enjoyed the new pizza crust. I'll have to roll it out thinner next time to do that too! Glad you can enjoy pizza again! :-)