This Margherita Pizza with Cassava Flour Crust is the perfect recipe if you’re looking for a gluten free pizza that actually tastes like pizza!
Cassava flour is the most similar to wheat flour when compared to other gluten free flours.
It’s derived from cassava root (also known as yuca or manioc), a starchy, high-carbohydrate tuber – similar to yam, taro, plantains and potato.
As a tuberous root vegetable, cassava is gluten, grain and nut-free, as well as vegan and paleo.
Cassava flour is a good choice for those with gluten intolerance symptoms, sensitive digestive systems or disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome or disease.
It is very mild and neutral in flavor. It’s also not grainy or gritty in texture – rather, it’s soft and powdery.
These qualities, along with the fact that it can be replaced on a 1:1 basis with wheat flour in many recipes, make cassava flour a preferred flour for gluten-free, grain-free baking and cooking.
Otto’s Naturals is one of the leading suppliers of cassava flour and they’ve created this perfect recipe for cassava flour pizza crust (you can find the original recipe here).
My BF (who loves his gluten-filled pizza–maybe even more than he loves me!) thinks this gluten free pizza crust is brilliant and the best we’ve created to date. He claims that the texture and taste truly resembles regular pizza crust–and he’s more than happy to make it (and eat it) over and over again. This is super exciting because now I can kick up my feet with a glass of wine while my man makes me pizza!
OK, it’s time for you to give this awesome pizza crust a try!
What you need for this Margherita Pizza:
- Active dry yeast
- Honey
- Cassava flour
- Coconut flour
- Arrowroot flour
- Garlic powder
- Egg
- Avocado oil
- Plum tomatoes
- Buffalo mozzarella
- Fresh basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
Make this recipe dairy free & paleo… If you’re following a dairy free or paleo diet, omit the mozzarella. Add some garlic and/or oregano to the tomatoes to make it marinara style instead.
Want more healthy pizza recipes? You’ve got to try these …
Margherita Pizza with Cassava Flour Crust
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water, roughly 105-110 F
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup cassava flour, I recommend Otto's cassava flour*
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 5 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder, optional
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup avocado oil
Toppings for classic margherita
- Plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
- Buffalo mozzarella (sliced), omit for dairy free & paleo version*
- Fresh basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt, to taste (mix into tomatoes)
Instructions
- Prepare yeast mix: In a small bowl, add warm water and honey. Mix to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast in. Mix to dissolve. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to activate. It will get foamy on top.
- Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl to combine.
- Lightly whisk eggs and olive oil together in a small bowl.
- Add egg mixture and activated yeast to the dry ingredients.
- Mix to form a dough ball. Transfer ball to an oiled bowl, cover with dish towel and set aside in a warm place (70-80 F is ideal) to rise for 1 hour. It will not double in size, but it will rise a little.
- Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 550 F. Preheat pizza stone, baking sheet or metal pan.
- Place the dough on parchment paper. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough (if necessary) and shape dough with your hands by pushing down (on top of parchment, so it doesn't stick) and roll with rolling pin. Flatten your pizza about 1/8-1/4 inch thin. Roll the crust thick or thin (to your liking) by shaping with your fingers and rolling the edges. Use extra cassava flour if dough is sticking.
- Place toppings (tomatoes then cheese then some basil) on the dough. Lift the whole piece of parchment paper with pizza on top and transfer to the preheated baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until dough is firm and slightly golden, pulling out halfway and removing parchment paper. For a crispier golden crust, allow a few more minutes. Allow more time if cooking at lower temperature.
- Add remaining basil leaves on pizza and drizzle with olive oil.
Notes
I wonder who it was who first worked out how to eat cassava root without killing yourself ?