The One and Only Cauliflower Pizza Crust – with tomato, basil, spinach and smoked mozzarella
Most of us have seen or eaten (or tried to make) cauliflower pizza crusts, mostly yielding unsuccessful results. They don’t taste great and definitely do not resemble pizza at all. You can stop at this one! You will most likely fool the pizza lovers at your table. It even picks up like pizza! You can make this completely gluten-free if you swap the spelt flour for a gluten-free flour such as chickpea flour, gluten-free oat flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour.
The real trick to making the perfect pick-up’able cauliflower pizza crust is cast iron. I use a cast iron grill sheet and preheat it in the oven while the oven heats to a super hot temp of 500˚F. If you do not have a cast-iron grill sheet, there are a few other options. You can use a cast iron round fry pan (the dough will be thicker because your surface area is smaller), you can use a pizza stone or a cookie sheet lined with foil. Remember to preheat your cooking vessel in the oven when you are preheating your oven.
The One and Only Cauliflower Pizza Crust – with tomato, basil, spinach and smoked mozzarella
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 small cauliflower florets only, 4 finely riced level cups*
- ½ cup/ 60gm spelt flour (or any flour you like)
- ½ cup/ 40gms almond meal/flour
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup/ 60-65gm finely grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
My Toppings
- About 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
- About 12 cherry tomatoes quartered
- Big handful of spinach
- 10 basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500˚F and place the oven rack on the second from the lowest position. Heat a cast iron flat top sheet or a cookie sheet (lined with foil if you wish) in the oven as it preheats.
- Measure 4 cups of riced cauliflower* in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stopping halfway to toss. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the liquid out of the cauliflower using paper towels. Allow the cauliflower to cool a little before adding the egg and cheese.
- Add the two flours, salt, garlic powder and stir well. Add the egg and cheese and work the dough with your hands so that it is all evenly distributed
- .Carefully remove the sheet from the oven, place it down on a heatproof surface. Brush the sheet with the olive oil. Spread the cauliflower mixture in a large oval, making a lip, like a “pizza crust edge.” I will spread it as much as I can with my hands (it is hot), then sometimes put a piece of parchment on top of the flattened cauliflower and using a rolling pin, roll over the parchment to little to make it even thinner, then make a nice raised edge.
- Bake the crust without the toppings for 10 min, remove from the oven and sprinkle the crust (starting with the cheese) with all the toppings. Bake for another 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, cut and enjoy!