The Good, the Bad, and the Yummy

We tried Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix tonight and I wanted to share the experience with my readers. My kids ate the two highly piled pizzas with ne'er a crumb left on my Pampered Chef pizza stones.

I purchased this at Whole Foods for a measly $3.99, which if you know gluten free mixes, this is a very small price to pay. I've paid a similar price for a pizza crust mix that was barely edible, so I wasn't expecting much from the mix, even though I used BRM stuff before going GF and LOVED it.

The mix requires only 3 ingredients, water, 2 eggs, and 2 tablespoons of oil, so you are not scrambling to the store for some strange stuff right before dinner. You are instructed to mix the yeast and warm water together and let sit for a few minutes, then add eggs, oil, and then the mix. It then said to mix on medium speed, but it was so thick, like real pizza crust, I just kneaded it.

When it came to spreading it on the stones, I "Pam"ed the stones and threw the glop of dough in the middle. I then sprayed my rolling pin with Pam and rolled out the dough. as far as GF dough is concerned, it was fairly easy to work with. It was a bit moist, but it still rolled out fairly well and didn't need too much patching.

I pre-baked the crust as per the directions. It turned a light gold and looked beautiful. I had the hubby and kids spread on the toppings and throw it back in for 15 minutes. These included black olives, onions and Welshire brand pepperoni. Since my one daughter and I are dairy free as well, we used our bean dip cheese substitute made with pinto beans, yum! I'll write that recipe on my blog soon for you, stay tuned.

When it came out it was a beautiful medium gold and flaky looking. It tasted crispy and a bit chewy, not dry and crumbly, which is refreshing for baked goods without gluten. The crust held together with only minor cracking. The bottom crust was thin and chewy, and the edge crust was almost cookie-like in texture.

To sum things up I'd try this again. I may use less water than it calls for next time just to get a bit more workable crust, but the finished product was well worth the small bit of trouble getting it on the pan. Share your experience with me!