Erin’s Recipe Rundown
We recently got back from a spring break trip to Italy with our family! My older son (who also eats gluten-free) ordered a gluten-free margherita pizza at every restaurant we went to. We tried a lot of them, and honestly, we all agreed that nothing compares to this pizza we make at home. It really is so incredibly good!
I had been wanting an outdoor pizza oven for years and we finally got one for Christmas. It’s been so fun using it to experiment with this recipe. Still, you don’t have to go out and buy a new pizza oven to enjoy this gluten-free artisan pizza! You can achieve similar results using a pizza steel.
Why You’ll Love It: This is one of those gluten-free recipes that will make everyone happy! We’ve served this to a group of teenagers who don’t eat gluten-free and it disappeared fast. They all said it was amazing and had no idea it was gluten-free!
Top Tip: A tip for getting golden edges is to drizzle a little olive oil along the edge of the pizza for extra browning.
xoxo erin
This post is sponsored by King Arthur Baking Company.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free artisan pizza. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I use King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour for the perfect structure and chew. No other gluten-free flour blend will create the same results! I also use this flour in my Gluten-Free Detroit-Style Pizza.
- Water & oil: This recipe has a lot of liquid in it to keep the gluten-free crust from turning dry or crumbly. I like to drizzle a little extra oil along the edges too so they bake up nice and brown!
- Instant yeast: I prefer to use instant yeast because it can be added straight into the dry mixture without proofing first. This ingredient is a must for pillowy perfect crust.
- Crushed tomatoes: Since I keep the sauce simple, I like to splurge on a high-quality brand of canned crushed tomatoes for the best flavor.
- Dried oregano: The key to nostalgic pizzeria-style flavor! I use dried oregano, not fresh, for a more concentrated, classic flavor.
- Toppings: You can add any toppings you like to this pizza. I love adding a bit of Pecorino Romano for a little something extra!
How to Make Gluten-Free Artisan Pizza
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Over the past few months my husband and I have been working on perfecting our method for making gluten-free artisan pizza. There are a few things that are different from traditional pizza dough. I’m excited to share all of our tips with you so you can successfully make this pizza too!
First of all I recommend weighing the flour by grams for best results. I mix the dough together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. The pizza dough will look more like cookie dough so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t look like traditional dough.
I love to use these pizza dough containers for the dough rising, and you can refrigerate the dough up to two days in advance of making the pizza. These pans are the perfect size for pressing out a 12-inch pizza.
I usually make a triple batch of dough to make sure we have enough pizza for everyone. It disappears fast in my house! Plus since the dough keeps for so long in the fridge, I can always leave some on standby for when we need it!
After some trial and error, we found that it works best to press the pizza dough out onto lightly floured parchment paper, then par bake for 30 seconds. Then remove the parchment paper and continue par baking the pizza for 2–3 minutes in the pizza oven before adding the toppings.
This is different than working with traditional pizza dough. If you try to just press the gluten-free pizza dough out onto a pizza steel without parchment paper, you’ll end up with a sticky mess and it’ll be frustrating.
After par baking the pizza, you can add a very thin layer of sauce. Less is more when it comes to the sauce. It’s also less is more when it comes to the cheese, just add a little bit. You don’t want to let the toppings sit for too long, bake it right after adding the toppings.
For the sauce, I’ve found the best tasting and easiest pizza sauce is to use canned crushed tomatoes. I like to use a high-quality canned crushed tomato and mix dried oregano, kosher salt and sugar directly into the can. I also love to add a light layer of Pecorino Romano over the sauce.
For margherita pizza, we use a combination of grated whole milk mozzarella and fresh mozzarella torn into bites, then top with basil once it comes out of the oven.
For pepperoni pizza, we use freshly grated whole milk mozzarella followed by pepperoni.
Gluten-Free Artisan Pizza
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Crust
- 2½ cups (375g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1¾ cups (420ml) water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Pizza Sauce
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Toppings
- Olive oil
- Pecorino Romano cheese
- Whole milk mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
- Fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces
- Fresh basil
- Pepperoni
Instructions
- For the gluten-free crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour, instant yeast, salt and sugar. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, add the water followed by the olive oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another 1-2 minutes. The dough will be thinner than regular pizza dough. This is normal!
- Lightly drizzle olive oil into 2 small Tupperware or dough containers and use your fingers or a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides. Form half the dough (316g) into a ball and place into the container. Repeat with the second dough ball. Cover tightly with a lid and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. (If baking the same day, skip the refrigerator and let the dough rise covered at room temperature for about 2-3 hours.)
- For the pizza sauce: Add the salt, oregano and sugar directly to the can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- If using a pizza steel: Place the steel on the center rack of your oven and preheat to 500°F for at least 45–60 minutes so the steel is thoroughly heated.
- If using a pizza oven: Preheat on the Pizza setting using the Artisan preset (highest heat) until the oven indicates it is fully preheated.
- Line a 12-inch pizza pan with parchment paper and dust with King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour. Press the dough into a 12-inch round on the parchment, being careful to leave the edges slightly thicker and as undisturbed as possible so it can form air bubbles. Gluten-free dough is sticky, so the parchment helps you transfer the crust easily to the oven and prevents it from sticking to a peel.
- Carefully transfer the parchment-lined crust onto the hot steel or into the preheated pizza oven and par-bake for 30 seconds. This quick par-bake makes the crust sturdy enough to handle. Remove the crust and discard the parchment paper. Baking longer than 30 seconds with parchment may cause it to burn.
- Return the crust directly to the steel or into the pizza oven and par-bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce over the crust, using less than you think you need so the crust stays crisp. Drizzle olive oil along the edges of the pizza crust for a little extra browning.
- For margherita pizza: Sprinkle a light layer of Pecorino Romano over the sauce, then add a small amount of freshly grated whole milk mozzarella. Finish with a few small pieces of fresh mozzarella torn into bite-sized pieces.
- Return the pizza to the oven and bake for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is golden and blistered around the edges. Let the pizza rest for a minute or two before slicing. Top with fresh basil.
- For pepperoni pizza: Sprinkle a light layer of Pecorino Romano over the sauce, then add a modest amount of freshly grated whole milk mozzarella followed by the pepperoni. Bake as directed above. Enjoy!
Would mixing by hand work or maybe partially using a hand mixer?