Pizza, Pizza!

So let's talk about pizza. This can be a very intricate dish or a quick, weeknight meal. Like anything, it is best when the crust is homemade. However, there are now several low protein crusts available through specialty vendors and also at local grocery stores. Below I've provided my top three low protein pizza crusts.

Homemade: Wheat Starch Pizza Dough

This was my favorite growing up. It is a good multipurpose dough for bread, cinnamon buns, or even calzones. Use your imagination!

1/4 cup very warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 pkg active dry yeast

Pour water into a small bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Stir briefly, then let sit for 10 minutes and it should develop a "head" or creamy foam on top. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

1 2/3 cup wheat starch

1 1/3 cup baking mix

1/4 cup metamucil

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

When yeast mixture is ready, pour it into a large mixing bowl. Then add,

1 cup very warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1/4 cup applesauce

Mix together the yeast, water, and applesauce just until well combined. Now stir in dry ingredients vigorously for a few seconds until smooth. Dough will be very sticky and this is normal!

Cover bowl of dough with damp towel to prevent drying out. Place in warm oven at 120 to 130 degrees and let rise for 30 minutes. Remove dough and knead for three minutes on powdered surface (baking mix works well). Add more baking mix to prevent from sticking to hands if needed.

Form into three separate balls of dough. I usually freeze the two I do not use that night and that makes for a quicker meal down the road. Knead into a round pizza flat. Brush with olive oil and cover. Let rise another thirty minutes. You can certainly put the toppings on at this point and you can just pop it in the oven when ready. This is a good party dish when hosting. You can make regular dough or just buy the dough for the protein option at the store.

Low phe option: Cambrooke Foods Readi Dough

Cambrooke's Readi Dough is the lowest phe pizza crust available for purchase. I prefer the taste to their frozen pizza crusts. It is personal sized and defrosts quickly in case you forget to pull it out of the freezer.

Best grocery store option: Trader Joe's Cauliflower Pizza Crust

The main ingredient being cauliflower and additional fillers are corn flour and cornstarch makes this a low option that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I brought it up to a ski cabin and it was both convenient and yummy. Be sure to bake on both sides prior to adding toppings. This will give it a crispy, thin crust.

Best dining out: Blaze Pizza gluten free crust

Blaze pizza is a national pizza chain that has a low protein, gluten-free crust. It is a mix of brown rice flour and tapioca flour (side note- tapioca flour has ZERO phe). I choose the "build your own" option and enjoy trying different toppings each time I go! Beware, their spicy red sauce is ACTUALLY spicy. So delic!

As you can tell my favorite toppings are artichokes and olives. I add red pepper flakes and even pineapple sometimes. Margarita pizzas are a nice flavor: basil and tomatoes. I do not always feel like low pro cheese but definitely add extra olive oil!