Cauliflower Pizza | Gluten-free

What does a bread baker do with all the time on her hands amid the lockdown? Well, my focus has been to bake breads that require more time than the usual sourdough. An example of that is the sprouted sourdough bread. However, who would have foreseen that the challenge now is the shortage of flour and yeast? Lately, the story is that more of us are increasingly driven to bread-making during the pandemic. So here is my two-fold advice in baking without flour and yeast. One, you can buy whole grains and grind them into flours in a high-powered Vitamix. Then use that to bake wholesome and equally fine-tasting whole wheat breads, pitas or flatbreads. Two, bake a vegetarian pie, like the cauliflower pizza. Neither flour or yeast is needed.

I feel good to be able to tackle with whatever is thrown at us in these uncertain times. Ironically, that gives me a sense of control and ease. And it truly does — when I can find another gear to feed and give care to my family.

The cauliflower pizza may not be a perfect solution, if what you desire is crusty artisan bread or a real pizza. But in some small ways, I know with resilience we’d eventually emerge stronger having been tested and landed on solid ground.

There are three steps in baking the cauliflower pizza. Step one is to make the cauliflower base. That’s similar to making a pizza dough. Step two is to make the pizza sauce. This is no difference than making an everyday quick tomato sauce. Lastly, assemble the toppings and bake the pizza. Be creative — whatever you have on hand would suffice. It’s supposed to be stress-free. So we’ll do what we can while we can.

A word of caution: calling this a pizza may be a stretch. In fact, the cauliflower pizza is nothing like a pizza. Maybe I should start calling it a taco or pancake given that the cauliflower base is soft and flabby. By and large, there is no gluten (as in wheat flour) to bind the ingredients together. To make the base, we use one egg to hold together the ingredients: cauliflower, parmesan cheese and almond meal. The resulting cauliflower base is nothing like a pizza dough we have in mind. So don’t expect to hold up a hardy crust with your fingers, the way you’d eat a pizza. Instead, slice the cauliflower pizza and eat it with a fork. Enjoy!

We made it through another day.

Print Recipe

Cauliflower Pizza

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• CAULIFLOWER BASE;
• 1 (600 g/ 1 lb 5 oz) cauliflower
• 1/4 cup (25 g/ 1 oz) finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup (25 g/ 1 oz) almond flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• PIZZA SAUCE:
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:
• bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 4 marinated artichoke halves, sliced
• feta, crumbled
• pitted olives
• handful arugula leaves
• pine nuts
• extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1

Preheat a pizza stone in a 220°C/ 430°F oven.

2

Lightly grease or line a pizza tray with parchment paper.

3

MAKE THE CAULIFLOWER BASE:

4

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.

5

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped into tiny curds.

6

Cook the cauliflower in a steamer lined with a clean tea towel for 1-2 minutes, until soft. You want the cauliflower to have a bite but not raw. Set aside to drain and cool slightly.

7

Place the cauliflower rice and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well to combine.

8

MAKE THE SAUCE:

9

Heat oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook the garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes and herbs and cook for about 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Purée in the food processor. Season with salt and pepper.

10

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIZZA:

11

Spoon the cauliflower mixture in the center of the pizza tray and press out to make an even base.

12

Place the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown, stiff and beginning to crisp up.

13

Spread the sauce over the cauliflower base. Scatter the toppings on top. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese softens and turns golden brown.

14

Remove from the oven. Top with arugula and scatter with pine nuts. Drizzle with oil. Slice to serve.

Notes

Adapted from The Beauty Chef by Carla Oates