It’s always a special blessing when you become good friends with someone in your own family. One of my husband’s cousins is married to an awesome woman who I am so glad to have as a friend. We relate on so many things, food of course included! We trade and recommend recipes and whenever she tries one of mine, she always kindly reports back. She suggested this online recipe for a cauliflower based pizza crust and we decided that whoever tried it first should review it! The author said that most of these recipes call for eggs but it made her crust too soggy so she came up with a flax version instead. (Generally, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg in most recipes!) Cauliflower crusts are all the rage right now with gluten free, grain free, Paleo, low carb, and other diets gaining popularity. After making my first cauliflower crust pizza, I can now see what the hype is. I did not get the chewy or crispy consistency of a traditional baked dough but it still very much tasted like a pizza and not at all like actual cauliflower.

 

My only two issues with this recipe are that: 1. It is a little time consuming: you have to wait for the mixture to cool so you can wring out the boiling water and it involves a total baking time of around 35 minutes. My traditional recipe takes about the same time too though as I wait at least one hour for my dough to rise but produces 2-3 pies. 2. My edges got nice and crisp but the rest of the pizza was soft. Perhaps I’ll try to press it down thinner. I never dreamed that the first pizza in my cast iron pan wouldn’t be a buttery deep dish one!

“Cauliflower Crust Pizza…Eggless Crust!”

Author: Reyma Ravindran

Link: http://www.forksnknives.com/2015/05/cauliflower-crust-pizzaeggless-crust.html

Makes one 12 inch pizza

GF, GRF, NF

– You need a 12 inch cast iron skillet, oiled. I have yet to try this recipe in a cookie sheet or other type of baking dish

– Start boiling a large pot of water

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees

 

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

1 flax “egg”: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water and set aside

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

I decided to use 1 tsp each dried oregano and dried basil

Her recipe calls for 1 tsp of salt but I only had 1/8 tsp left and it was fine!

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup tomato sauce of choice and 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Any additional preferred toppings such as herbs or more veggies!

 

Directions:

Place water to boil in a large pot and meanwhile chop cauliflower into florets and pulse in a food processor until they resemble fine granules.

Boil for 5 minutes with the lid on.

Drain and let cool. Then wring out as much excess fluid as you can in clean kitchen towels. The next steps are outlined with photos so you know what to expect.

 

Place in a mixing bowl.

 

Mix in cheese and spices

 

 

Press evenly into an oiled cast iron pan.

 

 

Bake for 25 minutes.

 

 

Add sauce and cheese.

 

 

Bake for 7-8 more minutes.

 

 

I topped mine with fresh basil and fresh oregano from the garden.

 

 

Allow pizza to cool if you prefer more formed slices or dig in while it’s hot!

 

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