Grain-Free Pizza Crust {Paleo with Egg Free Option}
This Paleo Grain-Free Pizza Crust is a family favorite! It's a New York-style pizza crust that's chewy, pliable, has a slight crunch on the bottom, and a sturdy enough to hold all your toppings. Plus, it can even be made egg-free!
Course Egg Free, gluten free, Grain Free, Main Course, paleo
2cupsTapioca FlourDIVIDED, you may need less if using a gelatin egg, see notes below
¾tsp.Sea Salt
¼tsp.Onion Powder
¼tsp.Garlic Powder
½tsp.Italian Seasonings
1 LargeEggor a gelatin egg, see notes below
1Tbsp.Olive Oil
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine very warm but not hot water with 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast and 1 Tbsp. coconut palm sugar or maple syrup. When finding the right temperature, I like to think of very warm, but not scalding, bathwater. Slightly whisk together and set it aside for 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to foam. If it doesn’t foam either the water temperature was wrong or the yeast was bad and you need to start over.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, ¾ cup of the tapioca flour, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings.
Stir in an egg or the gelatin egg, proofed yeast mixture, olive oil, and remaining 1 ¼ cups of tapioca flour, ¼ cup at a time, until it reaches the right texture. Note that if you’re using a gelatin egg, you may not need to add as much tapioca flour (see notes below). The mixture will be softer and stickier than traditional pizza dough, but should not be runny. Refer to the step-by-step pictures in the post for a visual.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl lightly coated in olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Turn off the oven and crack the door. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, then close the door to trap the heat and allow to rise another 30 minutes. Take the dough out of the oven. The dough should have about doubled in size.
Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees.
Put the dough on a large piece of parchment paper dusted with tapioca flour. Cover with plastic wrap and press into a pizza shape with a rolling pin or your hands. Once the oven is preheated, take the pizza stone or baking sheet out of the oven and place the pizza dough on it – parchment paper and all! Use floured hands to reshape or touch up the pizza dough as needed and prick with a fork to keep from bubbling up.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Lightly coat with olive oil and add the toppings. Bake an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until toppings are hot and crust is browned.
Notes
To make this recipe egg-free, you can replace the egg with a gelatin egg. To make a gelatin egg, add ¼ cup of cold water to a small saucepan. Then, sprinkle 1 ½ Tablespoons of gelatin over the water to let bloom, or soften. If needed, slightly stir so all the gelatin mixes with the water. Allow the gelatin to soften for 3 to 5 minutes. Then, heat the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Stit until gelatin is fully dissolved. Be sure to use the gelatin immediately, otherwise, it will thicken.
If using a gelatin egg, you may not need as much tapioca flour! Add it in ¼ cup at a time until you achieve the right texture. The texture will be stickier and softer (not hold a shape, refer to the step-by-step pictures in the post) than traditional pizza dough, but shouldn't be runny.
Do not skip preheating the pizza stone or baking sheet! This step is crucial for the bottom of the crust to be crispy.
Do not use the full amount of tapioca flour when whisking together the dry ingredients to save time. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work. Just follow the instructions and you’ll be fine.
I thought making pizza dough would be a very easy and forgiving process where I could change some things here or there and the pizza would still be great. I was wrong. Every time I made even a slight change to the paleo pizza crust recipe, it came out completely different. I wouldn’t recommend making any changes, even small ones.