When I first heard of healthy alternatives to traditional all-purpose flour a few years ago, I was excited. Really excited.
But recently, when I heard of the possibility to create your own flour out of… cauliflower to make a perfectly baked, deliciously moist pizza crust, it really blew my mind!
I HAD to try the recipe as soon as possible… and the result was actually a LOT better than what I expected… I could barely see the difference between my gluten-free, low-carb cauliflower crust and a traditional pizza crust!
There is a secret technique to make the perfect cauliflower crust, thought, and if you do not follow that particular step, you will fail.
To make the cauliflower “flour”, one of the steps is to soak it in boiling water for a few minutes.
But if you don’t get rid of most of the water/moisture afterwards, your crust will not hold together and fall apart.
This is the most important part of the recipe, so make sure you have a clean piece of cloth you can use to strain the cauliflower flour properly.
I also used a pair of thick plastic gloves (the type of gloves used to make the dishes) for this particular step to prevent burning my hands with hot steam/water.
Cauliflower Crust Margherita Pizza
- The Margherita Pizza Sauce
- 1 can whole tomatoes
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- The Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- 1 large cauliflower head
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Cauliflower Crust Margherita Pizza Recipe
- Toppings:
- 1 6 ounces fresh mozzarella ball
- 8-10 basil leaves
- Tomato sauce (see recipe above)
- The Margherita Pizza Sauce: Pulse tomatoes and juice in a blender to create a thick puree. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for about 35 minutes or until it gets the consistency of a pizza sauce. Set aside when done.
- The Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Preheat oven to 400 F. Fill a large saucepan with just enough water to cover the cauliflower flour. Meanwhile, cut the florets off the cauliflower head and grind them into a fine flour using a food processor, this takes about one minute.
Pour the cauliflower flour into the boiling water and remove from heat. Cover and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Pour the cauliflower flour into a fine strainer. (Now you can wait a few minutes for it to cool down if you don’t have a pair of gloves, as it is very hot. Or simply rinse it with cold water).
Transfer the flour to a clean piece of cloth, wrap it up and squeeze hard to remove as much water as you can. Transfer the flour to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I always pour a little water under the paper so it adapts the shape of the baking sheet).
Now work the dough into a nice pizza crust with your hands. Place the pizza crust in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven. (TIP: You could also use a pizza stone for this recipe if you have one, I’ve heard the result is fantastic!).
- Topping the Pizza: Cut the mozzarella ball into 1/4 inch slices. Spread the tomato sauce on the crust leaving a 1 inch border. (TIP: You can freeze the leftover tomato sauce!) Arrange the cheese slices on the crust making sure they are about 1-2 inches away from the edges of the pizza.
Put the pizza back to the oven at 400 F for about 10-12 minutes or until the cheese turns golden brown. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle with basil leaves.
Slice and Enjoy!
The pizza crust recipe is inspired by a recipe found on detoxinista.com
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