But I wasn't going to post any old dough recipe, just because it happened to be gluten-free. No, I was going to find the tastiest, chewiest, crispiest-edged pizza dough recipe--one that can also be prepared without buying seven different flours and chemical dough elasticizers. Because if it's not affordable and simple, it's not for this website. 

If you know me, you know I don't like being told what to do.

If you know me well, you know that, not only do I not like it, but it's a totally ineffective way to get me to jump on your bandwagon. I hate bandwagons. I don't understand the Cult of Mac. I will never say "YOLO." I don't see what's so special about Ryan Gosling.

And so, when an onslaught of people started telling me to make a gluten-free version of my signature pizza dough recipe, I rolled my eyes. "This isn't a gluten-free blog! JEEZ!" I would have snapped at them, if I weren't so afraid of confrontation.

I made a habit of nicely redirecting those in search of glutenless pastures to the plethora of excellent gluten-free blogs on the internet, specifically the fantastic Sauna Ahern's Gluten Free Girl And the Chef--she knows what she's doing in the gluten-free department.

But then, I started working on my second cookbook, all about pizza dough (due out Fall 2013), and reached out to my friends and readers, as bloggers-turned-cookbook-writers are wont to do, and I started hearing it over and over again:

Ooh! I've missed pizza, ever since I went gluten-free.

Hey Gabs, any chance you can de-gluten-ify that pizza dough for me? 

Me like pizza. Me no like gluten.

Stupid gluten. 

Ooookaaaay. So, it sounds like this gluten-free thing is perhaps bigger than I had anticipated. From Celiac disease to slight gluten intolerance, more and more people were learning to live without gluten. And what is a life without pizza? 

But I wasn't going to post any old dough recipe, just because it happened to be gluten-free. No, I was going to find the tastiest, chewiest, crispiest-edged pizza dough recipe--one that can also be prepared without buying seven different flours and chemical dough elasticizers. Because if it's not affordable and simple, it's not for this website. 

 

Anyway, after a week of recipe testing and experimentation, I learned a few things:

• Gluten-free dough neither behaves, nor tastes exactly like regular wheat dough. It's not going to be kneadable, rise in the same way, or stretch, but that doesn't make it any less delicious.
• Pre-baking is your friend. Pre-baking the crust means you can load it up with extra-toppings without worrying about it getting soggy.
• It's all about the olive oil. Gluten-free doughs can dry out easily. Counteract with a liberal brushing of delicious olive oil.
• There is no reason to advertise the fact that your pizza is gluten-free. Because if you say, "Hey, try this pizza I just made!" they'll gobble it up without asking questions.