Gluten-Free Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. (orange-size portion) Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (above)
• 1/2 c. canned Italian-style chopped tomatoes, well-drained by draining through a strainer, or use any prepared tomato sauce you like
• 1/4 lb. sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, buffalo-milk variety if available
• 6 basil leaves, roughly torn
• 1/8 c. sliced Mediterranean-style black or green olives
• 1/2 Anaheim pepper, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
• Olive oil for drizzling on top of the pizza
• White or brown rice flour for dusting

Details

Adapted from shootingthekitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.

2. Prepare and measure all the toppings in advance.

3. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with rice flour and cut off a 1/2-pound (orange-size) piece. Dust the piece with more rice flour and quickly shape it into a ball; this dough isn’t stretched because there is no gluten in it – just press it into the shape of a ball. You will need to use lots of rice flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but avoid working lumps of flour into the dough.

4. Sprinkle rice flour onto a 14-inch square piece of parchment paper. Flatten the dough with your hands into an even circle, sprinkle generously with more rice flour, cover with a 14-inch piece of plastic wrap, then roll the dough between the parchment and plastic wrap to produce a 1/16- to 1/8-inch-thick round. Peel away the plastic wrap, leaving the crust on the parchment paper

5. Distribute a thin layer of tomatoes over the surface of the dough.

6. Scatter the mozzarella over the surface of the dough, then the basil, olives, pepper, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired. Drizzle the pizza with about a teaspoon of olive oil. No further resting is needed prior to baking.

7. Slide the pizza and parchment directly onto the stone. Check for doneness in 10-12 minutes. Take a peek at the bottom of the crust – if you’d like it to be browner, slide the pizza and parchment off the stone and directly onto the oven rack for a couple of minutes. (Parchment paper will turn black, which is fine.)

8. Allow the pizza to cool slightly on a rack before serving, to allow the cheese to set.