Pizza (w: Namaste pizza crust mix -gf-)

A delicious, gluten free, fairly simple to make, pizza crust. It's a mix from Namaste Foods, and it is well worth the dough (pun very much intended though not very much funny).

I won't say Namaste Foods Pizza Crust Mix is the best pizza crust I've ever encountered in my well-fed life, but it certainly holds up among other good pizza-pies that I've known prior to going gf.

Also, this crust meets the challenge of satisfying my every-so-often need for pizza and beer craving ("yes", finding a decent gf beer is nearly as challenging as finding a worthy gf pizza. Lately I'm leaning toward Green's).

I (we...really Julie) attempted a bunch of pizza trials --rice flour mixes, pre-made dough mixes, and corn tortilla contraptions-- but they all fell short. Then I tried the Namaste Foods Pizza Crust Mix and discovered good pizza does in fact exist in the gluten free world.

I've also used this mix (typically from leftover dough) to make flat breads. It's great for small sandwiches, dinner bread, or just to dip into hummus.

I give Namaste Pizza Crust Mix two oven-mit-thumbs up.

How to make it....

The process for the Namaste mix is a bit odd. The directions on the bag are simple and clear, but they involve a few extra steps of putting dough in and then pulling it out at certain intervals than you might be used to.

With the testing we did in our kitchen, we added even more steps and tweaks to the process, but found that they improved the finished crust. Here are the steps we suggest----

1) Pre-heat oven to 450 and ensure an oven rack is in the bottom slot (if you have multiple racks you'll want one in the middle slot as well as you'll see in step 9!).

2) Spray pizza pan with non-stick spray (Pam or what not). We like to use the perforated pizza pans as the small holes seem to enhance the cooking and make for a better texture. (see silver disc partially shown in photo).

3) Mix 1 and a half cups Namaste Pizza Crust Mix w/ 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 and a quarter cups water. Use mixer to beat mix for about 3 minutes or until it looks like a decent cake batter.

4) Spread evenly onto pizza pan. Namaste recommends out at least 14 inches though we have never measured. Our concern has been to try and have consistent thickness of the dough once spread.

5) Place in oven on lowest rack. Namaste directions show for 20 minutes, but if you are using a perforated pizza pan sheet, then our tweak is to it bake on the lowest rack for only 5 minutes.

6) Again if using our tweak, then remove from oven and scrape the bottom of the pan with a scraper over the sink. This is part of the "oddness" that we added. It is messy, but it makes for a great outcome (scraping shown in next photo).

Basically the dough that has seeped through the holes will begin to burn, so those little nubs need to get scraped off (we do it into the sink) prior to putting back into the oven.

(The above photo shows the bottom of the pizza after it has been cooked, the nubs still exist. Again, a little odd, but trust me, it works).

7) Back to the oven she goes for another 10 minutes (also on the bottom rack still at 450 degrees).

8) Pull out of oven and add your favorite toppings. This is the fun part as there are so many varieties and options to customize to your liking.

9) Back to the oven yet again --but this time place on the MIDDLE RACK, and lower heat to 425 for another 8-10 minutes or until the top looks the way you like it. I prefer the cheese on top just starts to brown.

That's it. Enjoy