New York pizza has to be my favorite food of all time (extra crispy french fries with BBQ sauce comes at a close second). I haven’t even attempted to try pizza in Charlotte since moving here in November, because I don’t want to waste the calories on something that will disappoint. I’ve made Cauliflower Pizza before in the past, and it was always delicious, but the crust was a little too soft for my liking, making it difficult to pick up a slice by hand. When stumbling across this recipe posted on The Detoxinista, recipe courtesy of Doris Choi, I was happy to see that I was not the only one hoping for a better pizza crust. So I tried it, and am happy to report that this recipe is a success! I will warn you that making this is a little messy (unless that’s just me), and it seems like there are a lot of steps involved, but I found it to be very easy to make.
Pizza Crust Ingredients:
4 cups raw cauliflower rice
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400F, then get to work on your crust.
Step 1: Begin by making your cauliflower “rice.”
Simply pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.
Step 2: Cook & Strain the rice.
Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer. (I used a regular strainer and it worked fine).
Once you’ve strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel.
Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEEEEZE all the excess moisture out!
It’s amazing how much liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust. Unfortunately, I am not talented enough to take a picture at the same time while doing this step. Use two hands and I promise you a ton of liquid will come out. Be sure to do this over the sink or pot.
Step 3: Make & Shape the dough.
In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices.
Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.
Press the dough out onto a baking sheet or pizza stone about 1/3″ thick. If on a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper. I sprayed PAM Olive Oil on the pizza stone and had no problems with it sticking.
Step 4: Bake for 40 minutes at 400F.
Step 5: Load on the Toppings!
When using tomato sauce, READ THE INGREDIENTS!!!! You will be surprised how many brands have Citric Acid, Naturally Derived Citric Acid, or other bad things that you don’t want in your body. The two brands below are safe in my book, and I am sure there are a few other good brands with clean ingredients out there as well.
I used spinach, tomato, zucchini and feta cheese to top my pizza. Feel free to use whatever toppings you desire. Keep in mind, if you’re planning on using a ton of toppings that will weigh down the pizza, you may want to make your pizza crust slightly thicker so it can support all the goodies.
Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Then slice and serve immediately!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
