Best Gluten Free Flour for Pizza Lovers: Top Picks Revealed

Best gluten free flour for pizza specifically designed for gluten-free pizza. It contains ingredients such as gluten-free wheat flour, cornstarch, sorghum flour, cellulose, and psyllium fiber to help achieve a texture and crust similar to traditional pizza.

Best gluten free flour for pizza

Here are some options for the best gluten-free pizza flours found in Bakers Choice, keeping in mind that results may vary depending on the recipe and personal preferences:

• Caputo Fioreglut Flour: Considered by many to be the best on the market, it produces a pizza dough that is very similar to that made with regular flour, with a crispy, soft, and chewy texture. It’s a blend of gluten-free wheat flour, dextrose, cornstarch, buckwheat flour, rice starch, psyllium seed fiber, a thickener (guar gum), and flavorings.
• King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour: Another excellent choice, it produces dough with a good texture and excellent rise. It contains gluten-free wheat starch, cornstarch, sorghum flour, cellulose and psyllium fiber, inactive yeast, and xanthan gum.
• DeLallo Gluten-Free Pizza Flour Blend: A blend based on chickpea flour and white rice flour, it aims to produce a texture and taste similar to traditional pizza. Comes with a yeast packet.
• Della Terra Gluten-Free Pizza Flour: A versatile blend that produces a great pizza base and can also be used as a substitute for wheat flour in breads, cakes, pastries, and pies.
• Foods by Ann Gluten-Free Pizza Flour Mix: A blend of rice flour, tapioca starch, gluten-free oat flour, chickpea flour, and flaxseed flour. It aims to provide added nutritional value and a unique flavor.

The challenge of gluten-free pizza

Gluten-free pizza is a great and delicious alternative to traditional pizza, and is suitable for people with gluten sensitivity or following a gluten-free diet. Below, we explain how to prepare gluten-free pizza.

Gluten-free pizza dough ingredients:

• Gluten-free flour: There are many types of gluten-free flour available, such as rice flour, corn flour, potato flour, almond flour, chickpea flour, and special blends of gluten-free flour.
• Yeast: To ferment the dough and make it rise.
• Warm water: To activate the yeast and form the dough.
• Oil: Such as olive oil to add flexibility to the dough.
• Salt: To add flavor.
• Sugar (optional): In a small amount to feed the yeast.
• Eggs or egg substitute (optional): To help bind the dough.
• Xanthan gum or guar gum (optional): A dough improver that gives it a gluten-like elasticity.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pizza Dough:

• In a bowl, mix the yeast and sugar (if using) with the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until it starts to bubble.
• In another bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, salt, and xanthan or guar gum (if using).
• Add the yeast mixture, oil, and eggs (if using) to the flour mixture.
• Knead the ingredients well until a soft, smooth dough forms. The dough may be stickier than traditional wheat dough.
• Cover the bowl and leave the dough in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes until it has doubled in size.
• After proving, roll out the dough on a surface dusted with gluten-free flour or between two sheets of baking paper.
• Place the dough in a greased pizza pan.
• Add pizza sauce and your favorite toppings (such as cheese, vegetables, and meat).
• Bake in a preheated oven at a suitable temperature (usually around 180-200°C) until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is melted and golden brown.

The magic ingredient: gluten-free wheat starch

Using gluten-free wheat starch to make pizza is a possible option, but it comes with some important considerations:

What is gluten-free wheat starch?

• It is a starch extracted from wheat, but during the processing process, most of the gluten proteins are removed.
• It must be tested and certified as gluten-free according to standard criteria (usually less than 20 parts per million of gluten).

The benefits of using gluten-free wheat starch in pizza:

• Better texture: It can give the dough a texture closer to traditional wheat-based pizza dough, providing better elasticity and chewiness.
• Good rise: It helps achieve a light and fluffy pizza base.

Gluten-free wheat starch can be used in pizza, but it requires ensuring it is certified gluten-free, and you may need to combine it with other ingredients to achieve the best texture. If you have a severe allergy, other alternatives may be safer.

You can read:

• Is Heavy Cream and Whipping Cream the Same? Key Differences Explained.
• Alternative to Eggs When Baking: Vegan-Friendly Solutions That Taste Amazing.

Best Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Here are some of the best gluten-free pizza dough recipes you can try:

Iowa Girl Eats Gluten-Free Pizza Dough Recipe:

This recipe is light, airy, and vegan. It uses a blend of gluten-free flour with a binder (such as xanthan gum, often found in gluten-free all-purpose flour blends), instant yeast, and baking powder. The dry ingredients are mixed first, then the wet ingredients are added. The dough is allowed to rise, then rolled out and baked.

Bake Play Smile Gluten-Free Pizza Dough Recipe:

This recipe uses instant or fresh yeast, lukewarm water, sugar, gluten-free flour, salt, baking powder, and olive oil. The yeast is activated first, then added to the dry ingredients. The dough is kneaded and allowed to rise before baking.

Mama Knows Gluten-Free Gluten-Free Pizza Dough Recipe:

This recipe uses gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum, instant yeast, gluten-free baking powder, salt, warm water, honey (or maple syrup for a vegan version), apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Roll the dough out on floured parchment paper and bake.

What gluten-free flour do Italians use?

Italians use a variety of gluten-free flours for their versatility in Italian cuisine. Here are some common types:

• Rice flour (Farina di riso): It has a mild flavor and a smooth texture and is used in making gluten-free pasta, desserts, and as a flour substitute in some recipes.
• Corn flour (Farina di mais): It is primarily used to prepare the famous polenta, but it can also be used in some gluten-free breads and pies.
• Buckwheat flour (Farina di grano saraceno): It has a strong, distinctive flavor and is used in traditional dishes such as pizzoccheri, a type of pasta from the Valtellina region, as well as in breads and pies.

FAQ

What flour is best for gluten-free pizza?

There are a few recommended options at Bakers Choice that produce pizza dough with excellent taste and texture:

• Caputo Fioreglut Flour: Considered by many to be the best option available, it’s a proprietary blend of gluten-free starches (including wheat starch treated to remove gluten), rice flour, buckwheat flour, and cornstarch. It produces a dough very close to traditional pizza dough in terms of elasticity, chewiness, and texture. It’s often recommended by professional bakers and gluten-free pizza enthusiasts.
• King Arthur Baking Company Gluten-Free Pizza Flour Blend: This blend is specifically designed for gluten-free pizza and produces a dough that holds together well and is easy to handle. It contains gluten-free wheat starch, cornstarch, sorghum flour, a blend of cellulose and psyllium fibers, inactive yeast, and xanthan gum.
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Flour Blend: Another popular and easy-to-find option, it often produces a pizza crust with a good texture. All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend: You can use a high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (usually containing xanthan gum) as a base and mix it with other flours to improve texture.
• Almond Flour: Produces a thin, crispy pizza crust. It’s often combined with other flours, such as tapioca flour.
• Rice Flour (White or Brown): Can be used alone or combined with other flours to add structure.
• Tapioca Flour (Tapioca Starch): Helps make the dough chewy and stretchy.
• Buckwheat Flour: Adds a distinctive flavor and texture.
• Garbanzo Bean Flour: Adds protein and nutrients and can contribute to a denser crust.

What flour does Domino’s use for gluten-free?

Domino’s uses a blend of white rice flour, brown rice flour, and potato flour to make its gluten-free pizza. Other ingredients include water, olive oil, yeast, honey, and salt.

It’s important to note that Domino’s prepares its gluten-free pizza in a shared kitchen with other pizza parlors, which poses a risk of cross-contamination. Therefore, Domino’s does not recommend this pizza for individuals with celiac disease. Customers with severe gluten sensitivity should use their own judgment when eating this pizza.

What gluten-free flour do Italians use?

Italians use several types of gluten-free flour to suit the variety of dishes they prepare. Here are some common types:

• Rice flour (Farina di riso): It has a mild flavor and a smooth texture, and is used in making desserts, biscuits, and pies, and can be used to thicken sauces.
• Corn flour (Farina di mais): It has a distinctive flavor and is primarily used in making the famous polenta, as well as some types of bread and pies. There are different types, such as coarse corn flour (bramata) and fine corn flour (fioretto).
• Buckwheat flour (Farina di grano saraceno): Despite its name, it is gluten-free. It has a strong, distinctive flavor and is used in making traditional dishes like pizzoccheri and crepes (crespelle) in some regions. 
• Chickpea flour (Farina di ceci): It has a rich flavor and is used in dishes such as Ligurian farinata or cecina, and Sicilian panelle. It can also be used to thicken soups and sauces.

In addition to these types, Italians can use other gluten-free flours, such as chestnut flour (farina di castagne), tapioca flour (farina di tapioca), and quinoa flour (farina di quinoa), depending on the recipe and personal preferences.

It is important to note that using gluten-free flour often requires adjustments to baking methods and recipes for optimal results, as gluten plays an important role in the elasticity and structure of the dough.
Finally, we talked about the best gluten-free flour for pizza. Gluten-free pizza flour is a great alternative to traditional wheat flour for people with gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, or who prefer a gluten-free diet. This type of flour aims to mimic the properties of wheat flour to produce a pizza dough with an acceptable texture and taste.

Related:

• Bread improver what is it and why every baker should use it.
• Is it Safe to Cook in Silicone? Discover the Truth Backed by Science.