My readers have been waiting for this recipe! The pizza is delicious yet the crust is made from nothing more than cauliflower, egg, and mozzarella cheese with some salt and spices thrown in.
No flour, no yeast, no kidding!
Now you may have heard of this oddball recipe. It's been around a long time (more on that below). Frankly, I was skeptical of it actually working. My husband (and partner in crime-writing) was, too, but he's a believer now. He enjoyed half this small pie with me last night, beer in hand, smile on his face. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do...
~ Cleo
Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
|
How to Make Pizza
with a Cauliflower Crust
My amateur sleuth, 40-something single-mom and coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi, faces that very dilemma when she's hired to cater a party for a group of quirky computer geniuses at the company of a billionaire whose life she saves in Billionaire Blend.
Clare uses this recipe as a solution. She also bakes up a 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie (no flour, no dairy, no gluten, and no mixer needed). You can get that recipe here.
Although Billionaire Blend is the 13th in our Coffeehouse Mystery series, you can enjoy the book as a stand-alone story and have fun trying to solve an attempted murder of a billionaire, right along with Clare.
As with all our culinary mysteries, my husband and I hope you enjoy the recipes, too. To download a free PDF of Billionaire Blend's recipe guide, click here.
Paleo Pizza Recipe Source:
The earliest mention I can find of this popular recipe is in a low-carb foodie forum circa 2008, but note that it does not include (what I consider) a key step for making the recipe a success. You can see the original mention here, but I have a hunch the recipe source goes back even further (way before the birth of Internet chat rooms) to the high-protein/low carb Atkins diet that was so popular years ago.
Wherever the recipe began, however, I'm happy to share my version of it with you now...
How to Make Pizza Crust
from Cauliflower
(Cleo's version with step-by-step photos)
Makes one 10- to 12-inch pizza (depending on size of cauliflower)
Crust ingredients:
1 medium head of fresh cauliflower (do not use frozen)
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon Italian spice mix blend
Step 1 – Prep oven and pan: First preheat your oven to 450°F. Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet or a pizza pan with holes and lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray. (I use Olive Oil spray.)
Step 2 – Rice the cauliflower: Break up the head of cauliflower into florets. Buzz them in a food processor only until they resemble grains of rice. Do not puree!
Step 3 – Cook in the microwave: Pour riced cauliflower into a microwave-safe dish and cook on high for 7 to 8 minutes.
Step 4 – Squeeze out extra moisture: This is a key step. If you do not squeeze the excess moisture out of your "cauliflower rice," the crust will be soggy and the recipe will not work the way you see it in my photos. You can use a tea towel or cheesecloth or a nut bag (used to make nut milk). Put the cauliflower in and squeeze until you have drained off a good deal of liquid. You don’t have to worry about getting every drop, but do the best you can.
NOTE for troubleshooting: You will start with 3 to 4 cups of Cauliflower Rice out of the food processor. After cooking and squeezing out the extra moisture, you should have somewhere between 1 and 1-1/2 cups remaining. My photo below shows you how the dried cauliflower rice looks, almost like a ground grain.
Step 5 – Create the dough: Pour the cooked and "squeeze-dried" cauliflower rice into a bowl and mix with the lightly beaten large egg, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian spice blend.
Step 6 – Form crust: Drop the dough onto your prepared parchment paper and use clean fingers to shape into a thin disc about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. (Yours might be a little larger or smaller, depending on the size of your cauliflower head and amount of cauliflower rice it yielded.)
Step 7 – Bake for 8 to 16 minutes in your well-preheated 450 degree F. oven. You are watching for the crust to become completely dry and golden brown. Depending on your oven, the type of pan you are using, and the size of your pizza crust, the cooking time will change. Check it at 8 minutes and if the crust is not completely dry and golden brown, continue cooking it for up to 16 minutes.
(Whenever I use my pizza pan with holes, for example, more heat comes through the pan and the crust cooks much faster, so check your crust often to prevent burning.)
Step 8– Top your crust and finish baking: Allow the crust to cool a bit (5 to 10 minutes). Then top with your favorite pizza sauce and cheeses.
Finish in the oven with another 8 to 10 minutes of baking. (Again, your particular oven and pan may require more or less time to melt the cheese, simply make a note of it for next time.)
with a Cauliflower Crust
(Cleo Coyle's version with step-by-step photos)
How do you make junk-food junkies, health-conscious people, and gluten-free eaters happy?My amateur sleuth, 40-something single-mom and coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi, faces that very dilemma when she's hired to cater a party for a group of quirky computer geniuses at the company of a billionaire whose life she saves in Billionaire Blend.
Clare uses this recipe as a solution. She also bakes up a 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie (no flour, no dairy, no gluten, and no mixer needed). You can get that recipe here.
Clare's 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies: No dairy, no flour, no gluten, and no mixer needed. Click Here for the recipe. |
To download a free PDF
of Billionaire Blend's
recipe guide, click here.
|
Paleo Pizza Recipe Source:
The earliest mention I can find of this popular recipe is in a low-carb foodie forum circa 2008, but note that it does not include (what I consider) a key step for making the recipe a success. You can see the original mention here, but I have a hunch the recipe source goes back even further (way before the birth of Internet chat rooms) to the high-protein/low carb Atkins diet that was so popular years ago.
Wherever the recipe began, however, I'm happy to share my version of it with you now...
To download this recipe in a free PDF document
that you can print, save, or share, click here!
that you can print, save, or share, click here!
Click for Cleo's free recipe PDF. |
from Cauliflower
(Cleo's version with step-by-step photos)
Makes one 10- to 12-inch pizza (depending on size of cauliflower)
Crust ingredients:
1 medium head of fresh cauliflower (do not use frozen)
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon Italian spice mix blend
Step 1 – Prep oven and pan: First preheat your oven to 450°F. Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet or a pizza pan with holes and lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray. (I use Olive Oil spray.)
Step 2 – Rice the cauliflower: Break up the head of cauliflower into florets. Buzz them in a food processor only until they resemble grains of rice. Do not puree!
Step 3 – Cook in the microwave: Pour riced cauliflower into a microwave-safe dish and cook on high for 7 to 8 minutes.
Step 4 – Squeeze out extra moisture: This is a key step. If you do not squeeze the excess moisture out of your "cauliflower rice," the crust will be soggy and the recipe will not work the way you see it in my photos. You can use a tea towel or cheesecloth or a nut bag (used to make nut milk). Put the cauliflower in and squeeze until you have drained off a good deal of liquid. You don’t have to worry about getting every drop, but do the best you can.
NOTE for troubleshooting: You will start with 3 to 4 cups of Cauliflower Rice out of the food processor. After cooking and squeezing out the extra moisture, you should have somewhere between 1 and 1-1/2 cups remaining. My photo below shows you how the dried cauliflower rice looks, almost like a ground grain.
Step 5 – Create the dough: Pour the cooked and "squeeze-dried" cauliflower rice into a bowl and mix with the lightly beaten large egg, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian spice blend.
Step 6 – Form crust: Drop the dough onto your prepared parchment paper and use clean fingers to shape into a thin disc about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. (Yours might be a little larger or smaller, depending on the size of your cauliflower head and amount of cauliflower rice it yielded.)
Step 7 – Bake for 8 to 16 minutes in your well-preheated 450 degree F. oven. You are watching for the crust to become completely dry and golden brown. Depending on your oven, the type of pan you are using, and the size of your pizza crust, the cooking time will change. Check it at 8 minutes and if the crust is not completely dry and golden brown, continue cooking it for up to 16 minutes.
(Whenever I use my pizza pan with holes, for example, more heat comes through the pan and the crust cooks much faster, so check your crust often to prevent burning.)
Step 8– Top your crust and finish baking: Allow the crust to cool a bit (5 to 10 minutes). Then top with your favorite pizza sauce and cheeses.
Finish in the oven with another 8 to 10 minutes of baking. (Again, your particular oven and pan may require more or less time to melt the cheese, simply make a note of it for next time.)
Step 9 – Reheating: This pizza reheats like a dream. Store it in the fridge and when you want to reheat, place slices in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.