Cauliflower Pizza Crust

A crust should be both a snack by itself as well as a vehicle to transport delicious toppings to your salivating mouth.  I’ve known of recipes using cauliflower for various crusts but had never tried it until recently.  This recipe has no grain but there is cheese which helps bind everything.  Why cauliflower?  It has a light texture and a mild flavor so it should blend well with whatever toppings you want to add.

Squeezing out the water after the cauliflower is cooked is crucial.  A kitchen towel works well, then wrap it up and squeeze like crazy over the sink, it’s amazing how much water is released.  The end result should be almost fluffy.

The crust with seasonings was tasty by itself and very focaccia-like, best when they were thick-ish and probably not optimal if you’re looking for the crispy thin-style crust.

I froze one of these to test it.  I think freezing breaks down the cell walls so it releases even more liquid—it was a more soft and wet than the fresh crust.  However I did find that the cold leftovers the following morning was one of the best cold pieces of pizza I’ve had in a long time.  In my opinion the gluten free crusts made with a medley of other grains don’t retain the ideal texture on Day #2 when you’re snacking on cold pizza for breakfast.

I think you could make a scrumptious snack or appetizer with a biryani paste on these buddies.  Or harissa.  Maybe top with dry oil-cured olives.  Oh yeah.

Cauliflower Crust

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: partially bake for 10-14 minutes before adding topping

Chop the cauliflower then cook it in your favorite method.  When cool to the touch, grate it or rice it. 

Place in a towel then squeeze as much of the water out as you can.  The cauliflower needs to be dry and fluffy to prevent having a soggy crust. 

Mix together: 

1 1/2 cups Cauliflower, cooked, grated and squeezed

1 large Egg

1/3 cup Parmesan or Asiago Cheese, grated

1/3 Cup Mozzarella, grated

1 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Basil

1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seed

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 clove Garlic minced, or 1/2 teaspoon Granulated Garlic

Black Pepper

Spread out onto a baking sheet 1/2 – 3/4 inch thickness as either one medium sized crust or two small individual crusts.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-14 minutes.  

Slather with your favorite toppings and bake again.

Enjoy.  

If you wipe up spilled chia seeds with a wet cloth it’s reeeeaaaaally difficult to remove them once they have nestled deep into the terry loops!