Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Makes 1
If you think this is going to taste better than your standard pizza base, let me stop you right here. I’m a blogger, not a miracle worker.
In all fairness, this did turn out a lot better than I was anticipating and despite the fact I pulled a shoulder muscle squeezing out the excess cauliflower liquid, I’d do it all again. Some little tips for you before you get started:
- Get a nut milk bag if you can, it’ll make removing the excess liquid much easier. If not, muslin, cheese cloth or similar will be fine.
- You want the cauliflower to be as dry as possible before you add the other ingredients (see the first tip), so if you’re not sure, squeeze some more!
- Reheating leftovers in the air fryer made the base way more crispy!
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon corn flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (you can pick this up at most supermarkets in the health food section)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
- 1/4 cup water
- Olive oil spray
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil while you grate your cauliflower into small pieces using a box grater.
- Once the water is boiling, add the cauliflower and cook until it begins to soften, this should be 5-10 minutes.
- Drain the water and allow to cool until you’re able to handle it comfortably and safely.
- Using a nut milk bag, or another suitable cloth, add batches of cauliflower and squeeze firmly to remove any excess moisture.
- Preheat your oven to 160°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Add the cauliflower to a large bowl, before adding in the almond meal, nutritional yeast, cornflour, xanthan gum, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix well to combine (I like to use a fork and kind of mash it as I mix.)
- Whisk together the ground chia seeds and water in a small bowl until it has thickened. Pour into the rest of the mixture and mix well until combined.
- Tip the dough onto a lined baking sheet and shape as desired. I went for a rectangle so I could go right into the edges of the baking sheet and I ended up with just under 1cm or so in thickness.
- Smooth out the top of the dough and give a light spray of olive oil before cooking in the oven for about 30 minutes, or the base is firm but not too golden around the edges.
- Add your favourite pizza toppings, increase the heat and cook until the base is a deep golden brown around the edges and your cheese has melted.
- Gently run a sharp knife between the baking paper and the base to ensure there’s no sticking. If there is, you may want to return to the oven for a little longer.
