Best-ever gluten-free cauliflower pizza crust

I love hosting potlucks, but recently had to switch up a few of my go-to party recipes when a good friend revealed she's going gluten-free because of allergies. No problem, I thought, and dipped into some of Chatelaine’s many delicious gluten-free recipes. A few years ago the entire test kitchen crew pinky-swore that we would never publish anything gluten-free that tasted like cardboard -- and we've kept our promise. Everything from our GF-cookies, brownies and pizza crust are exceptionally good.

But my friend has a more specific problem: She's also allergic to xanthan gum, which is used to replace the missing gluten that is lacking when you don’t bake with wheat-based flours, and xanthan gum was central to our winning GF recipes.

A challenge! I hit the kitchen to create a new GF-pizza crust for my friend. Skimming through various websites (including Chatelaine’s), I saw many versions of a cauliflower crust and put it to the test. Multiple tweaks later, I brought these pizzas to a food meeting and got thumbs up all around.

Gluten-free pizza crust
Prep 15 min Total 45 min Makes 2 9-in. pizza crusts

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano or basil
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese or part-skim mozzarella
• favourite toppings

Instructions 

• POSITION oven racks in top third and centre of oven. Preheat to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• REMOVE florets from cauliflower and whirl in a food processor until it looks like rice. You may have to do this in 2 batches. It should measure about 4 cups.
• COMBINE cauliflower ‘rice’ with eggs, garlic, oregano and cheese in a large bowl. Divide into two portions. Mound a portion on one side of prepared sheet and spread until 1/3 in. thick and 9 in. round. Repeat.
• BAKE in centre of oven until crusts are golden and crispy around the edges, 25 to 30 min. Remove from oven and top with your favourite toppings, making sure not to weigh down the crust.
• CONTINUE baking in top third of oven until cheese is melted and toppings are hot, 5 to 8 min. Let pizzas stand for 3 min before cutting into wedges. Serve immediately.