I've been hearing a lot about Pizza recently. Mostly gluten free. That's fine, it's a start - I need gluten free, but it's not much good to me, unless it's dairy free as well, is it?? So, I've been on a bit of a quest and I think I've found a few answers, that may be you could try too - if you're after pizza that is!!
 |
| A pizza heaven?? |
So the first thing is, that if you're after Pizza and you're gluten free, it seems to me that you're pretty well catered for, right now. There's no need to make your own ( although of course you're perfectly free to do so) when you can buy a ready made pizza in the frozen section at Sainsbury's, or order one from Domino's (as reviewed by Kevin at Gluten Free by the Sea), Prezzo, Pizza Hut or even Ask, I believe!! It seems that Pizza restaurants have really got the bit between their teeth and are practically falling over themselves in the race to reach gluten free customers.
Others have chosen to try them out. Emma from Love Lactose Free Life has tried Pizza Hut and Grace Cheetham has tried Domino's. They elected to choose naturally dairy free toppings, I've not tried them, though. I mean I could try a gluten free pizza without cheese, if I wanted, but... it's just not pizza, then, is it??
Now those of you who are not gluten free but are dairy free and okay with soya, you can also get a ready made pizza. Mama Cucina do one, as reviewed by the Veggie's blog here. It is available from the chiller cabinet in some Holland and Barrett's and also Goodness Direct.
However, that is no good for me either. SO, I have been forced to make my own!!
I've tried a few bases, one of which came from a packet mix. The packet mix was a disaster, so I won't even go there! Of the ready made bases that I've tried, Sainsbury's and Tesco's own Free From bases have been the winners for me, but I've yet to try one by Venice Bakery. I've heard it is delicious! Emma reviewed it here.
 |
| The Sainsbury's base |
The Sainsbury's base is not perfect by any means. It's a bit dry and brittle, which means it can crack, quite easily. However, once the toppings are on, you don't really notice that too much!
The Tesco's base I like, because you get two small ones in a packet together. I think they're slightly less dry, than Sainsbury's and they're the perfect size for one - for lunch, anyway.
 |
| Seeds of Change Stir-through sauce |
As for the next stage - the tomatoey sauce base, most people would probably opt for a tomato puree, right? However, me being me, I can't eat stuff in can - my face comes out all blotchy, so I need stuff in a jar.
I've tried two - Biona's tomato puree (in a jar) is really nice, but my favourite is Seeds of Change Tomato and Olive Stir-Through Sauce. Not technically gluten free, they are both dairy free and seem to be free from gluten containing ingredients.
 |
| Adding the puree! 'Baby' likes this bit! |
Following the tomatoey base, the next level is entirely up to you! My favourite combination is ham and mushroom, as shown here!
 |
| This one was produced without Baby's help. Can you tell? |
The really tricky bit about pizza, though (as far as I have been concerned) is the last layer- the cheesey bit, but this I now think I have cracked!!
As I browsed my local health food shop I happened upon a new cheese, which I have mentioned before - it's called Mozzarisella. It is fairly tricky to get hold of, although you can order it from their website. However, it's new to the UK market, so things are on the up!!
 |
| Nicely melted! |
For me, it worked really well on pizza, especially if the pizza was cooked at 200 degrees C, for 10 minutes. I thought it melted just enough.
If you can't get hold of Mozzarisella, and, like me, you can't have dairy free cheese that is made with soya, there are a few other options. One is another new cheese (which I've yet to try) by Violife (Veganic) reviewed here, by Veganoo. This is also pretty hard to get hold of, right now, so your best option would be dairy and soya free melting Cheezly. This is sold in some Holland and Barrett stores and also in some health food stores. By itself, it's not particularly cheesy, but grated and melted, on top of a pizza, I think it tastes pretty good!!
Related Posts:
Aah Pizza the holy grail for the dairy free people. I am getting annoyed that all these restaurants are catering for GF but that's another argument for another day lol. Even if you are not GF you have to watch the regular bases as I've discovered they contain milk. I tend to make my own these days it's just easier that way :)
ReplyDeleteHave to admit, I feel tempted to take my own cheese along to a restaurant, just to make a point, but if they don't cater well for allergies etc, then you'd have to be worried about cross-contamination, wouldn't you?? Making my own definitely seems the best way for now! xx
ReplyDeleteHi I m new on your blog, my 2 years old baby boy is allergic to milk so i make everything for him and it's not easy sometimes .. congratulation for the blog, really usefull for lots of people who share the same interest! serena
ReplyDeleteHi Serena!
ReplyDeleteLovely to have your comment. Hope you find the blog useful, although, making everything yourself, you may well have a thing or two to teach me. :)