Cauliflower Pizza Crust (New and Improved!)

This recipe for a cauliflower crust pizza has been on the blog for a while but it just wasn’t quite right so I’ve spent a while playing around with it to create something perfect for you all, and I can honestly say this is now one of the absolute best recipes on the blog! I know to lots of you the idea of using cauliflower as the base for a pizza might sound totally strange, but trust me it really makes the most delicious crust and you just have to try it! Ever since I made this version I’ve been thinking about it non stop and really craving it. The crust is just so delicious it’s crazy, it’s so full of flavour and the texture is just perfect – even the sceptics I’ve given it to loved it! It’s held together by chia seed and apple puree, which together mean that you really can pick up the slices without them braking – just like real pizza! Of course a slice of this will make you feel a million times more amazing though, so you can enjoy your pizza and feel energised and awesome afterwards! I love topping my pizza with tomato puree, lots of fresh basil, sliced cherry tomatoes and mushrooms and then I sprinkle rocket over the top of it!

Makes 1 pizza

- 1 cauliflower (about 500g)

- 1 cup of brown rice or buckwheat flour (150g)

- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds

- 1/2 a cup of apple puree (100g)

- 1/4 of a cup of ice cold water

- 1 tablespoon of tamari

- 1 lemon

- dried oregano

- dried basil

- salt

For the topping

- Tomato puree

- Sliced tomatoes

- Sliced mushrooms

- Fresh basil leaves

- A sprinkling of salt and pepper

Place the chia seeds in a bowl and add 8 tablespoons of water, allowing to sit for around ten minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the chia has form a gel. During this time you can begin to prepare the cauliflower.

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until a flour like substance forms, this should take about a minute. Place this in a nut milk bag and kneed out excess water (this may take a few minutes as cauliflower contains a lot of water – it’s a really important step though, please don’t skip it!).

Once most of the water has been removed, add the cauliflower to a mixing bowl with the chia seeds (which should have now formed a gel) and apple puree and stir until evenly blended. You can then add the brown rice flour, lemon, tamari, salt and dried herbs. Mix these ingredients well before slowing pouring in the ice cold water. Use your hands to combine the water with the flour, making a sticky dough.

Line the base of a pizza dish with a generous amount of olive oil and a sprinkling of flour before evenly spreading the dough out over it. (if you don’t have a pizza dish simply use a baking tray and mould the shape accordingly)

Bake in a 200C oven for about 20-30 minutes, if you’re not using a pizza dish then you will need to flip the base over half way through. Once the base is firm and ever-so-slightly crispy remove it from the oven and add the tomato puree and then the vegetables, before baking again for another 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper, slice and serve!