Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Arugula Pizza with Cheesy {Gluten Free} Crust

About 9 months ago, I thought I had come close to perfecting the art of gluten free pizza. It was definitely a strong start, and the recipe, with minimal modification, has been my go-to since originally constructing it. I knew even at the time it might need some modification, and it’s still one to keep in the repertoire, but I’m here to tell you – I’ve created something even better!

The roommate and I were having our Fantasy Baseball draft last night and the occasion called for pizza and beer. (Ok, I try to argue that most any day calls for pizza and beer.) Feeling the need to switch it up, I decided not only was I going to try to make a lighter, healthier pizza for myself, but I was going to try to continue my quest to the perfect crust with a new experiment.

Pizza Crust. Bread. They’re in the same family, and the recipes are often very close relatives. What is the best bread I’ve made? Oh yes, my Against The Grain knockoff Cheesy Ciabatta Rolls. So if that recipe is perfection for bread, why wouldn’t I use it for pizza crust?

Crust Dough

2 Eggs
½ tsp Salt
1.5 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Cup Tapioca Starch
.5 Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 T Baking Powder
1-2 Tbs Milk (if needed)

Toppings:

4 Tbs Pesto
1 Cup Mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Goat Cheese, crumbled
6-8 Mushrooms, sliced
1 Cup Arugula, added after baking

That’s a damn good question. I don’t know what took me so long. I adjusted the original recipe ratios to cater more to the egg needed in the dough to get it to puff up, even when flattened out, and luckily I nailed it on the first try (for real, though). Parchment paper will be your BFF when rolling (or just pressing, as I did) this dough out, since it tends to be VERY sticky. Some plastic wrap and cooking spray will also work if you don’t have parchment, but it’s the messier option (still not as messy as if you try to use bare hands).

Tentatively, I put what looked like could crisp up into cardboard into the oven to par-bake while I gathered my toppings.

I knew I wanted a mushroom pizza, the rest was a product of what I had in the fridge. I’m feeling pretty happy about what I keep in there these days. Some pesto for the base? Sure. A little mozzarella on top of that.

Of course my mushrooms. Oh, goat cheese, that should probably be used!

The crust, as I topped it, seemed promising. I mean, looks good, right? I put it in to bake about another 7 minutes to cook the mushrooms and firm up the crust.. As I put stuff away, I had one final stroke of genius…

Fresh arugula on top! Because adding lettuce automatically changes this from a pizza to a salad. Golden and crispy edges, with a flexible and light consistency.