Made A Paleo Friendly Pizza Crust
If you are unfamiliar with the Paleo Diet, it’s “a way of eating that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.” Before the discovery of agriculture, our caveman ancestors did not eat grains or yeast, so the theory is that our bodies were not designed to handle these kinds of foods.
Grains and other starchy foods tend to have a high glycemic index, which turn into high rises in blood sugar and insulin levels. Excessive insulin and blood levels promote a cluster of undesirable effects like type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
I try to eat a paleo-friendly diet for the most part, but I definitely have my splurges from time-to-time (like rhubarb pie, burritos and fish and chips). The inability to use flour makes it difficult to make a pizza. J has experimented with other types of crusts that she thought could work, but this is the first time I’ve ever made one myself.
This recipe is for a coconut flour based crust. I set out the ingredients, including the toppings.
First, I sifted the coconut flour. Then combined the rest of the dry ingredients (baking powder and garlic salt).
Then, I combined the wet ingredients. I cracked a few eggs in our KitchenAid mixer.
I added a can of coconut milk to the bowl as well as some garlic.
I started the mixer and blended the wet ingredients together.
I incorporated the dry stuff into the wet stuff.
I put the mixture onto a cookie sheet and spread it out.
I threw it into the oven at 375 degrees.
While that was baking, I started getting some of the ingredients ready.
After twenty minutes in the oven, the crust was ready.
I flipped it over using another cookie sheet.
It was now ready to top. This pizza had five toppings: jalapenos, kielbasa, chicken, bacon, and pineapple. I first set the sauce, then put cheese on between the toppings.
I baked it for about five minutes and then broiled for two minutes.
At this point, the pizza was ready to eat. Of course, without yeast or flour, the dough doesn’t turn out airy, but it’s still delicious. The crust did turn out soft. J thinks the addition of flax seed could firm it up.
I felt that this was a reasonable substitute for pizza crust. Coconut flour is gluten-free, high in protein, and low in carbohydrates. An added bonus was that I didn’t have to roll out any dough.
Disclaimer: I probably should add that technically, cheese is not considered Paleo (no dairy is), and pizza is a treat that we don’t eat that often.
Related items:
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
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