Gluten-free Sicilian Pizza Dough

A few years back, my interest in gluten-free pizza dough was piqued. My daughter was diagnosed with autism, and around that time, my wife and I started doing as much research as possible about gut health. One thing that stuck out was a gluten-free diet and I’ve been back and forth over the benefits of cutting out gluten since then. 

Still, at the time, my daughter loved pizza, and the idea of taking it away from her seemed cruel and likely something I would never do–so I set out to create a gluten-free recipe that would be indistinguishable from classic pizza dough. I tested it over and over again. I sampled every flour and tried all sorts of mixing methods. 

When I came up with this recipe, I sampled it at my pizzeria to patrons without telling them what it was. Not a single person thought there was anything different about this pizza, which meant it was finally ready for my little girl.

I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as my family has.



Difficulty

Servings

1,330.5 grams/one 16 by 16 inch (40 by 40 centimeters) pizza

Prep Time

5 hours, 25 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

By Thomas DeGrezia

Gluten-free Sicilian Pizza Dough

Note

This is a hand-mixed recipe that results in a dough whose texture is more like a batter. Could you use a mixer instead? Sure, but that loose texture can make it more trouble than it’s worth (it can be difficult to scoop out of the mixing bowl). This dough isn’t delicate until it rises, so if it rips while stretching, simply squeeze it back together and keep stretching.



hand mixing gluten-free pizza dough in a metal bowl two hands pressing gluten-free pizza dough into a metal pan par-baked gluten-free pizza crust

Thomas DeGrezia

Thomas DeGrezia, Sofia Pizza Shoppe founder and owner of Sofia Wine Bar (@sofiawinebar), has deep roots in pizza–his grandfather was one of the founders of J & V Pizzeria in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, a famous spot going back to 1955.