Cauliflower Pizza Base with Lamb Bacon and Goats Cheese
Almond Meal and Cheese Pizza Base with Pepperoni and Mozarella
The family have been asking me to make the cauliflower pizza base for a while so I thought I had better deliver considering it's cauliflower season and perfect pizza and red wine weather. Whilst searching for some good recipes I also came across one made with almond meal and cheese that sounded really interesting and quick to make. So I made both and here is the family's review. FYI family consists of two hungry teenage boys, husband and myself. None of us are shy when it comes to good food.
Everyone said they would be happy to have either pizza base again, with both teenage boys saying that they preferred the almond meal over wheat based dough. The almond meal was the most like pizza in texture but the base was a lot more filling. We found ourselves only needing 2 pizzas instead of the normal 3. The cauliflower base was marked down as the base was a bit soggy requiring a knife and fork to eat it, taste got a big thumbs up though.
As a side note, lamb bacon. If you haven't had the pleasure, I can highly recommend it. A wonderful flavour on the pizza, and it went perfectly with the goats cheese and some fresh rosemary.
Here are the recipes I tried for the bases.
Almond Meal and Cheese Base (makes 1 base)
1½ cups mozzarella cheese
60g full fat cream cheese
1 large egg
1 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon brewers yeast
Place the grated mozzarella cheese into a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Cut the cream cheese into about 6-8 pieces and place in the bowl with the mozzarella. Microwave the cheeses for 1½ -2 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. Stir the cheeses together. Break the egg into the cheese and stir with a fork until combined. It will take a minute to coax the two to blend. Add the almond flour and brewers yeast and mix completely.
Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper. Remove the top piece of paper and transfer to your pizza stone. Poke the base all over with a fork.
Bake on the bottom rack at 200 degrees celsius for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and add your favourite toppings. Bake until cheese is melted and golden.
Cauliflower Base (makes 2 bases)
1 head (1.2kg) cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup almond meal
Process cauliflower in a food processor until very finely chopped (you'll need 4 cups in total). Place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 8 minutes or until tender. Transfer cauliflower to a large sieve. Drain, pressing cauliflower with the back of a spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl. Cool for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan-forced. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
Add egg, almond meal, pizza cheese to cauliflower. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Divide mixture into 2 equal portions. Place each portion onto prepared tray. Flatten each portion to form a 15cm circle, making the sides a little thicker to form the crust.
Bake bases for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and add your favourite toppings. Bake until cheese is melted and golden.