I HAVE A DREAM! Is Good Gluten Free Pizza Just a Pie in the Sky?
According to Wikipedia, the phrase “pie in the sky” means a fanciful notion or ludicrous concept. According to a celiac this term could easily be interchanged with “good gluten free pizza pie”.
My beloved pizza. Oh, how I missed the commonality of that simple pie.
Yes. There are gluten free pizzas that are currently available. But the celiacs and non-celiacs are divided when it comes to sharing a common pizza union.
Celiacs know the drill: We eat “our” pizza when all the other non-celiac’s at the gathering enjoy “their” pizza. The great pizza divide.
Is a good globally, sharable pizza too much for a celiac like me to ask? Can there ever be pizza unity between us all?
To this day I have not been able to find a universally sharable pizza… a pizza that could be shared in harmony with celiacs and non-celiacs alike. A pie that could be embraced and loved by all. One big happy family pizza pie.
I found this promise of fulfilling my dream at the Natural Product Expo East. I sampled a handful of pizzas that were a promise of pizza unity. Unfortunately, all these pizzas are not yet available…. Yet, they will be in the next month or so. I will keep all posted on the availability and the fulfillment of this attainable American celiac dream!
Tags: Gluten free pizza
November 6th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I’m with you on that…I miss pizza night (we use to have pizza pretty much every Friday)…The kids love pizza, and I love just throwing a frozen pizza in the oven, no fuss work or clean up for mom!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Michelle-
Just WAIT until you try the pizzas I found at the Natural Foods Expo! They are SO good! They can’t come out on the store shelves soon enough!
As promised, I will let the BeFreeForMe Members know the brand names, retailers and when they will be available for purchase as soon as I am alerted. Until then…
Be Free!
Kathleen
November 8th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Kathleen,
I’m not even a celiac, but will be trying these pizzas. I know you have good taste!
Pidge
November 9th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I was just complaining about this last night w/ my husband. I bought the frozen crusts at Whole Foods, made my own sauce, added olive oil, lots of cheese, etc. Still, not so appetizing…… And, I tried the gluten free pizza at Flatbread Pizza Rest hoping it would be good.. Not a chance. Can’t wait to try this new pizza!
PS: Just saw your piece on the news last night… Thank goodness you’re here. I just found out 3wks ago that I am gluten intolerant – after 2yrs of hell with intense itching, eczema all over, etc. No doctor, allergist or dermatologist could figure it out. One visit to a naturopath md and I was diagnosed! At 39yrs old I can’t believe all of a sudden! I thought my life was over.. Although my quality of life is much better w/out the irritable blisters and itching, the new lifestyle is a challenge. Thank you!!
Kathleen D’Amico
November 9th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Uno Chicago Grill has introduced gf pizza that is absolutely delicious. They have it on the menu at several Mass reastaurants.We went to the Braintree last week and it was sssoooo good!!!!
November 9th, 2008 at 11:45 am
If anyone lives near Worcester, the Boynton Restaurant on Highland Street Makes GF Pizza that is AWESOME. They have different versions and you can even take home basic pies to put in your own oven (frozen or fresh). They also serve Redbridge Beer… good for us Celiacs!
November 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
My son has celiac disease and says that pizza is the major thing he misses having. Would love to see something he could have that is fairly priced.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:31 am
My daughter was diagnosed with celiac just before Thanksgiving last year – and right after “what about pie?” was “what about my favorite Pizza?”
We discovered the brand “Against the Grain” pretty quickly – the pizza shells are available at our local health food store (along with other products of theirs that we love: Baguettes, rolls, bagels). Wonderful to share with her non-celiac friends and especially easy to make using fresher ingredients than the current crop of frozen ready-mades…..http://www.againstthegraingourmet.com/
Looking forward to trying the new pies you discovered at the Expo!
November 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I with Skye’s mom. “Against the Grain” is the only bread and pizza crust I like! My husband and two children also like the pizza crust! I only wish my local Hannaford carried their products.
November 10th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Yes, the Pizza for celiacs. Elusive, isn’t it.
The best result my wie achieves when baking the crust herself and let me tell you, I have high Pizza standards, but I eat hers.
She marginally modifes her bread recipe, I am in charge of the toppings and off we go.
Yes, I still sneak out of the house if I have a real bad craving for wood fired Pizza, but her gluten free dough beats any store bought one.
Here some images:
http://theceliachusband.blogspot.com/2008/07/pizza.html
http://theceliachusband.blogspot.com/2008/09/pizza-shells-work-in-progress.html
November 10th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Hello “Celiac Husband”-
You had me laughing at your post – Thanks! I loved your thoughts and also your awesome photos on your blog… Do you think that a pizzaria may be in your future plans?! If so – can we all make reservations now?!
Be Free!
Kathleen
November 11th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Hahahahaha.
Sorry, the bakery is plenty of work for Victoria for now.
I gently nudged her a while ago for savory food, but for the time being, it is delicated pastries and breads. Who knows, in a bigger location she would rock! Pizza, Panini, Wiener Schnitzel….
At the beginning it was very hard for me (being Austrian) to cook GF, I mean how can you make Gulasch without some dusting off the meat? Over the years Victoria patiently taught me some substitutes that not only work, but may just be better for anyone.
Now I am fully supporting a GF household and feel better for it.
My personal favorite of all things substituted is a well filled Panini. Yes, I blogged about that too, here are a few images:
http://theceliachusband.blogspot.com/2008/07/mini-panini.html
November 11th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I agree, the Boynton has a great pizza. Worth the 30 mins to Worcester to have pizza again. I am goign to try to make dough though. Emeril has a recipe from the Green channel. He did a whole episode on Gluten-Free. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/emeril-green/episode-gluten-free.html
November 12th, 2008 at 10:45 am
hey, i found a pizza place called amicis that makes a gluten free pizza…i havnt tried it yet though…there is a new resturaunt in Vacaville, CA. im not sure where else they might be… hope this helps!!
November 13th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I just made the best GF pizza out there!! My kids are Celiacs (2 of the 3) and they love pizza. We went to Amicis and spent over $60 on 2 pizzas….OUTRAGEOUS! I looked in my pantry of GF goodies and found a bag of NAMASTE pizza crust….AMAZING!! It was easy…just add water and oil and bake. I couldn’t even tell is was GF!! You must try it!!! 🙂
November 14th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Amy’s Rice Crust is good.
November 14th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
I’ve had the pizza at the Boynton in Worcester and was very disappointed. It was expensive, extremely small, and the crust was hard. It tasted nothing like “real” pizza. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2001 and I think that pizza is one of the only foods that I’ve been unable to find a suitable substitute for.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I am with you on the pizza thing. For years I have just steered clear of the “alternatives” because I knew they would just not be the same. I have recently tried Bette Hagman’s pizza recipe in “The Gluten-Free Gourmet cooks comfort foods.” I changed the recipe by using agave nectar or maple syrup in place of the sugar because I can’t eat sugar as well as gluten and dairy. I also replaced the milk powder with almond flour. I made dairy-free pesto, cashew “cheese” sauce and garlicky spinach to go on top. I have also made the recipe into calzones.
I can honestly say it reminded me very much of the real thing! It was chewy and crusty and yeasty and very yummy for gluten-free. I couldn’t believe it. so yummy.
I can post the recipe soon in the recipe section.
sincerely,
sarah
November 18th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I have found a local pizza place in MN, BB’s, that serves teh best Gluten free pizza I have ever had. My son is 4 and has celiac and I have haulted the family Pizza night so he wouldn’t feel left out…I hav etried several other pizzas with him and they were just not pizza, but there is a great crust made by Grandma ferdons and it is wonderfull the same one that the pizza place uses.
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Beyond the perfect Gf crust, I now need a good alternative for the mozzerella. I can’t use soy cheese, so does any one have any suggestions for dairy free, soy free mozzeralla cheese? Mary Ann
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
If you are in New England, you can get Gluten Free pizza at Unos!!! I contacted them to see when they will be rolling it out to the rest of the country, and they said if the trial goes well in NE, then they are hoping to get it in all stores by the end of 2009. I’d love to hear what people think of them.