Cauliflower Pizza Crust

A few days after arriving back home in California, I told my mom “If you are going to make pizza, please let me know so I can plan on it for dinner!” She said “I didn’t think you would want to eat pizza since you have been living in Italy eating the “best” pizza!” I replied “I DO want to eat pizza, I want to eat YOUR homemade Pizza!” So with a little smile on her face she agreed to make me pizza.

Yes, pizza is delicious in Italy, it is simple, wood-fired with quality ingredients. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t love my moms homemade pizza! She has been making pizza as long as I can remember. She would get the yeast activating in the dough several hours before it was time to cook the pizza. Then when it was time to knead the dough after the first “rising”, she would smack the little soft lump of dough and say “this (smack) is for Katrina, …this (smack) is for Randee…and down through the line of her children. All of us got a little smack while she kneaded the dough. Oh, how times have changed. But I still love to watch her make pizza dough, smacking the soft dough just like a babies bottom.

I will have to post that recipe (my moms homemade pizza dough) in a future post. But this post is for all of you “keto” fans. You see, I couldn’t enjoy my moms pizza with my husband sitting there gnawing away at his salad. So, I got busy looking for a “keto” friendly recipe that he could enjoy with us.

This recipe is pretty labor intensive with the “ricing” of the cauliflower, roasting it, squeezing the liquid out and pre-baking it. I was shocked that a whole head of cauliflower only made one large pizza or two small pizzas. Since my husband was the only one eating the “Keto” pizza, I was able to freeze the other one for another time.

My husband loved it and was happy to be munching away on pizza while the rest of us were enjoying our fabulous pizza pies too. I had a little taste of his cauliflower pizza (because he was very protective of it!) and thought it was very good. I will definitely make this recipe again, and when I do I will double it so that I can freeze several crusts for another day.

My husband checked the price for Cauliflower pizza crusts and they were $20 and up! But the cost to make mine was only about $2. The rest was in the labor but it is a labor of love, and that is always worth it. Just like my mama….(Smack), this one is for Jeff.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

“Keto”, “Banting”, Gluten-free and Diabetic friendly Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower head
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
parchment paper or silicon baking mat

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
“rice” the cauliflower (make it look like rice using a food processor or chopping it finely.
Lay the ‘riced” cauliflower out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer or a silicon baking sheet.
Roast the cauliflower “rice” until soft and slightly browned approx 20 minutes
allow the cauliflower to cool slightly then heap it into a clean kitchen towel, cheesecloth or muslim cloth.
Squeeze any excess moisture out. I didn’t think there would be any because it looked pretty dry but my husband was able to squeeze out at least 1/4 cup of water.
Place the drained cauliflower in a bowl with all other ingredients. Mix well. I didn’t even bother with a spoon at this point. I just got my hands in there and squished it until it was all mixed together.
Use a new piece of Parchment paper on a baking sheet and form your crust. I made two small pizza crusts about 1/3 ” thick and formed a little lip around the edge to look like a pizza crust.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Store or use right away. I froze one of my pizza crusts for another time.
Top with sauce, cheese, pepperoni, whatever toppings you like and are allowed on a “keto” diet.
Bake again until toppings are bubbly and bottom crust is crisp.