There is a malady called Celiac Disease and persons suffering from this disease have a very low tolerance to wheat proteins. This is not to be confused with persons having an allergic reaction to wheat proteins. In this latter case, even the most minute exposure to wheat proteins can result in a potentially life threatening allergic reaction. In the food industry there are very specific guidelines for dealing with ingredients, which are known as “allergens,” so for the sake of this answering this question we will deal only with persons having Celiac Disease or some other intolerance to wheat protein. There are a number of companies offering products including finished products like breads and cookies and also dry mixes for persons with Celiac Disease. These companies can be found with a simple web search on the internet using the key works Celiac Disease or gluten free.
Making a product that is acceptable to a person with an intolerance to wheat protein is a little problematic in that the ingredients normally used are not available through our regular suppliers. Some of the ingredients that will be needed are available at your local supermarket, while others might need to be purchased through a health or specialty store or ingredient supplier to the food industry. One recipe that was passed on to me some time ago is as follows:
1-packet of instant dry yeast (IDY)
2/3 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons soy flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin powder
Procedure: Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, and dry blend together for 30 seconds. Combine liquids and add to the dry blend. Using a flat beater, mix until the mass comes together and begins to form a dough-like consistency. Adjust the amount of water added to give a soft dough-like consistency. Turn dough out of mixing bowl onto a bench top dusted with rice flour. Portion out in the same amounts as you would your regular pizza dough. Be sure to keep your hands oiled with salad oil to keep the dough from sticking to them. Place the portioned dough into oiled pizza pans/trays and press out by hand to fit the dough into the pan. Par-bake the crust at 425 to 450 F until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and brush the top of the crust with olive oil and apply sauce, followed by the toppings of choice. Return the pizza to the oven to finish baking.
Here is another low-gluten dough formula that I developed here at the American Institute of Baking many years ago.
Raw, non-gelatinized, wheat starch: 1 pound
Xanthan gum: 1/3-ounce
Sucrose (table sugar) 2 1/3-ounces
Soy flour: 4-ounces
Salt: 1/3-ounce
Instant dry yeast: 1/2-ounce
Olive oil: 2-ounces
Water: (warm) 24-ounces
Procedure:
Add all of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and dry blend for several minutes. Then add the water and oil and mix with a flat beater (paddle) at low speed to thoroughly blend the ingredients into a thick paste. Leave the resulting batter in the bowl and cover to prevent drying. Allow the batter to ferment for 30 minutes, then mix again until smooth. Pour the batter into greased pans/trays until the batter just covers the bottom of the pan and par-bake at 450F for a thin crust. To make thick crusts pour about 1/4 inch of batter into the pan, and allow it to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, then par-bake the same as for the thin crust shells. The par-baked shells can be refrigerated for use at a later time, or they can be immediately dressed and finished.
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