Pizza Dough

Half cheese-half pesto chicken ricotta

So, here is my perfect example of a recipe gone wrong and everyone turning a blind eye to the obvious flaws or else, a great majority of low carbers just have an affinity for a gray pallet.

While researching psyllium husks I came across a supposedly wonderful pizza dough recipe. People were oohing and aahing and touting how wonderful this recipe was and how it was going to change their lives. It consisted of psyllium husks, olive oil and an egg.

After checking ratios for pizza dough and adding a yeast proof to the ingredients given in the message board recipe, I created a pesto chicken three cheese pizza on floppy cardboard disaster! The crust was bland and difficult to impossible to choke down unless each bite was followed by a drink. Blah! Has no one discovered carbalose or other low carb flours? I'd rather not eat "pizza" if this was my option.

Luckily, with a little tweaking and experimentation, here is a recipe I feel is worth sharing, trying and ENJOYING! Although this pizza does not have the typical white yeast dough flavor or appearance of commercial pizza dough it is similar to a whole wheat crust. Depending on how thin you roll out your dough will help determine your crusts final texture. I really like to roll mine out extra thin, probably around an 1/8" for a crisp thin crust.

I will apologize now for how the recipe is written. As you get to know me you will see that I prefer to weigh and NOT measure. The only real use my measuring cups receive is for holding the contents I am weighing. Some recipes I have actually gone to the trouble of estimating measurements because someone I knew wanted it but  this is not one of those.


Pizza Dough
135g Carbalose
 55g Soy powder
 55g Coconut flour (my own)
 25g Vital wheat gluten
 1tsp salt
 1/2 cup (113g) water @ 115 degrees (105 to 115 degree is good, no more, no less)
 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
 1 tsp molasses
 2 1/2 TB olive oil (I have also used butter and bacon drippings)
 1 large egg
 1/2 cup water


Mix together slightly the 115 degree water, molasses and yeast in mixing bowl. Nothing has to dissolve or be fully incorporated. Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, until completely foamy.

While waiting for the yeast proof mix together the five dry ingredients in a bowl or food processor. Add oil and blend into flour mixture.

After yeast mixture is finished proofing, add egg and flour mixture. In your mixing bowl with the dough hook mix ingredients on med-low, scraping down the sides as needed. Give the mixture time to form a dough. If dough seems too dry, add water by 2TB at a time. In high humidity or rainy weather you may not need to add much. If you live in drier conditions then you may find you need to add the full amount and possibly more. Make sure you don't over saturate the dough. If it becomes to stick then you will have to add more flour or meal of some sort to make it workable.

When the dough pulls away from the sides and begins to form a ball that still leaves a little stickiness stuck to the bowl beneath it you can stop mixing. If the ball forms and pulls away from the bowl leaving it completely clean it is probably too dry. The dough will be slightly sticky but not too difficult to handle. Regular pizza dough would be more sticky because you would want to work flour into the dough during the kneading and sheeting stage. Cover bowl to let dough rest for about 30 minutes. You can use the dough immediately or, if refrigerating, coat the dough ball with olive oil and store in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. When using after refrigerating, let the dough come to room temp before working.

Knead, roll out and shape. I like to roll mine out and then brush butter over the entire surface and then flip the dough before I create the well. It helps my crust have a better crunch when cooked directly on rack. Dock your pizza crust before baking. If you don't have a pizza docker then pierce it with a fork really well. This helps to eliminate air bubble where gases get trapped and expand the dough. If you don't do this then your crust will have a more bread like texture. Pre-bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (on silpat or pizza pan or pizza stone) before putting on toppings to help prevent the dough from possibly getting soggy.

Add your toppings, meats already cooked, to your pizza dough and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. I place mine directly on the rack once loaded so the bottom will crunch up nicely. I haven't invested in a pizza stone yet but I just might do that before long.

I have even made this pizza with a stuffed crust. Line just inside the edge with cheese and then wipe a ring of water just inside the cheese ring. Fold the dough over the cheese and press into the wet ring. Brush the the crust with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder if you'd like.

My four YO, Niko's pizza and my stuffed crust pizza. We have fun cooking together!

This pizza dough contains a net carb count of 45.3g. Depending on how many slices you cut your pizza into  or how many pizzas you make will depend on the amount of carbs you get from your slices. For a large, 8 serving pizza, the slices come to a mere 5.6g net per serving.


While this dough still may not be perfect, it however, IMHO a great low carb recipe so, it just might be time to invest in a kitchen scale of some sort. I bought an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale just over two years ago from Amazon that works great for me. It measures in grams, kg, oz, and lbs, has a tare function, and will weigh up to 11 lbs. EatSmart makes some higher end scales but I haven't found a great excuse to make that investment, yet!

As always, I would love suggestion or comments. I am not a low carb automoton and love to enjoy my food. Better is always better! 


Bon Appetit!