Red pesto pizza

Well hello there! It’s me, back after another very long impromptu pause in posting on Beloved Kitchen. I hope you are doing well and that you can forgive my absence — I’m sure that I am not the only one to have found the last days, weeks and months quite difficult to navigate. From adjusting to new ways of working to dealing with the mental overload of everything going on in the world right now, I’ve found it challenging to carve out time for this space, despite perhaps having more time on my hands at home. Are any of you feeling the same way?

All this to say that I have several recipes photographed which are waiting to be written up. This gluten free red pesto pizza is one of them. We went through a major homemade pizza phase at the beginning of the crisis this spring, to the point where we were making pizza on a weekly basis. Inspired by Sarah Copeland’s gorgeous cookbook Feast — generous vegetarian meals for every eater and every appetite, I started making my own gluten free pizza dough from scratch using a blend of gluten free flour and buckwheat flour. The results were far better than boxed gluten free pizza mixes I’ve tried before, and I’ve been hooked ever since. In our many evenings of gluten free pizza experimentation, we discovered that red pesto makes a great pizza base and has become a favourite around here, topped with parmesan shavings, mozzarella, black olives and greens.

These photos were taken in the springtime, so I hope you will excuse the blatant lack of seasonal awareness here. The truth is that I hesitated to post this recipe now at the end of October, because I really do believe in the importance of eating with the seasons in order to minimise our impact on the environment and the climate. That being said, I also need to acknowledge the importance of just doing the best we can right now and accepting that it is enough. So in that spirit, I’ve re-named this recipe “red pesto pizza” and included some seasonal ideas for alternate green toppings, acknowledging that this is my very best for the present time.

I hope this pizza recipe brings you some inspiration for the weeks to come. If you try the recipe, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. And of course, I’m always on the lookout for new pizza topping ideas, so please do share if you discover anything particularly tasty!

Much love,

xo KA

Red pesto pizza {gluten free}

We make pizza quite regularly at home, and this red pesto pizza has become one of our favourites. Our go-to toppings are mozzarella, parmesan, black olives and greens, but basically anything goes. The gluten free pizza dough recipe is adapted from Sarah Copeland’s recipe in Feast — generous vegetarian meals for every eater and every appetite.

Ingredients for one pizza:

• 1 portion pizza dough, store bought or homemade (see below)*

• A few tbsp gluten free flour (for rolling out the pizza dough)

• A few heaped tablespoons | 100g red pesto (I love Barilla’s pesto rosso with balsamic)

• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered or one small tomato, chopped

• 15 Spanish black olives, sliced into quarters

• 1 ball fresh mozzarella (150g), cut into quarters and thinly sliced

• Greens: a few asparagus spears, woody stems removed and sliced into thin ribbons; or a few stalks tenderstem broccoli or broccoli rabe; or a bit of steamed/wilted spinach or kale

• Parmesan shavings

Method:

Preheat the oven to 475 °F | 240 °C.

Roll the pizza dough out on a well-floured surface until you have a roughly circular shape. Transfer the crust onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon the red pesto on top of the dough and spread until evenly distributed. Next, add the tomatoes and olives, and arrange the mozzarella over top. Finish with the greens and some parmesan shavings.

Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, until the pizza is evenly baked through and the cheese has melted. Cut the pizza into wedges and serve warm.

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*Gluten free pizza dough recipe (makes enough dough for four small pizza bases):

Ingredients:

• 1 pinch sugar

• 1 1/4 cup | 300mL warm water

• 2 1/4 tsp | 7g yeast

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 | 315 g cups gluten free bread flour

• 1 | 140 g cup buckwheat flour

• 1 tsp fine salt

Method:

Add the sugar and water to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and set aside for 5-10 minutes, until foamy, then stir in 2 tbsp olive oil. In a large bowl, add the gluten free flour, buckwheat flour and salt and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the water mixture and mix with a fork until a loose dough forms. Transfer to a floured surface, and knead with your hands for a few minutes until the dough forms a ball, adding a bit more flour if needed. Cut the dough into four portions, and place each ball in a lightly oiled plastic bag. Allow the dough to rest for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator before using. The dough can be stored in the fridge for 3 days (or longer in the freezer). Bring the dough to room temperature before using.