Pizza Night

The weekend is almost here so if your aching for a good pizza night here are my reviews to make sure your GF pizza experience is something to be desired.

Now for tonight I am reviewing pre-baked crusts only because, to be honest, I have yet to taste a good pre-topped pizza crust.

If you really need a suggestion for a pre-topped pizza pie Amy's Rice Crust Pizza is decent.

Pre-Baked Pizza Crusts:

Udi's
Pros- Where to start. I really enjoyed this crust. It wasn't to thin, just right, somewhere between about 1/8" & 3/16". Great flavor and texture even when it is reheated the next day. The floured exterior keeps it from getting soggy and the crust comes out crispy and chewy. Two important elements in a good pizza. Makes great cheesy bread sticks.

Cons- I wish it was all topped and ready to go in the oven so I could eat it more often.

Kinnikinnick
Pros- Its dusted with corn meal on the underside so it absorbed excess moisture making for a crispier bottom. Its got a nice taste and texture. Price is bearable.

Cons- Recently they have gone from a round to a square shape because they have automated their manufacturing line. Now it make help drive down cost over time, but it causes a few problems for consumers.
- Silly as it may be, kids don't like to feel left out and its just not the same to eat a square pizza or a strange asymmetrical triangle. Sometimes its just nice to feel normal.
- On a more serious note, because of the square shape it make it difficult for the pizza to cook evenly. It makes it difficult to thoroughly cook the center. So if you want your pizza bottom more crispy you will have to make a sacrifice and have burnt crust corners.
- Also the way the package the crust, once they are frozen sometimes them weld themselves together so when you pull it apart you lose that critical outer skin which keeps the sauce from turning the inside into pasty mush. As Alton Brown would say, "That's not good eats."

GlutiNo
Pros- Its gluten free....

Cons- The texture is spongy and unless you have some cornmeal on hand the bottom comes out soggy. I have had a package of this in my freezer for two years. I ate one, and haven't used the others since. Its not completely horrible, but when there are better options out there why bother.

Charlotte's Bakery
Pros- Since its baked local to the Wasatch Front and isn't frozen it is less likely to be crumbly. Pretty good flavor and easy to chew (which is saying something for some of the clay pigeon like crusts I've had before).

Cons- Its a bit too sweet and it seems no amount of time under intense heat is able to make it crispy. It goes from soft to burnt. It doesn't have the chewiness to it that is desired of most pizza, it is more just soft....(which is commendable at least.)

Summary:

The winner is Udi's with Kinnikinnick as the runner up.

Story:
Once upon a time the options for gluten free pizza were almost no existent so when a recipe came along calling for bean flour I took the chance to make a gluten free pizza to share with family and friends. But we should have ended the party early because pizza + beans = don't equal a good time. Beware of the bean flour.....The End.

Cooking Suggestions:

Last but not least here are some cooking suggestions and tips.

For a crispier crust:
Place cookie sheet by itself in oven to preheat. Next take a piece of tin foil lightly coat with cooking spray and place pizza on top. Once oven has pre-heated quickly pull out cooking sheet and place tinfoil and pizza on top and place it back in the oven. This will help to "sear" the bottom of the pizza like you would for searing steak.

Cheesy Bread:
Growing up there was this place called the Pizza House and their cheesy bread sticks were to die for. They came with a side of special dipping pizza sauce. Then the owner was deported back to England and it was no more than a memory. So now instead of pizza every time I have more of a "deconstructed type" of cheesy bread sticks with sauce on the side.

First coat your pizza crust with a thin layer of butter. Sprinkle on garlic powder, onion powder, salt (a little more on the salty side but remember the cheese will also add some salt), a titch of pepper, and some Italian Seasoning. Next on goes the parmesan cheese then a combination of white pizza cheeses. Preferably a blend containing mozzarella and asiago.

Place in the oven and baked till golden and bubbly. Heat sauce separately. Then dip and enjoy.