Easy Wild Rice Pizza Crust or Flatbread

I’m convinced that pizza is one of the best foods around — depending on what your pizza looks like of course — but you can hit all of the food groups in one slice, how perfect is that? I’m not advocating the cheese-stuffed, ultra-thick crust with extra garlic butter sauce and the triple meat combo + hold the veggies…however, pizza is so versatile and you can easily make it your own that I can’t help but love this delish dish!

My all-time favorite combo is spinach, mushrooms, and onions with grilled chicken and extra tomato sauce – YUM! Trying to find a wholesome gluten-free crust that I can feel good about eating often can be tricky though. I’ll occasionally treat myself to a gluten free pizza at restaurants occasionally but they typically contain a ton of refined white flours (tapicoa, white rice flour, potato starch, etc) and are quite pricey — I ordered one from our local pizzeria the other night with 3 toppings for $32!!!

Therefore, a fall-back, homemade version is a must! I love experimenting with the crust, since the crust plays such a huge part in the whole pizza experience. I’ve made Charity Dasenbrock’s simple quinoa crust several times (and adore it),  variations on socca (chickpea) crusts and other brown rice flour crusts, but I wanted to use up leftover cooked wild rice and thought I’d give it a whirl. I added some flax seed meal but you could probably substitute your favorite flour if you prefer. This crust was crispy and crunchy on the outside with a soft inside, it worked out great!

You could even use this as a flatbread for your favorite dip (hummus or guac, anyone?) or cut it in half and make a hearty sandwich (or maybe even a panini). I’ve made this recipe on multiple occassions with both wild rice and long grain brown rice, and you can make different variations by switching up the spices depending on how you plan to devour eat it.

**Updated 7/1/2011 – For step by step photo instructions on how to make this crust, please click here.

Wild Rice Pizza Crust

Ingredients

1/2 tsp coconut oil, butter, ghee or oil or choice
1 cup cooked long grain wild rice (or brown rice)
2 tsp flax seed meal (you could probably replace with flour of your choice)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white (omit or sub a flax egg for vegan version)
1/4 tsp honey or a dash of stevia, optional
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Place small iron cast non-stick skillet (or oven proof frying pan) in oven with coconut oil/butter until melted. Dont let it smoke and burn!
2. Meanwhile, add remaining ingredients to a blender or a food processor. Blend for 20-30 seconds. The rice mixture should have a thick batter consistency. If too thick, add a 1/2 tbsp of water at at time until consistency is reached.
3. Remove hot pan carefully from the oven (be careful not the burn yourself on hot handle!) and add rice batter to the pan and spread evenly. Bake in oven for 13-15 minutes, or until browned on the bottom and slightly crisp. Remove from oven again (using oven mitts with hot pan!) and flip over, then cook for another 13-15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and add your favorite pizza toppings. Bake for another 5 minutes or so until cheese is melted (if using cheese) or toppings are heated and crust is crispy.
5. Using a spatula, slide crust out of pan, slice and enjoy!

Makes one pizza crust

*I topped this pie with easy homemade tomato sauce (tomato paste with a dash of stevia and a couple tablespoons water and italian seasoning), caramelized onions, wilted spinach, sauteed tomatoes and some mozzarella! Easy as pie : ) Ok, that was a little corny…

Recipe Notes: For a vegan version, omit the egg. I’ve accidentally left out the egg and it stilled turn out (image far bottom)

You can also make an easy flatbread and enjoy plain with a dip or spread (below) or slather with basil pesto and mozzarella cheese (far below).

Simple and plain...or ready for dipping!

This is the eggless version, a happy accident!