Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Five Cheese Margherita Pizza

Two years ago, I started making pizza with Chebe Original Cheese Bread Mix, which is free of gluten, soy, corn, rice, potato, yeast, peanut, tree nuts, egg, iodine, and sugar.  It is also grain free and non-GMO.  The mix contains manioc (tapioca) flour, modified manioc starch (100% manioc), dry milk, and iodine-free sea salt.  Chebe does make a pizza crust mix, but my husband and I prefer the original cheese bread mix, because it doesn't contain any herbs that affect the flavor of the pizza.  Locally, Chebe mixes are available at Chamberlin's in Winter Park, but I usually buy them from amazon.com.  


If you like Brazilian cheese bread, you will love this crust, which is so easy to make.  We cook our pizza on a cast iron pizza pan, which makes for a nice firm crust that is never soggy.  


I use mozzarella balls, feta, and a shaved Italian cheese blend of Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago on top of my five cheese Margherita pizza, but it also has Organic Valley shredded mild cheddar in the crust, so technically, this pizza uses six cheeses.  


You can check out my Sausage & Spinach Pizza post for step by step directions with pictures of how I make my crust with Chebe.  


Five Cheese Margherita Pizza

Ingredients

Crust
1 box of Chebe Original Cheese Bread Mix
2 T olive oil
1 C shredded cheese (sharp or hard works best) - firmly packed
2 large eggs
1/4 C water

Toppings
1 1/2 T olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 C fresh basil - chopped
10 oz mini San Marzano or grape tomatoes
7 or 8 oz fresh mozzarella
Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago - shaved or grated
Feta crumbles
Kosher salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Optional - balsamic reduction

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil your pizza pan.

Cut the mozzarella into thin slices, unless you are using mozzarella pearls, and place them between two paper towels to remove moisture.  Cut the top end off the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds, and cut them into halves, thirds, or quarters, depending on how big they are.  Spread them out on a plate, and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper before setting them aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs before adding the shredded cheese and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Mix well with a fork, then slowly add the Chebe Original Cheese Break mix.  Stir well with a spoon or spatula before adding 1/4 cup of water.  Mix as well as you can with the spoon or spatula, then knead the dough until smooth with your hands.

Place the pizza dough on an oiled 14 inch cast iron pizza pan, and spread it out evenly with your hands.

Par bake the crust on a shelf in the bottom third of your oven for 12 minutes.  Flatten out any bubbles with the back of a fork before adding toppings.

Mix the olive oil and garlic in a small bowl, and brush it on your pizza.  Add the basil, then the tomatoes.  Spread the mozzarella on the pizza, then sprinkle on the Parmesan, Romano, Asiago and feta cheeses.  Finish the pizza with a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of coarse ground black pepper.

Bake for another 11 minutes on the bottom shelf before moving the pizza to the top third of your oven and turning it to broil.  Broil for a minute or two until the cheese is bubbly and perfectly browned.

Loosen your pizza from the pan with a large spatula before carefully sliding it onto a serving platter or traditional pizza pan to slice and serve.  Optional - drizzle with a balsamic reduction.

Recipe Notes

I use Organic Valley shredded mild cheddar in the crust, 365 feta cheese crumbles from Whole Foods, and shaved Italian cheese blend from The Fresh Market.  Just recently, I started buying Alessi white balsamic reduction from Publix.  It is amazing on Caprese salad, and we love it on this pizza.  For the pizza in the pictures, I used Bel Gioioso Fresh Mozzarella Pearls from Publix.  


If you have any leftovers, pizza made with Chebe is amazing right out of the fridge.  I enjoy it just as much on day two as I do hot out of the oven.

Linked to: Gluten Free Fridays



4 comments:

  1. Thank you for this! I am "new" to the GF game, and I just started following your blog so I know where to eat around town. I did just find Chebe at the Public in Lake Nona (near Toasted)! Going to make it very soon and report back. :)

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    1. Katie- please do! I hope you enjoy pizza with Chebe as much as we do! :-)

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