You won't believe it's cauliflower pizza crust!

[cleochatra]

I squish the cauliflower in my fists. It's Ninjaflower!

[nekkidfish]

Originally Posted by cleochatra

I squish the cauliflower in my fists. It's Ninjaflower!

[nekkidfish]

Okay ... first ... you do not taste the cauliflower!

But ... now I need help figuring out what I might have done wrong.

My pizza pans are pretty large, so I doubled the recipe. I do not have a sieve or a food processor (I'm getting one for my B-day) ... so I pressed the cauliflower in a dish towel and then just hand-shredded it ... added the cheese and eggs ... and then topped with some garlic powder and Italian seasonings.

At 14 minutes, I could tell the middle was still 'soft' ... and yes, I evenly spread it across the whole pizza pan. So, I cooked it a few more minutes. Then I tried lifting it with a spatula. The edges were done and lifted easily, but the center was still bread-like. So I cooked it a few more minutes. After maybe another five minutes, I was able to lift the whole thing with a spatula, but it was very thin, and soft .... tortilla like.

But, I went ahead and topped it and put it under the broiler ... and we will eat it with a fork and love it.

The outside edge is burnt, which I don't like. :no: I normally make our crust using cream cheese and Trader Joe's Italian mix, but I'd really like to use the cauliflower.

So ... any ideas on what I did wrong? Maybe I made it too thin? Maybe I should have squished the cauliflower more? Ideas?

HUGz! Jules

[sorenkkg]

Nekkidfish

I don't think you needed to double it... I make the original recipe (I think it's 1c shredded cauli, 1c mozz, 1 egg, some seasoning... ) and that spreads just right to make about a dinner-plate sized pizza crust.

I think if you double it, it's too much area and like you said--the outside cooks before the interior does.

yes-- it's more of a thick tortilla than a bready-type pizza crust... but I have to say, when I make it, it firms up and is "pick-up-able" even when warm.

I'd also suggest shredding the cauli first, then cookiing it, and wringing it in a towel once it cools a bit to get all the moisture out-- you really need as much out as possible or it won't firm up properly.

So summary: drier and smaller for you and I think it will be even better!

Soren

[nekkidfish]

Originally Posted by sorenkkg

Nekkidfish

I don't think you needed to double it... I make the original recipe (I think it's 1c shredded cauli, 1c mozz, 1 egg, some seasoning... ) and that spreads just right to make about a dinner-plate sized pizza crust.

I think if you double it, it's too much area and like you said--the outside cooks before the interior does.

yes-- it's more of a thick tortilla than a bready-type pizza crust... but I have to say, when I make it, it firms up and is "pick-up-able" even when warm.

I'd also suggest shredding the cauli first, then cookiing it, and wringing it in a towel once it cools a bit to get all the moisture out-- you really need as much out as possible or it won't firm up properly.

So summary: drier and smaller for you and I think it will be even better!

Soren

Aaaaahhhh! Okay, so smaller pizzas!!! Got it!!

I will do what you say next time!!!

HUGz! Jules

[nekkidfish]

Okay, just to be clear ... do I throw the frozen cauliflower in the food processor, or do I lay it out to thaw first?

And then, I add a little water and microwave for 8 minutes?

Thanks bunches! Jules

[cleochatra]

I actually cook the frozen cauliflower in the microwave.
Then I drain out the water and let the cauliflower sit, either in a colander or in the pot to further dry out.
Then I process it.
Then I Ninjasqueeze out any of the remaining water between my fists and plop it into a bowl by fistfuls.

It's low tech but sessy.

[sorenkkg]

I agree with Cleo (um, its her recipe )

I use my microwave-- when I do the fresh, I shred it, raw, then add a wee bit of hot water, cover, and microwave it for a good 10 min or so, maybe longer.

I think with the frozen, I thawed it, shredded it, and then nuked it and drained it... but I don't remember.

I don't think there's a wrong way-- as long as, at the end, you have cooked shredded soft cauli, and you get a lot of the water out

[nekkidfish]

Originally Posted by sorenkkg

I agree with Cleo (um, its her recipe )

I use my microwave-- when I do the fresh, I shred it, raw, then add a wee bit of hot water, cover, and microwave it for a good 10 min or so, maybe longer.

I think with the frozen, I thawed it, shredded it, and then nuked it and drained it... but I don't remember.

I don't think there's a wrong way-- as long as, at the end, you have cooked shredded soft cauli, and you get a lot of the water out

I was thinking ... if I did it with fresh ... couldn't you shred a bunch and then store it in baggies in the freezer?

HUGz! Jules

[sorenkkg]

Originally Posted by nekkidfish

I was thinking ... if I did it with fresh ... couldn't you shred a bunch and then store it in baggies in the freezer?

HUGz! Jules

Hey Jules

I'm not an expert, but I think all frozen veggies need to be partially cooked (usually parboiled) before freezing, otherwise they get weird.

I do this with cauli though-- I shred a whole fresh head, and then steam it in the microwave, and freeze what I don't use

[nekkidfish]

Originally Posted by sorenkkg

Hey Jules

I'm not an expert, but I think all frozen veggies need to be partially cooked (usually parboiled) before freezing, otherwise they get weird.

I do this with cauli though-- I shred a whole fresh head, and then steam it in the microwave, and freeze what I don't use

Aaahhhh! Gotcha!! Thanks, I didn't know that!

HUGz! Jules

[OliviaKat]

Ok, now this sounds good! but the pics did not show up on the first page! is there a page where the photos show up!

[cleochatra]

Here are some pictures. I shut down photobucket because it was being a jerk.

Here is the bread stick and pizza image.



And this is the zucchini/taco pizza:

[OliviaKat]

Ok, now that looks good!!! looks like I may be putting cauliflower on my grocery list! lol

[cleochatra]

I've often bought out the freezer section of the local grocery store gathering as much cauliflower as I can! I want to try using fresh and seeing if there's any appreciable difference, but for me, it's pretty convenient to use frozen.

[OliviaKat]

ok i could have sworn I posted this yesterday - when I made it the crust turned out very wet - even still today - any advice?

[cleochatra]

That sounds like not enough of the liquid was drained out of the cauliflower prior to adding the egg and cheese, or perhaps the crust wasn't uniform in thickness? I've had both happen before.

[OliviaKat]

the crust was very thin - maybe you are right about the water - I am having to throw it away its just way too soggy good but soggy soggy foods make me

but I will try again!!!!

[nekkidfish]

I just bought a head of fresh cauliflower, and got my new processor ... so I'm going to grade it all up and put it in little 1-cup baggies in the fridge.

But, after I nuke it in the microwave, I'm going to drain it, and then spread it on a bake pan and sit it outside to dry. Worth a try?

HUGz! Jules

[cleochatra]

Olivia-- I'm super picky about textures, too. I can't do soggy. You could try making three smaller crusts and flipping those part way through the cooking process. I do that sometimes.

nekkid- That could definitely work. I let my cooked cauliflower sit in a colander for an hour or so and it seems to dry out pretty well. It allows for air flow. I also live in Colorado, which is a pretty dry climate, so that makes it much easier for me to achieve cauliflower moisture removal to a large degree.

[TuscanGirl]

I've flipped the crust about 1/2 way through baking too.It works well!

[cleochatra]

*like*

[bostonbq]

I joined this forum because of this recipe, it sounds and looks awesome. I'm really looking forward to trying it. My 2 cents on the mushy pizza stone results is that the stones were probably not pre-heated. A room temp stone would actually shield the bottom of the pizza from the oven's heat until it reached the oven's temp, which can take 20 to 30 minutes, leaving the bottom undercooked. To make a crisp thin flour based crust a stone should be pre-heated to 450+ degrees. You would roll out the crust, transfer it to a pizza peel sprinkled with corn meal, add sauce and toppings, and slide it onto the hot stone. It doesn't sound like you could do this with the cauliflower crust (maybe on parchment, if it could stand the heat.) You certainly wouldn't want to take your preheated pizza stone out and try to spread cauliflower on it.

[cleochatra]

Hi, boston! It is so nice to meet you! Welcome to LCF. Great tips! I also have a zucchini crust and a spinach crust and am working on a few others on my blog, too. I'm always trying to perfect this thing.

[Kattbelly]

Hey Cleo, I've made many versions of your recipe in the past and they were delicious, and dinner tonight is the Taco Pizza version. While visiting my parents in the South a while back, I made this pizza for them and my brother's family and didn't say a word about it being low carb or anything else, I just told them it was a new recipe I'd found that my husband and I liked. These are Southern meat and potatos types, and they LOVED the pizza, it was scarfed up. It was only after everyone was finished with dinner and asking me about the recipe that I told them it was a zuccini crust. I don't think they thought it was a "real" pizza crust, but they sure didn't think it was something "diet" either, lol.

Thx for the great recipes!

[Mad4Chillas]

I just made this tonight for dinner---I was skeptical. BUT I LOVEEE it! Thank you so much for this recipe. Truly delicious and great for the cravings

[Aediekins]

I made this again tonight (I made it a couple of years ago and liked it.)

I too, had issues with the moisture. I baked it until it was on the verge of burning, and it looked good, the edges were crispy. After I added toppings and sliced it up, that's when I found out that the middle was still kinda soggy.

I don't know how much drier I can get it. After I riced the cauli, I put it on a plate, covered it with 2 paper towels and pushed on it until the paper towel was soaking. I did that 10 times until the moisture was barely dampening the paper towels. I don't know how much drier I can get it. The only other thing I can think to do would be to put it on a cookie sheet and bake it at 200 degrees for a while to dehydrate it some.

Maybe cooking the crust at 300 for 20-30 minutes to dry it out a bit, and then turn up the heat to 450 for 5-10 minutes to crisp it up?

[Aediekins]

[nekkidfish]

Originally Posted by Aediekins

I made this again tonight (I made it a couple of years ago and liked it.)

I too, had issues with the moisture. I baked it until it was on the verge of burning, and it looked good, the edges were crispy. After I added toppings and sliced it up, that's when I found out that the middle was still kinda soggy.

I don't know how much drier I can get it. After I riced the cauli, I put it on a plate, covered it with 2 paper towels and pushed on it until the paper towel was soaking. I did that 10 times until the moisture was barely dampening the paper towels. I don't know how much drier I can get it. The only other thing I can think to do would be to put it on a cookie sheet and bake it at 200 degrees for a while to dehydrate it some.

Maybe cooking the crust at 300 for 20-30 minutes to dry it out a bit, and then turn up the heat to 450 for 5-10 minutes to crisp it up?

Honestly, I was thinking of trying it one more time, and do what you say ... turn the heat down and bake it a lot longer.

I keep trying to embrace cauliflower ... :blush:

HUGz! Jules

[Aediekins]

Originally Posted by nekkidfish

Honestly, I was thinking of trying it one more time, and do what you say ... turn the heat down and bake it a lot longer.

I keep trying to embrace cauliflower ... :blush:

HUGz! Jules

Honestly it is by far the best most neutral crust I have found. It's certainly not bready crust, but it does the job of getting the toppings (the best part anyway) to my mouth without a knife and fork. I have tried all kinds of flax, coconut flour and protein powder crusts and I don't like any of them. This one has a nice, neutral flavor and texture, I just wish it wasn't so wet.