This recipe for deep dish gluten free pizza is made in the slow cooker. You'll be amazed by how crusty it is!
Ever since I learned how to bake bread in the slow cooker, I've been wondering if I could make deep dish pizza in that amazing, simple ever-popular kitchen appliance. Well I'm happy to report that not only does it work amazingly well, it's so simple that you'll want to do it again and again.
I've used multiple types of gluten free pizza dough (a couple from my Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread cookbook, even the yeast free pizza crust from the blog), and they've all worked amazingly well. The type of crust in the deep dish gluten free pizza in these photos is the deep dish pizza dough from Bakes Bread, and I think it's my favorite. Maybe since it's born to be deep dish, you know? I like the extra chewiness that comes from the cornmeal in the crust, and that dough is just a joy to handle, too.
Unlike traditional deep dish pizza crust, which is deep but not, well, particularly thick, this deep dish pizza is like a cross between traditional deep dish and Sicilian pizza. Or Ellio's Pizza (remember that? it was my favorite). Follow the ingredient proportions carefully, though, as I experimented quite a lot to get the right crust-sauce-cheese ratio. You want it to be saucy, but you don't want the slices to leak sauce. You want it to be doughy with a nice, thick pizza crust, but it has to cook all the way through without overbrowning outside. Trust me. I'm a professional. :)
Gluten Free Pizza in the Slow Cooker
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds (20 ounces) gluten free pizza crust, chilled*
3/4 cup tomato sauce
12 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
*I have used the thick crust pizza dough and deep dish pizza dough from pages 189 and 193 GFOAS Bakes Bread, and the yeast free gluten free pizza dough from the blog—all with success. The deep dish pizza dough from the blog would also work well.
Instructions
Spray a 6-quart oval slow cooker generously with cooking oil spray. Line the slow cooker with a sheet of parchment paper to help lift out the pizza once it’s cooked. (If you only have a 4-quart slow cooker, reduce all of the ingredients by 1/3.)
Place the chilled pizza dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it gently until smoother as directed in These General Shaping Tips. Using well-floured hands and a rolling pin, as necessary, pat and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into an oval about the size of the bottom of the liner of your slow cooker, rotating the dough and flouring it frequently to prevent sticking (as shown in the gluten free pizza shaping video). Fold the dough in half to lift it more easily into the slow cooker liner, then press the dough into the bottom and about 1-inch up the sides.
Scatter a thin layer of grated cheese over the bottom of the pizza dough and press the cheese down gently to help it adhere. Spread the sauce on top in an even layer, then scatter the remaining cheese evenly on top. Press down gently on the cheese to help it absorb some of the moisture from the sauce as the pizza cooks.
Turn the slow cooker to “low” and cover it. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the edges of the pizza are golden brown and the cheese is melted. If your slow cooker runs hotter on one side (mine does!), after 1 hour, quickly rotate the liner 180° in the slow cooker without opening the lid. Remove the pizza from the slow cooker by holding onto the edges of the parchment paper. If you’d like to brown the cheese a bit, place the pizza under your oven’s broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Allow the pizza to set for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Concept from Pillsbury.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
