Cauliflower Pizza Base

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA BASE

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sized cauliflower
1 tbsp ground almond
1 free-range egg
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C buffalo mozzarella shredded
1/4 tsp himalayan rock salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Toppings
1/4 C buffalo mozzarella
1/4 C parmesan
2 tbsp tomato paste
5 basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil

Special equipment
Cheesecloth or tea towel

LETS MAKE IT

Step one
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees fan forced. Place a pizza stone or baking tray in the oven. This will be the surface you will place your pizza on. 

Step two
Wash and dry the cauliflower. Cut off the stalk and stem so you are left with cauliflower florets. Place these in your food processor. You should have approximately six loosely packed cups. Pulse the florets in your food processor until a grain-like consistency is achieved. 

Step three
Boil the kettle and pour hot water into the container of your food processor making sure all the cauliflower rice is covered. Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes.

Step four
While allowing the cauliflower to blanch and the water to cool, line a chopping board with baking paper. This is what you will make your pizza on. 

Step five
Over a sink line a sieve with a cheese cloth or tea towel. Pour your cauliflower into the cheesecloth/tea towel allowing the water to drain through the sieve into the sink. Bringing the edges of the cheesecloth/tea towel together twist and squeeze as tightly as possible to get out as much moisture as possible. When you open the cheesecloth/tea towel you will find your cauliflower tightly packed into a ball. 

Step six
In a large mixing bowl, add your cauliflower, ground almond, mozzarella, parmesan, salt, basil, oregano and garlic powder and mix in your egg. Using your hands combine this together until it is well incorporated. 

Step seven
Transfer the contents of your bowl onto your baking paper and shape into a tightly packed pizza shape around 1 cm in thickness. 

Step eight
Place your cauliflower base in the oven and allow it to pre-cook for 10-15 minutes or until golden. I recommend you do this by pulling out your oven shelf with the baking tray and then taking the corner edges of the baking paper and placing your pizza on the hot baking tray. Please take caution during this step. 

Step nine
Once the cauliflower base is golden, remove it from the oven, once again taking the edges of the baking paper and transfer it to your chopping board. 

Step ten
You can now begin assembling your toppings I feel that minimal ingredients are the most effective on any pizza. For this pizza I used tomato paste on the base, spreading this across the pizza to each edge. I then topped it with mozzarella and parmesan. 

Step eleven
Place your pizza back in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Your pizza should be golden brown but not burnt. Remove from oven and top will torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm. 

YOUR RECREATIONS

I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes!

See below for photos of others trying out my recipe. Don’t forget to tag me in your posts @arianaomipi or send them through to me so I can see them!