Gluten Free dough made with Chick pea (Garbanzo) flour

[Saturday Coffee]

Does anyone have a good pizza dough recipe made with chick pea flour? 

I understand Bob's Red Mill makes a Garbanzo bean flour, and in international markets it could be called Channa, Gram Flour, Besan or Chick Pea flour.

We have some friends with Celiac disease and cannot have gluten. The food they miss most is pizza. 
 

[canadave]

Hi,

The simplest solution (for now, anyway) for your friends would be to buy Bob's Red Mill gluten-free Pizza Crust Mix:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/gf_pizza-crust-mix.html

I don't believe it contains chickpea/Garbanzo bean flour though. Is there a particular reason that your friends need chickpea/Garbanzo specifically?  The Bob's RM mix is pretty darned good (I'm a very discerning pizza connoisseur, from my days as a non-celiac in NYC, and I find this mix to be about as good as it gets).

However, if they do need that specifically, there are many good homemade recipes out there.  I'd recommend searching for "chickpea flour pizza gluten free", and there are many results--one of those might do the trick.  If that's the route they or you want to go, I'd highly recommend not making the dough SOLELY out of chickpea flour.  GF pizzas usually use a mix of flours, such as chickpea, tapioca, corn starch, potato starch, brown rice flour, and/or white rice flour.

Good luck!

[buceriasdon]

I can't add much more to canadave's excellent post except to say I have made my own chickpea flour for one reason, I can't buy ready made no gluten flours in Mexico, but I can buy raw chickpeas and grind and sift to make my own flour. I once even dehydrated zucchini and made flour from that which I mixed with my garbanzo flour, masa and white rice flour. Just buy the flour as suggested by canadave . I did a google search and like most of the sites made a batter which was parbaked then topped and finished baking. A educational read is here at:   http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10105.0.html
and others on the gluten free part of this site.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,12246.0.html
where I have some zucchini pizzas for the monthly challenge. They are so good! Also do a google search on the Japanese pizza called okonomi-yaki but subsitute gluten free for the flour for a savory different type of pancake pizza. I did some after the Asian challenge as I ran out of time for the month and they didn't get included.
Don

[tinroofrusted]

As I recall, "socca" the flatbread made in southern France, is made from chickpea flour.  I had socca when I was in France and it was delicious. 

Regards,

Tin Roof

[Saturday Coffee]

As I recall, "socca" the flatbread made in southern France, is made from chickpea flour.  I had socca when I was in France and it was delicious. 

Regards,

Tin Roof

I too have enjoyed the French flatbread made from the chickpea flour (I just didn't know that it was called socca); I also had a Sicilian fried bread made with chickpea flour.  Both were of exceptional quality so I figured their was a pizzaiolo who probably perfected a recipe made with chickpea flour.

I am going to look for the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (my primary grocer only carries Jiffy, Martha White and Weisenberger Pizza Crust mix). 

I may even experiment in making my own gluten free flour blend, since I have access to so many interesting products in the nearby Asian and Middle-Eastern markets and health-food stores.

Don:  I looked up Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza). I find this very interesting and may attempt to get the dough in a packaged mix and try to make an Okonomiyaki.  One website I looked at added red caviar to their dough.  Not in a million years, would I have thought of adding caviar to a dough.  I have a Japanese gourmet-grocer nearby. 

This group is very inspiring...I appreciate and value all the information (love reading all the past posts).
 

[buceriasdon]

SC, That's great you have such sources close to you, wish I did. Most certainly keep us in the loop with your efforts.
Regards, Don

I too have enjoyed the French flatbread made from the chickpea flour (I just didn't know that it was called socca); I also had a Sicilian fried bread made with chickpea flour.  Both were of exceptional quality so I figured their was a pizzaiolo who probably perfected a recipe made with chickpea flour.

I am going to look for the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (my primary grocer only carries Jiffy, Martha White and Weisenberger Pizza Crust mix). 

I may even experiment in making my own gluten free flour blend, since I have access to so many interesting products in the nearby Asian and Middle-Eastern markets and health-food stores.

Don:  I looked up Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza). I find this very interesting and may attempt to get the dough in a packaged mix and try to make an Okonomiyaki.  One website I looked at added red caviar to their dough.  Not in a million years, would I have thought of adding caviar to a dough.  I have a Japanese gourmet-grocer nearby. 

This group is very inspiring...I appreciate and value all the information (love reading all the past posts).
 

[Saturday Coffee]

EXPERIMENT WAS A BOMB. DON'T TRY IT.

3 T Chia
1/2 C Cool Tap water

5 T Olive oil
2 T Honey
1 T Cider Vinegar

2 1/2 C Chickpea flour
1 C Brown rice Flour
1/2 C Almond Meal (Almond Flour)
1 t Rosemary, dried and snipped small from friend's garden
1 t Basil, dried and crumbled also from friend's garden

1 1/2 T. Yeast (Fast Acting-store brand)
2 t turbinado sugar
1/4 C hot-hot tap water

4 eggs
1/4 C ricotta
1 C warm tap water

3 1/2 C pizza sauce (thrown together with ingredients on hand)
Pizza cheese - romano, parmesan, mozzarella
Pepperoni

Mix chia and cool tap water into slurry - allow to set 15 min till it has consistency of an egg white.
Blend olive oil, honey and cider vinegar and set aside.
Rehydrate yeast with turbinado sugar and hot tap water - allow for it to bubble up.

Blend flours in large bowl, adding herbs. Then mix in eggs, ricotta, warm tap water, olive oil-honey-vinegar mix, chia slurry and the rehydrated yeast.

Set in cool oven to rise for 45 minutes.  Pre-bake at 375° for 8 minutes.
Add toppings - heat to 400° and bake 7 or 8 min.


Stuck to the pan.  Could be remedied by using parchment paper.  Bottom had a nice browned texture that stuck a bit to the pan.   Even with the rosemary in the dough, it still was bland and I've opted not to even let the dogs sample it.
Texture was reminiscent of cornbread that falls apart.  Taste of crust was on a scale of 1 to 10 was a 1 (being equal  to cardboard). 

The toppings were fine, I was able to scrape off the pepperoni, cheese and some of the sauce and it will be reincarnated into a special Italian meatloaf.

LESSONS LEARNED
Chia makes a great binder and I am thinking it can be used in place of Xanthan gum in some recipes.
The flour in your recipes probably should not contain more than 30% chickpea flour.
You can make hummus from Chickpea flour - there is a recipe right on the package of Bob's Redmill (Chick pea) Garbanzo bean flour.

[Saturday Coffee]

DON'T MAKE THIS AT HOME

[buceriasdon]

SC, Wow, that's quite the recipe but I have to admit, I don't understand many of the included ingredients.
Don

[plainslicer]

Chia makes a great binder and I am thinking it can be used in place of Xanthan gum in some recipes.

Yes, I've seen this done in recipes before. In particular glutenfreegirl.com recommends it over xantham and guar gums, which she says she is sensitive to. I've also seen it touted as more "natural," which can mean pretty much anything these days.

Going instead the industrialized chemicals route, I got some hydroxypropyl methylcellulose last week. I haven't had a chance to use it and am not sure it's the right kind. Dow Chemical sells it in the US as Methocel, including a product called "Methocel Gluten Replacer." However, I couldn't find any retailer that sold something with that particular name. Instead, I got Methocel F50, which may not be the ideal variant. I also have no idea the amounts that are normally used. I haven't had a chance to bake the past two weeks, and I hope to try a dough made with it this weekend.

HPMC is used in a lot of Italian gluten-free bread mixes, and some videos I've seen on Youtube show doughs that handle and rise fantastically well for GF. Schar White Bread Mix (Mix B) is the only one I've found in the US. I got some last week and am planning to try it this weekend as well.

[Saturday Coffee]

original recipe is on  http://glutenfreemommy.com/homemade-pizza/

Whole Foods did not have any of the flours called for in the original recipe. I know I can probably find some of the flours at the larger Asian grocers around here.  I just have to find a store that carries all the Bob's Red Mill flours around here - so I can get some millet flour.
I will try again when I have the correct ingredients, and if that fails  --- I will get a gluten free boxed mix.


THEY USED:
1/4 cup millet flour
3/4 cup white rice flour (or use a mixture of brown rice and white rice flour)
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch (or use cornstarch or more tapioca starch)
1/2 cup tapioca flour

I USED:
2 1/2 C Chickpea flour
1 C Brown rice Flour
1/2 C Almond Meal (Almond Flour)

[Saturday Coffee]

Going instead the industrialized chemicals route, I got some hydroxypropyl methylcellulose last week. I haven't had a chance to use it and am not sure it's the right kind. Dow Chemical sells it in the US as Methocel, including a product called "Methocel Gluten Replacer." However, I couldn't find any retailer that sold something with that particular name. Instead, I got Methocel F50, which may not be the ideal variant. I also have no idea the amounts that are normally used. I haven't had a chance to bake the past two weeks, and I hope to try a dough made with it this weekend.

HPMC is used in a lot of Italian gluten-free bread mixes, and some videos I've seen on Youtube show doughs that handle and rise fantastically well for GF. Schar White Bread Mix (Mix B) is the only one I've found in the US. I got some last week and am planning to try it this weekend as well.

I try not to use ingredients I cannot pronounce or spell.  I am not a health-food nut.  I just want the foods I prepare at home to be free of any additional additives.  I intend to read up on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and I will post my findings.

[Ronzo]

I try not to use ingredients I cannot pronounce or spell.  I am not a health-food nut.  I just want the foods I prepare at home to be free of any additional additives.  I intend to read up on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and I will post my findings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypromellose

Uses

There are many fields of application for hypromellose. These are not limited to the following:[5]

    Tile Adhesives
    Cement renders
    Gypsum products
    Pharmaceutical
    Paints & Coatings
    Food
    Cosmetics
    Detergents & cleaners
    Eye Drops

http://www.greatvistachemicals.com/industrial_and_specialty_chemicals/hydroxypropyl_methylcellulose.html

Usage: Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is mainly used as dispersant in the production of PVC and as thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier, excipient, water retention agent, film-forming agent in petrochemical, building materials, agrochemical, ink, printing and dyeing of textile, paper making, cosmetic, etc.

It may be "ok", but personally, if I see it in an ingredient list, I think I'll pass.

[plainslicer]

I try not to use ingredients I cannot pronounce or spell.  I am not a health-food nut.  I just want the foods I prepare at home to be free of any additional additives.  I intend to read up on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and I will post my findings.

SC,

I'm sorry that it sounded like I was calling you a health food nut. That was not at all my intention. I get your point about using natural ingredients very much, and I do enjoy "clean" products for their simplicity. It's also interesting to see natural ingredients subbed in for industrialized ones. However, given the challenges of GF baking I'm looking to use whatever will give me the best results, and it seems many European companies have found HPMC to be a good binder. It forms a much thicker film that traps much more air than other binders like xanthan gum (though, I notice some of these Italian mixes also have locust bean gum listed).

I'm trying to find this FDA article I read not too long ago that showed breads baked with HPMC, xanthan gum and without. It also had an interesting note about zein from corn flour showing some similarities with wheat gluten, something I've never read anywhere else. Given how expensive HPMC is I'm definitely going to try other things too.

I did finally try to make something with HPMC this weekend. 50% tapioca starch, 30% brown rice flour and 20% corn starch by weight mixed with 1.5 teaspoons of HPMC (activated with 110F water) made a sticky dough that rose well but handled very strangely. I started with 70% hydration and added more flour to get down to 65% to see if it'd handle better. It'd stay solid for a few seconds then slowly "melt," which made shaping it quite a challenge. I overshot the stone trying to bake it as a bread so I only was able to bake about half of it. It tasted fine but had an unpleasant sticky texture. That could be either too much HPMC (more likely) or too much tapioca starch (or perhaps both).