Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me with advice/tips for making a gluten-free fruit pizza. Alex has her heart set on making one for a small get-together we're having but we have no idea how to start. We've made it before the Celiac diagnosis but this is our first foray into gluten-free baking.

Of course the fruit will be okay but beyond that we are kind of lost. Do we need to order gluten-free "flour" online? And Alex is still dairy free so is there anything we could use instead of cream cheese for the pizza "paste" to stick the fruit onto the pastry crust?

Any help at all (even the most basic ideas!) would be of great help to us. I'm really hoping the thought of gluten-free baking isn't impossible. Alex is just starting to feel well enough to do this type of thing so I'm hoping we can figure it out and have some success.

Thanks,
Ryan

For the crust, I usually use a regular shortcake recipe but sub in Pamela's baking mix, but that does have buttermilk in it, so I would just use a gluten-free flour mix that you like (you can find it in the grocery store-Fred Meyer health food section is usually pretty good). For the "sauce" I would try a soy vanilla yogurt or soy pudding then load up with fruit. There are also dairy free whipped toppings that you can sometimes find in grocery freezer section or specialty spray's in refrig. section-Freddy's might have it, never checked. here's a recipe for tofu whipped cream BUT I've never tried it:

Tofu Whipped "Cream"

1 lb soft tofu
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c soy milk


Combine tofu, vanilla and sugar in a blender or a food processor and process until smooth.

With the machine running, gradually add the soy milk through the feeder cap.
Refrigerate until serving time. It will keep for a week, but can also be frozen.

Let us know how it all turns out and what you used!! Sounds great!

-Rachelle

Well, I have no idea what a fruit pizza is, but you could probably make it like before but substitute gluten free flour and other gluten free ingredients. I often use this mix in recipes to substitute wheat flour: 3 parts white rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca starch/flour & 1 tsp xanthan gum for each 1.5 cups flour. Another flour mix is 1 cup white rice flour, 1 cup tapioca starch/flour, 1 cup corn starch & 1 TBSP potato flour, plus the xanthan gum. I have used the first mix many times and it has turned really good. I used the last mixture one time, and it turned out good also. The last mix when mixed together surprisingly has a very similar texture to wheat flour in my opinion. If you need other ideas feel free to post more specific questions.

Instead of the cream cheese mixture to hold the fruit on, yoiu could try melted apricot jam/preserves, or any other flavor jam that you like. Just melt in the micro for a short time and spread on a sugar cookie crust (all of my recipes for crust contain eggs, so not sure what to do about that).

The recipe I've had for these before had a sugar cookie bottom - if you go to www.landolakes.com and search for "Gluten Free" you'll get a good handful of recipes, including one for a flour mixture that I've found works really well. One is for Star Cut Out cookies which is a sugar cookie dough. REALLY GOOD! I made them a few weeks ago...and last night I u sed my leftover dough (which I had frozen) and added coconut, macadamias and white chocolate chips. MMMM.

It does use butter, though...but you might be able to use Spectrum Shortening (which is coconut oil, right?).

Also, there is soy cream cheese - so you could use that - or jelly - or how about peanut butter, soy nut butter or almond butter? hmmmm?

Let us know how it turns out!

Thanks so much for the ideas and information. The recipes are great - knowing what we need to buy will make our first trip to buy gluten-free baking products a little less scary and confusing. The ideas to replace the cream cheese are great too! I think we might actually be able to do this. I'm certainly not an expert baker but Alex is pretty good and this whole gluten free experience has definitely improved my overall cooking skills.

Thanks,
Ryan

Darn it! I wish I had seen this before.

I used to make a fruit pizza using a sugar cookie dough for the crust, vanilla pudding (made thick) for the base and then just top decoratively with fruit. You can then glaze with melted all-fruit spread.

If you want, I can give you my sugar cookie recipe (tastes just like the "real thing"). For pudding, I now use vanilla almond milk--in an amount less than the regular milk called for.

Polaner fruit spread is gluten-free and very good.

Patti's idea sounds really good. I have a fruit pizza recipe in my Bette Hagman cookbook that my whole family has liked. If you want, I'll be happy to type it up for you.

Gina

That would be great! I really appreciate it.


That would also be great if you have the time. We could use all of the ideas we can get.

Thanks so much. I hate to be a typical guy but I don't know much about baking -- I could use all the help I can get. I sincerely appreciate people taking the time to help me and Alex out.

Ryan

From Bette Hagman The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy


Crust
You can use a regular gluten-free pie crust or this cereal crust:

1 cup gluten-free rice Flakes (crushed)
1 cup gluten-free corn flakes (crushed) I have used all corn before and still tasted great
3 tbls sugar white or brown
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbls melted butter or margarine
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely ground nuts or coconut (optional)

Crush cereal in a plastic bag. Dump in sugar, cinnamon and melted butter anad mix together.
Pour into 9" pie tin and press across bottom and up sides.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 6 to 8 min until lightly brown


Filling
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp gluten-free vanilla or almond

Topping
Any combination of sliced fresh kiwi, papaya, peach, pineapple, berries

Glaze
1 cup fruit juice (pineapple, orange, apple, or other)
3 tbl cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar (less if juice is sweet)
1 tbl lemon juice


Filling: soft cream cheese and combne with sugar and vanilla or almond. Pour into prepared pie crust

Topping: arrange fruit on top of cream cheese

Glaze: (we leave off - my family doesn't like it) In small saucepan, combine juice, cornstarch, sugar, & lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. Spoon over fruit while hot. Refrigerate for 2 hours or
until ready to serve.

Good stuff.

Ryan,

Here is my sugar cookie recipe. Hang on to it for holiday cookies--cut and frosted, they taste just like the "regular".

SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup shortening (I use Spectrum)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rice flour blend (Use your favorite--I just use 2 cups rice flour and 1 cup potato starch)
1 and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients well. I use my KitchenAid for this. For cookies, roll into a ball and chill for an hour. Roll out, cut and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

For the cookie crust, pat the dough into a large pizza pan or cookie sheet with sides. Bake until golden brown.

For the vanilla pudding, I'd use Jello Cook and Serve Vanilla. Use about 1/2 the milk called for if using a milk sub. I like Pacific Vanilla Almond Milk--that's the only milk sub I've tried this with. If you use the amount of milk called for, it will be much too thin.

All this talk about fruit pizza--I think I'm making one this weekend

Good luck with yours--let us know how it came out.

MMM, this sounds really good!!

I think I'll make one of these soon!!

Thanks for the ideas!

Thanks a million for the recipes! I'll definitely report on how it turns out. Wish us luck.

Ryan

I've made a dessert pizza using a foccacia bread recipe but leaving out any savory seasonings like garlic or rosemary and adding a small amount of sugar. Then I sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top and bake it. You can put it in a pizza pan so it is round, or form it into a rectangle. I usually use the rectangle and cut it in strips to serve. I don't put any toppings on it to bake, other than the cinnamon and sugar.

After it is baked, I drizzle it with a thin vanilla icing. But you could also add any sort of cooked fruit pie filling, like apple or cherry. Just make sure it is gluten free or make your own, using corn starch to thicken. If you prefer fresh fruit, then spread a thin layer of icing on the pizza after it has baked, stick the fruit down and add another drizzle of icing or some thinned down jam/jelly.

We made our fruit pizza and it went really well! Thank you so much everyone for all of the help. Alex was thrilled with how it turned out and we actually had a lot of fun making it. We had our families over yesterday for a belated birthday party for Alex and they all thought the pizza tasted great. Alex was so proud of our creation and it was great to see her so happy. She's been feeling quite good these past weeks so she was able to have a bit of the pizza too.

We took lots of pictures of our fruit pizza so I might be able to post it for you all to see when we get the pictures developed. It will give me a reason to set up the printer/scanner that we got way back when Alex first got sick.

Many, many thanks for all of your help,
Ryan

Ryan,

I'm glad it turned out well!

With all of the talk about it, I made one over the weekend, too I tried to post a picture of mine (it was really pretty), but wasn't able to get the darn thing small enough.

Hopefully, we'll get to see yours.

Tip: A friend of mine dips her fruit in 7-up so they stay fresh and don't get "yucky" looking...works especially well for apples so they don't turn brown!

Here is a picture of our fruit pizza -- our first gluten-free baking attempt! I can't take credit for its beautifulness, that's all Alex. I was instrumental in cutting the fruit though!

Just wanted to share our success.

Ryan

Wow--it turned out beautiful! You two make a great team

Glad you enjoyed it so much.

That's great! I hope Alex had a very happy birthday, and I applaud you for being so thoughtful for her. Every year my husband makes me a gluten free birthday cake. Sometimes he has to make 2 because he ruins the first one. But he never gives up, and I always have a very special birthday.