It was Friday night, I was hibernating against the cold, and I didn’t want to cook. It was a great time for a pizza!
“Celiacs can’t eat pizza,” you say. Oh, but, yes we can!
Like many of your favorite foods, gluten-free pizza is not going to be exactly the same, but if you keep an open mind, some of them are good enough.
The trick to making a good gluten-free frozen pizza is to overcook it. The crusts take longer to bake and will be soft in the middle if you don’t. If you think it is done because the edges are dark brown, it’s not. Keep cooking until the cheese is dark near to the center.
And don’t forget, if there are other people in your house who cook regular pizza on the oven rack, you can’t do that. A pizza mesh will allow your pizza to crisp without cross contamination.
Sonoma Flatbreads
Purchased at: Kroger
Price: About $8.00
About 10 in. in diameter, 17.17 oz
Serving size is ¼ pizza, 300 calories.
Certified Gluten-Free
The main ingredients in the crust are brown rice and tapioca flours.
Sonoma Flatbreads are made by Donatos! Jane Grote Abell’s picture is on the box.
I’ve tried both the four-cheese and uncured pepperoni flavors of Sonoma Flatbreads. According to their website, there are other flavors. The nearest Kroger doesn’t carry them.
The first cheese pizza I tried was undercooked. The box says to cook it for 9 to 11 min at 425 degrees, and at 11 min I took it out. The edges were brown and the cheese was melty all over, but when I cut it, the middle was undercooked. (The box does say to cook thoroughly.)
This week I tried the uncured pepperoni for the first time. The pizza baked for about 15 min until it was brown near the center. It was just about perfect.
The crust is thin and this time it was crispy. The sauce on both pizzas was mild. There was enough cheese for me, but double cheese lovers may need more. The cheese tasted like cheese! It was gooey when I sliced the pizza. I personally did not notice the difference in the flavor of the cheeses between the two, but I did not eat them side-by-side.
The pepperoni was mild. It definitely was not “edge to edge” like Donatos pizza – I would have liked a little more.
In my non-celiac husband’s opinion, it does not taste like real pizza, but it is “palatable.” Regardless, he always eats my leftovers from this brand.
Note that this is a flatbread, not a pizza. I don’t know the difference, but I’m sure there is one.
Live Gfree Pizza
Purchased at: Aldi
Price: I think it was under $7.00
About 7 in. in diameter, 10 oz
Serving size is ½ pizza, 360 calories
The main ingredients in the crust are brown rice and tapioca flours.
It carries the Celiac Support Association seal.
Aldi offers a wide range of gluten-free foods under their Live Gfree brand. This is my first time trying this brand of pizza.
There were only five pepperonis on this little pizza. Each piece had only one full piece of pepperoni.
The box says to bake the pizza at 450 degrees for 12 to 16 min. At 16 min the cheese was brown almost to the center. That said, it was slightly undercooked in the middle.
It was cheesy – the cheese stuck to the knife and was appropriately gooey.
The sauce was mild, the pepperoni was mild, and there was enough cheese. The crust was crispy (except in the middle). There was nothing objectionable about the pizza, but there was nothing compelling about the taste, either. As usual, I did feel the need to add hot peppers.
CONCLUSIONS
Don’t be misled – both of these are “frozen” pizzas. Those who did not eat regular frozen pizza, will most likely will not like either one of these.
If you like frozen pizza, these are both acceptable. I typically “doctor” pizzas at home, but I didn’t do that while testing these brands. Treat them how you would a regular pizza (add pepperoni and hot peppers).
Sonoma is the brand I buy most often. Because my husband doesn’t mind it, we don’t have to cook two different pizzas.
The Live Gfree pizza is inexpensive and small. If you want a small pizza just for you, this is a good size.
NOTE: I do not have an oven thermometer, so the cooking temperatures may not be accurate. Cooking times may be different in your oven.
