Throw a pizza party
National Pizza Party Day is May 21st! A pizza party is great for all ages and any occasion. Salads, breadsticks and veggies are great to pair with pizza if you want to serve more food and appetizers. Of course you will need dessert for your party too and can serve anything from ice cream to brownies, or if you want a healthier option you could offer fruit salad. If you’re looking for a soda alternative, lemonade is a great choice for your party as well.
While planning the pizza party, it is a good idea to have a separate place for the dough to be made and stretched and toppings to be placed. Once everyone has their dough done and toppings on their pizza it is time to transport them to the oven and bake. While you wait for your pizzas to be made that will be a great time to bring out your appetizers.
If you are hosting a kids pizza party they can play games while the pizzas are cooking or you could add a cookie decorating station while they wait. If this is an adult pizza party, along with the pizza bar can be a real bar with different drink options while you wait on the pizzas.
Finally, get the pizzas out of the oven and enjoy your at home pizza party!
* The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ cups gluten free flour + ¼ cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a glass measuring cup. Whisk to combine.
While the yeast is proofing for 3-4 minutes, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and psyllium husk powder in the bowl of a stand mixer.
With the mixer running on low, slowly add the yeast mixture and oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes.
Using an oiled spatula, press the dough off the sides into a ball. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Oil a 12-inch round pizza pan. Using oiled or wet hands, press the dough into the pan. The dough will shrink slightly as it bake, so press the dough as thin as you can to cover the pan. Let rise for another 10 minutes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add your desired toppings. Bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on your toppings. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum
1 packet rapid yeast
1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour, for dusting
Directions:
Preheat your oven to the proofing setting or to 200°F. Once it gets to 100°, turn off your oven.
In a large bowl combine the gluten-free all-purpose flour, instant yeast, gluten-free baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine the ingredients.
Warm the water to 110°-115°F. I microwave the water in a large glass measuring cup for 30-45 seconds. I also use a thermometer to check the temperature. If your water is too hot it will kill the yeast.
Add the honey to the warm water and stir until it is dissolved.
Pour the warm water and honey mixture into the gluten-free flour mixture and mix with your mixer on low. (I used my stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment).
Pour the olive oil and apple cider vinegar into the dough mixture and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until the dough starts to form. The dough will be very sticky.
Place the dough in a greased ovenproof bowl (I used olive oil cooking spray) and cover with plastic wrap. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and place in your warm oven for 30 minutes to rise.
Remove the dough from the oven and preheat the oven to 425° F.
Pour 1 tablespoon of gluten-free all-purpose flour onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Spread the flour into a circle the size of the pizza crust (15″).
Turn the bowl over on top of the floured parchment paper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of gluten-free all-purpose flour on top of the dough. Gently pat the circle in an outward motion. Work from the middle and push to spread the dough out to the edge to make a 15″ circle. Use your fingertips to press down into the dough to form the crust edge. Use your hands to finish shaping and rounding the edges.
Madisen Schlueter is a junior at Lindenwood University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Graphic Design. On campus, she is involved in Greek life as a member of the Delta Zeta sorority, where she serves as design chair and creates shirts for chapter events. She’s a native of St. Louis, grew up playing softball and loves traveling. When she’s not studying or working, you can find Madisen at Starbucks catching up with friends.