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If you’re looking for a child-friendly gluten free pizza recipe or something for a gluten free lunchbox, you need these gluten free mini pizzas in your life.
With all the flavour and fun of a regular gluten free pizza, these are bite-sized delights which are seriously tasty.
These gluten free mini pizzas would be perfect for a party platter as well as for part of a gluten free lunch.
They use the same gluten free pizza dough as my regular and stuffed crust recipes but with a different method to create these mini pizzas of dreams.
You can top them however you like, but I went for a variety of classic cheese and tomato as well as mini pepperoni pizzas.
However you eat them – as a snack, a lunch idea or a party staple – these gluten free mini pizzas are just absolutely delicious.
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Gluten free lunch ideas for kids
Finding gluten free lunch ideas for kids can often be difficult, especially when you want to make them fun.
Gluten free sandwiches have come a long way since I was little but even then, sometimes you want to get inventive.
These gluten free mini pizzas are perfect for kids lunchboxes and will make all their school friends jealous!
For once they won’t feel like the one missing out – they’ll have the best lunch of the bunch.
And the same goes for dinner or parties too, because these gluten free mini pizzas are so versatile and can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Growing up, it can be tough when you feel you’re missing out on things, particularly in school or social situations.
So being able to make yummy gluten free treats like this is an added bonus!
Plus the pizzas are naturally egg free and can easily be adapted to be dairy free or vegan too.
Gluten free mini pizzas ingredients
There’s a full printable recipe card below, but for the shopping list you’ll need:
- 200ml milk (see notes for dairy free/vegan)
- 1 heaped tsp sugar
- 7g dried yeast
- 250g FREEE gluten free white bread flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
I always use the FREEE gluten free white bread flour, but if you can’t find this you want a gluten free flour blend which includes rice, potato and tapioca flour.
The recipe will work with a plain gluten free flour blend or all purpose mix but it will be a thousand times better with the bread flour!
The xanthan gum is important as this helps to provide some of the stretchy texture you’d normally get from the gluten.
If you want to make this recipe dairy free or vegan, then you can replace the milk with water or a dairy free milk.
I do find you get a better result using milk – and the pizza tends to keep and reheat better.
But it does still achieve a delicious result with water, it’s pretty similar to my gluten free focaccia bread recipe.
WHICH YEAST IS GLUTEN FREE?
I am based in the UK and there are several yeast products here which are gluten free and readily available.
I always use either the Allinson’s Easy Bake Yeast or the Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast.
You can also use the Allinson’s Time Saver Yeast, though be aware that you may not need to prove the dough for as long if you use this.
All of these yeasts are gluten free in the UK.
The Dove’s Farm one is certified gluten free and found in the free from aisle.
The Allinson’s yeasts are free from gluten and can be found with the ‘regular’ baking goods.
TESTING IF YOUR YEAST IS ACTIVE
It’s very important with any bread recipe that you activate the yeast before using it.
To do this, all of my gluten free bread-based recipes start by mixing the yeast with warm milk (or some of them with water) and sugar.
I’d strongly recommend using a food thermometer like this one to ensure the water or milk is around 40’C – skin temperature.
Too hot and it will kill the yeast, which means your bake will not rise.
When left in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes, the yeast should form a frothy top a bit like the head on beer.
This means your yeast is active and you’re good to go!
If your yeast doesn’t froth up after 10 minutes, it’s likely it is dead and you’ll need to discard it and start again.
Sometimes yeast can go out of date so this could be a reason for it not frothing.
This is also why a food thermometer is so helpful – if the water is too hot or too cold your yeast won’t activate the way it should.
Mini pizza topping ideas
The most fun part about making gluten free mini pizzas? All of the toppings get to be in miniature too!
For the tomato sauce you can whip up a smaller batch of my gluten free pizza sauce (or use any leftover you have in the freezer).
However for ease, you can also use passata instead – I tend to then sprinkle it with some dried oregano for a more authentic pizza taste.
I used grated mozzarella on my gluten free mini pizzas as this tends to be less wet than the balls of mozzarella.
This means the mini pizzas don’t get too soggy as they cook and the base crisps up nicely.
For the pepperoni topping, I sliced up a Pepperami – they’re gluten free and just the perfect size!
You could add all sorts of toppings though depending on what you fancy!
Shredded ham is a great topping, as are cherry tomatoes cut in half for a proper margherita style mini pizza.
How to make gluten free mini pizzas
There’s a full printable recipe card below but I have a few pictures here to show you the best way to shape your gluten free mini pizzas.
You’ll want to use a 12-hole muffin tin for these to make sure they’re all even and form a little cup shape in the middle.
Once you’ve made the gluten free pizza dough and let it prove, it’s time to break it into 12 even pieces.
Lightly grease the tin and then shape each piece of dough into the holes, so it forms a little cup shape.
Then simply add passata, cheese and your chosen toppings, bake and enjoy!
You don’t want to overfill the cups because the pizza dough will rise in the oven.
Also too much passata could make the base go soggy – I went for a teaspoon per pizza.
My gluten free mini pizzas recipe
Ok, here it is, your new lunchtime favourite – my gluten free mini pizzas!
This recipe makes 12 mini pizzas based on a standard 12-hole muffin or cupcake tin.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your creations!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Mini Pizzas
These mini gluten free pizzas are the best recipe for kids, parties or lunchboxes! Doughy pizza bases topped with cheese and tomato (or the toppings of you choice). This recipe makes 12 pizzas.
Ingredients
For the base:
- 200ml milk (see notes for dairy free/vegan)
- 1 heaped tsp sugar
- 7g dried yeast
- 250g FREEE gluten free white bread flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the toppings:
- 12 tsp passata
- Dried oregano
- Handful grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 x Pepperami
- Extra olive oil for oiling the tin
Instructions
- Measure out the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it hits around 40'C - which should feel like skin temperature if you dip your finger in.
- Stir the sugar into the warm milk and until dissolved, then add the yeast and stir again. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate. It should form a lovely froth on top when it's ready.
- Meanwhile add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine thoroughly.
- When the yeast has formed a frothy top, pour the mixture into the flour mix. Use a wooden spoon to beat the mixture together - it should start to become quite sticky.
- Once the mixture becomes a bit claggy, add the olive oil. Continue to mix with the wooden spoon until it forms a smooth, slightly sticky dough which should come away from the side of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a piece of oiled clingfilm and then place in a warm spot for 40-60 minutes to prove. The dough should become puffy and double in size.
- Once the dough has proved, preheat the oven to 220'C / Fan 200'C / Gas Mark 8. A nice, hot oven is essential! Lightly grease the 12-hole muffin tin with the extra oil and set to one side.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Using lightly floured hands to stop the dough sticking, roll each piece into a ball and then press into the hole of the muffin tin. Use your fingers to press it up the sides so it forms a sort of dish.
- Once you've repeated this for all 12 pieces of dough, add 1 tsp passata to the central 'well' of each pizza. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a pinch of dried oregano. If using the Pepperami, slice it into small pieces and share between the pizzas.
- Place your muffin tin into the hot oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The pizza edges should be lightly golden and the topping should be bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot or leave to cool and pack into a lunchbox to eat later.
To construct the pizzas
Notes
- For a dairy free/vegan version, this recipe will work using a dairy free milk such as almond or soya, or alternatively use water in place of milk.
- Any leftovers (what is that!?) can be kept in the fridge and reheated. To reheat, the best method is to place the slices of pizza in a frying pan on a low heat, then cover with a lid until the toppings are bubbling.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 135mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g
NEED SOME MORE GLUTEN FREE BREAD INSPIRATION?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free bread based recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free treats a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking ideas to get you going:
- Gluten free pizza recipe
- Brown seeded bread
- Vegan and gluten free focaccia
- Super soft gluten free bread rolls
- Yeast free soda bread
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
Oh – and don’t forget to sign up for my e-newsletter where you’ll know about all my latest posts and competitions first!
LIKE THIS GLUTEN FREE MINI PIZZAS RECIPE?
Make sure you pin these recipe cards below for later!
Do head over and follow me on Pinterest too for more gluten free recipe inspiration.
Can you freeze the pizzas x
Yep you can!