Some people might rely on yeast free gluten free pizza crust because of several reasons. Compared to the pizza that uses gluten, yeast, or both of it, the no gluten and yeast pizza is said to be lacking taste. Here is what you need to know about it.

Yeast in a pizza

Yeast is one of the essential elements in any bread dough aside from water and flour. The enzymes inside the yeast and flour will break large starch molecules once stirred together. The yeast will metabolize the dough. It also exudes the liquid that releases carbon and ethyl alcohol towards the air bubble inside the dough. When the dough has an elastic and strong gluten bond, then the carbon dioxide in the bubble will inflate it. This process is similar to blowing up bubble gum. The dough will rise when the tiny air cells inside are filled with carbon dioxide.

Aside from that, the yeast also has several bacteria that will affect the taste of your pizza. A yeasty gluten free pizza dough contains less sugar because the active yeast will eat a lot of it and leave no food for the bacteria (sugar is the food to bacteria). The yeast activity will be reduced significantly once the dough is chilled. The rise will be slowed down and let the bacteria live again to produce flavorful acids for a delicious dough.

Dough affected by gluten

Gluten is a form of protein. In flours, especially the bread flour, the amount of protein contained is around 10.5% to 13% which is not that much. But it is an important substance in a bread making process. Fine strands will be created when you mix flour with water because the gluten is swollen. The network of strands is what makes the dough elastic and extensible, which is a great bread dough texture before baking.

Because the gluten holds the dough together, gluten free dough means that the dough may not as elastic as the normal dough. Without gluten, the dough is only a pasty mix of ingredients that can’t be slapped, tossed, or even shaped. Inside the dough, the flour is not the source of the gluten. Instead, the gluten comes from wheat proteins agitated once mixed with water. This is what makes the dough get more cohesive the longer you knead it.

A pizza dough without yeast and gluten

Then, what about a pizza dough without yeast and gluten? You can replace the yeast with baking powder because it acts similarly to the yeast. But, the taste might not be the same with the yeasty pizza dough. This is because the bacteria is still there and not devastated by the yeast. As for the gluten, there are several flour mixes that have less than 10 ppm of gluten. The common ingredients used in gluten free pizza mix are tapioca starch, potato starch, white rice flour, brown rice flour, and cornstarch.

Flavor and texture wise, some people might not like a yeast free gluten free pizza crust. This is because the texture is not as fluffy as the usual pizza and the taste is not as rich too. But, you can get healthier and avoid allergies, especially if you are sensitive to fungi in yeast and gluten in the wheat proteins or flours.

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