Gluten free? Perhaps for thee but not for me. Gluten is the magic that makes bread products so wonderful, so I generally make no effort to avoid it. I understand that it can present serious problems for some folks, and some like to minimize carbs, which explains the ubiquity of gluten-free and cauliflower-based products.
I have been especially intrigued by gluten-free pizza items made with a cauliflower crust. How good could it be? The Texas supermarket H-E-B has its own "MightyCrust" branded version, and when I saw the price cut from $6.98 to $4.63, I figured it was time to try one.
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| Out of the Pizzazz oven |
In the world of frozen pizzas, this one is pretty small, just about 9" in diameter. It weighs 9.5 ounces and has 690 calories for the entire pie. As a point of reference, a Digiorno "Rising Crust Supreme Pizza" weighs 29.3 ounces and clocks in at 1,860 calories for the whole pie.
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| Frozen pizza before baking |
The package instructions called for baking at 425 degrees for 9-11 minutes, but I used a specialized circulating pizza machine called the "Presto Pizzazz Plus"to heat it.
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| Baking on the Presto Pizzazz oven |
This inexpensive machine is capable of cooking a pizza from scratch, but I have found it more useful for baking frozen pies. The Pizzazz did deliver a final product with a crisp bottom and nicely browned top.
I cut the pizza into six small slices, and along with a big salad, it was dinner for two.
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| Underside of the crust |
The crust is absolutely wafer thin, but not insubstantial. While surprisingly and pleasantly crispy on the bottom, it was dense and chewy too. The best analogy for the texture would be a Chinese scallion pancake. Notably, I could not detect any taste or aroma of cauliflower.
The uncured pepperoni was standard grade stuff, but it delivered the right note of salty and savory umami. The cheese and sauce, both applied in modest but appropriate proportion, melded into that classic orange surface which adhered pretty well to the crust.
While all the flavors were just about what you expect in a pizza, the texture of the crust is where it differed from ordinary pies. Overall, it was oddly satisfying, but it's best to think of this as a fun pizza-flavored snack more than as a pizza. Perhaps cut it tavern-style into small squares and use as an appetizer.
Overall, pretty solid effort by H-E-B, especially for a pizza coming in under $5. If you're avoiding gluten, you could do lots worse than this pie.
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