Keto Pizza Crust ? (Low-Carb)

Name: Keto Pizza Crust
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 1 d 3 h 29 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 85g almond flour (~½ cup); 45g vital wheat gluten (~¼ cup); 15g coconut flour (~1 tbsp); 80ml filtered water (~2.7 oz); 5g sugar (~1¼ tsp); 4g kosher salt (~¾tsp); 1g instant yeast (¼ tsp); 1 tbsp + some extra virgin olive oil; pizza toppings (e.g. sauce and low-moisture mozzarella)

Post author:Dennis
Post published:24-October-2020
Post category:Baked Goods / Keto / Recipes
Post comments:20 Comments

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If you want my improved recipe for Keto/Low-Carb pizza, check out Keto Pizza v2.0!

I’m an absolute pizza fanatic. It’s one of the few things that will take me off my low-carb diet and bring me to the dark side – no joke. You can ask my friends who have seen me eat an entire pizza pie plus more…

With my love of pizza, began my quest. Unfortunately, wheat flour is a no go on low-carb and keto diets, so I’ve had to explore other options. There are tons of crust options: fathead, cauliflower, ground chicken, etc. And when it comes to ingredients for low-carb crusts, it seems as if there are even more options: psyllium husks, coconut flour, flax meal, protein powders, eggs, and all sorts of nut flours. They’re all very good, but they are NOT real pizza. This pizza crust is the closest I’ve gotten to the real deal.

It’s taken dozens of tries and test batches – and if you think I’m done searching, you’re wrong. BUT, this recipe is so damned good that I can’t keep it to myself. Hopefully everyone can take it and improve on it!

This recipe is NOT about being easy, it’s about deliciousness… BUT…

…that being said, this recipe is not difficult. If you’ve ever made your own pizza dough with wheat flour, it’s not any more difficult than that. The added benefit? The cleanup is much easier. If you’ve worked with wheat flour, you know how flour with a little water turns into a sort of glue that is a treachery to remove and acts as a welcoming siren for ants.

Keto Pizza Dough Ball - Black Tie Kitchen — Keto Pizza Dough Ball – Black Tie Kitchen

What’s in Keto Pizza Crust?

This pizza crust is simple: almond flour, coconut flour, vital wheat gluten, and yeast. We can get crazy with ingredients (and I might in the future), but true pizza crust is incredibly basic and what’s I was aiming for here. The less, the better. Unfortunately, each ingredient brings a specific trait to the table and we need to balance them all out.

Proofing Keto Pizza Dough - Black Tie Kitchen — Proofing Keto Pizza Dough – Black Tie Kitchen

Is this better than fathead pizza?

Eff yeah. I can’t even begin to tell you how much better it is. Fathead might be super simple to make (if you have a microwave), but it doesn’t taste like real pizza – it’s more akin to a thin crust ‘healthy’ pizza. This crust takes some time and some additional ingredients, but I implore you to try it. You’ll thank me.

Raw Keto Pizza Dough - Black Tie Kitchen — Raw Keto Pizza Dough – Black Tie Kitchen

Vital wheat gluten? Isn’t wheat bad on keto?

Yes, it comes from wheat, but its not full of carbohydrates. It’s the protein that’s found in wheat that gives flour the stretchy characteristic. It’s made by washing the flour until all the carbohydrates granules are washed away in the water. Science. It’s part of what gives this crust the stretchiness that we’ve come to know and love in pizza and bread.

What’s the best way to cook it?

There are tons of methods and manners to cook pizza. There are pizza pans, pizza stones, etc. This pizza might be close to real pizza, but it does not behave like real pizza. It doesn’t hold moisture like real pizza dough and it doesn’t have the same level of carbs like real pizza so it won’t come out as you’d expect in a super hot oven or on a pizza stone.

Since the carb count is low due to the lack of wheat flour, the crust will never leopard as we’d like. In my experience, the best cooking manner was to use a pizza mesh in a 450F oven. Think of this pan like a thin metal wireframe for the pizza (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/34nEiOQ). It allows for much greater airflow and allows decent crisping of a dough that has no inherent crisp capacity. They’re inexpensive and work extremely well!

Is this it?

No. This is only the beginning of the quest for me to find the perfect low-carb and keto friendly pizza. We still have the sauce and the cheese to make it perfect. If however, you’re looking for an easier recipe, you’ll want to checkout How to Make and Meal Prep Fathead Pizza!

Keto Pizza - Black Tie Kitchen — Keto Pizza – Black Tie KItchen

Keto Pizza Crust

Yield: 1 pizza pie crust

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Additional Time: 1 day 3 hours

Total Time: 1 day 3 hours 29 minutes

This pizza crust is the closest you will get to the real deal, trust me! BETTER than fathead!

Ingredients

85g almond flour (~½ cup)
45g vital wheat gluten (~¼ cup)
15g coconut flour (~1 tbsp)
80ml filtered water (~2.7 oz)
5g sugar (~1¼ tsp)
4g kosher salt (~¾tsp)
1g instant yeast (¼ tsp)
1 tbsp + some extra virgin olive oil
pizza toppings (e.g. sauce and low-moisture mozzarella)

Instructions

In a small container add water (about 20 ml) that's between 105-110°F / 40.5-43°C. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add the instant yeast into the water and stir. WARNING - if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Set aside and let them grow for about 5-10 minutes. You should see a large foam ball. If not, your yeast are likely dead and you need new yeast.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, the coconut flour, the vital wheat gluten, and the salt. Mix to combine.
Add the olive oil and the remaining water (if we used 20 ml for the yeast water, we add 60 ml in this step). Mix.
Once the dough is mixed rather well, add the yeast and mix. Once it has no dry spots, dump onto a flat surface.
Knead the dough using your hands for about 15-20 minutes. the dough will begin to have a springiness to it and until it is relatively smooth (not like regular flour, but as smooth as you think it will go). Attempt to 'pinch' it into a ball.
Lightly coat a container (I use a quart containter) with olive oil and drop the dough into it. Loosely cover and place into a warm location for an hour (we are going to let it proof). An oven with the oven light on is a great location - just be aware and dont turn on the oven or you could start a fire!
Remove the dough from the warm location, seal completely and place into the fridge for 24 hours. This step is not necessary, but it increases the gluten development!
If you placed your dough in the fridge, remove it and let it sit outside for at least two hours to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 450°F / 232°C.
If you have magic hands, stretch the dough out onto the pizza pan. If not, place it between two sheets of parchment paper and using an object such as a rolling pin, roll it out. Starting from the middle of the dough circle, move the rolling pin to the edge - don't go from edge to edge or it will make the shape inconsistent and uneven!
Remove from the parchment paper and place onto the pan (if you dont have the magic hands).
Create a little ridge around the dough. This will hold the sauce, prevent excessive burning, and even out the horrible circle shape that doesnt look like a circle at all.
Add your sauce and cheese.
Place into the oven for a minimum of 7 minutes. After this time, you MUST watch the pizza. It will depend on the oven and the sauce/cheese to determine if it's done. Once it looks amazing to you, pull it out!
Let cool for 2-3 minutes, and dig in!
Enjoy!

Notes

You do NOT need to place it into the fridge for 24 hours. It simply helps the gluten develop a bit more. If you decide not to, you can proof the dough for 45 minutes and bake it -it will STILL be awesome!
The nutrition facts are for the ENTIRE crust. Honestly, half a pie is an amazing meal. Just dont forget to calculate the cheese and sauce macros!

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