Namaste Pizza crust mix is a gluten free crust.So we know right off the bat that the texture will be different to most pizza crusts.This is because gluten is a key ingredient in making pizza dough and creating its texture.However company's including Namaste know their are many people allergic to gluten and deserve pizza too.They also provide the blend free of wheat, soy,corn,potato,peanuts,tree nuts, dairy and casein.So that being said many can try this product.
I am not allergic to gluten myself and have not developed any food intolerance/allergy.So this was the first time ever trying a gluten free pizza.So I can only share my opinion on packaging, recipe,flavor and texture of the product.
When I first used this product. I was pleased by their packaging.They clearly addressed the ingredients they used and provided a simple main recipe on the back,along with an extra recipe on the side.The flour blend also provides enough to make 2, 14inch sized pizzas and the packaging was doubled packed to make it easier to read the recipe
The recipe included only 3 steps to follow. When I was done mixing all the ingredients together it came out a lot different then anything I've seen.It was a cake batter consistency.It was very odd to spread batter on a pizza pan and wondering how it would all turn out. It was also worrisome for me when the recipe asked for a 14inch pizza that must be spread to at least that size when I only had a 12 inch pan.I went along with the recipe even after reading that and took a chance.
I was able to make a pizza with the pan I used,but not without some odd complication.At first it asked to bake the pizza once without toppings, but when it started to bake the batter began developing large bubbles. I thought this must of happened because it wasn't spread out completely.So I try popping the bubbles so the batter would bake evenly.It kept proceeding to bubble up and I kept going at it.Once I was able to add the toppings it was enough weight for everything to stay put.It began to bake more evenly and started looking more like a pizza.
The pizza came out as a very thin crispy crust.It was a crust and less of a pizza, which meant more room for sauce and toppings.However with that it wasn't able to carry much weight in topping.The flavor of the pizza was very good. I could hardly tell the difference in flavor from the homemade pizza I make.However the texture is a big difference compared to a regular pizza.This one was crunchy, dry and slightly doughy. The sauce and toppings are what really helps it out.
I also made a second pizza as a rectangle sized. I wanted to see if it would react differently.Nope! it still had the same
complications as before. I feel maybe both of them would of baked
more evenly if they had the topping on first.Who knows? Maybe I should of
tried one of their other recipes for something different.
Anyways, I have
to give Namaste Gluten Free Pizza Crust a 2 out of 3. Not the best, but a good replacement.
See what I mean by bubbling below! eck!
