Paleo Pizza Dough

 I have been craving pizza for a while and with a competition coming up I have been resisting the urge. I realize one bad meal won't kill me, but this competition is my first individual one in a while and I have a guilt complex. One of the box "moms" made a really good pizza dough recipe with yucca root that was the most like "real" pizza I have ever tasted so I wanted to take a spin off of that. That recipe was in grams, I don't have a scale and I wouldn't want to copy a recipe anyway so I decided to use sweet potato... another paleo friendly starchy root vegetable...and make up my own. It is a little time consuming but the results will make you glad you didn't succumb the take-out. (My favorite quick pizza dough recipe is from the book "Primal Cravings")

 I made this twice- neither were technically paleo because I used raw cheese, but both really hit the spot. The cheese I found was at a grocery chain by the specialty cheese- I tend to pick either raw parmesan or cheddar because of the sharp flavor I can use less.

The first time I made a BBQ chicken pizza... I shredded a rotisserie chicken, tossed it lightly in the best Paleo-friendly BBQ I could find, used more BBQ for the sauce and topped it with the chicken, red onion, and raw cheese.

 

The second time I made it with pizza sauce I found at Whole Foods with no added sugar, Applegate Salami (I didn't have pepperoni) and raw cheese. Charlie was a BIG fan of this one. And guess what? I was getting veggies in her also... sweet potato and yucca are better than a no-veggie dinner!

Paleo Pizza Dough

(Printable Version)

 - 1 Yucca Root
- 1 Sweet Potato
- 1 Cup Tapioca Flour
- 1/2 Cup Potato Starch
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 3 Tbsp Avocado Oil

1. Peel and dice the yucca and sweet potato. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the yucca, cover, and cook 10 minutes- you may want to reduce the heat since you are covering the pot. Add the sweet potato and cook another 5-10 minutes until both vegetables are fork tender.

2. Drain and mash the vegetables.
Preheat the Oven to 430 degrees
3. In a separate bowl, mix everything except the oil. Add the root vegetables, this should be about 3 cups, and mix with your hands, kneading as necessary. Add the oil. The dough should not be sticky and the flour should be all combined when you are finished. If it is too dry add more oil, if it is too wet add a touch more flour.***

4. Press the dough onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Thinner for crispier crust.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are browning.
6. Add your toppings and bake another 5-10 minutes until your toppings are done.

*** At this point you are freeze or refrigerate the dough until you want to use it.