Garbanzo Bean Crust Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni

My teenage kids were the first set of guinea pigs for this creation.  My son was reluctant to try it declaring, “No, it looks like hummus!” when he saw the uncooked batter.  But, immediately after taking the first bite of the pizza, both he and his sister asked for more.  The only problem, there were no more! I made only a small sample batch to avoid waste in the event it didn’t go well.  Delighted by the kids’ enthusiasm, I immediately whipped up a new batch from scratch.  My husband, who can be harder to feed than the daycare children because he is acutely aware that my creations tend to have secret ingredients that are good for him, also gave the pizza a thumbs up.

I had a good feeling the little daycare children would like the pizza as well.  My feelings were confirmed; the kids loved it. They devoured it like they would any other pizza.

Now, why bother with garbanzo bean flour?  Per serving, it contains 5 times more fiber and twice as much protein as regular all purpose flour.  This is such an easy switch with big rewards.

For the topping, turkey pepperoni is a great choice at 70% less fat than regular pepperoni (at least that’s what the packaging claims) and has only 70 calories for 17 slices compared to 140 calories for 14 slices of regular pepperoni.  So, when you must have something salty, chewy, and meaty on your pizza, reach for the turkey pepperoni!

In this recipe, I used a small quantity of regular flour because it really balances the flavor of the bean flour.  It definitely makes a big difference in taste, but feel free to leave it out for a gluten free crust.

Garbanzo Bean Crust Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni

Pizza Dough:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. flaxseed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup water

Topping:

1 cup shredded pizza cheese

1 cup pizza sauce

about 3 oz. turkey pepperoni

Thoroughly combine all dough ingredients in a medium bowl.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Dough should be the consistency of pancake batter.   

Preheat skillet on medium heat.  Move skillet off heat and spray skillet with cooking spray.  Add 1/4 cup batter.  Swirl pan in circular motion or use a spoon to spread batter to 1/8 inch thickness.  Place back on heat and cook until golden brown on bottom, about 2-3 minutes.  Spray cooking spray on the top of  the crust. Turn crust over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Makes about eitght 5-inch individual crusts.  Crusts can be made ahead of time an frozen for convenience.

Layer each crust with about 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 5-6 pepperoni.  Place pizzas on a greased cooking sheet and broil on high for about 2 minutes or until cheese becomes slightly golden and bubbly.