Bella Gluten Free Crust Mix

I had seen Bella mixes advertised in Living Without Magazine, and then one day I had a delivery of them on my front door. The mixes are super allergen friendly but sometimes that translates to lack of taste, undesirable textures, and the like.  With the weather finally starting to cool down, and me gearing up for fast, quick grab meals, it was time to make up the pizza mix.

The mix is supposed to make two large 14 inch pizzas, but I decided to make up the dough and make 6 personal size pizza crusts that I would par-bake and then freeze. The dough was really easy to work with.  My special secret is to wear gloves when working with anything sticky.  I divided the dough equally and made up my little rounds by hand; not the most perfect circles, but it just adds an extra artisan touch.

I baked each crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, let them cool, and then I froze all the crusts except one- that was to be lunch.  That way when I thaw them I'll just crisp them up a little before adding toppings and it will save on time.  Right now everything I make, one serving goes into the freezer so I have a select of healthy entrees for the days that I'm exhausted from work between now and the end of the year.  Pizza isn't necessarily thought of as a healthy option, but when you pile it with a bunch of veggies and little to no cheese, it's a nice, filling option.

The lunch crust I baked for a total of 15 minutes without toppings, then I loaded it with sauce, spinach, herbs, bell peppers, and a little sprinkling of cheese and gave it another 10 minutes. The crust had a nice flavor, although next time I think I'd like to add in my own herbs into the dough. It was chewy without being doughy, although it wasn't firm and flopped down when you went to pick up a slice.  I imagine this would be less likely to occur if you baked the crust a little longer without toppings, but then it's a fine balance between crisping the crust and a crust that's too crunchy or hard you just have to pitch it. Overall, I liked the crust, but for pizza crust mixes, King Arthur Pizza Crust still has my heart.