Gluten Free Pizza base / flatbread recipe - AIP and low histamine friendly

Before I developed autoimmunity, pizza and all Italian food was my heavenly place. I've loved pizza since day dot. Me and my best mate first bonded over it and it was our thing to do - go for pizza. Friday night. Soho pizzeria.... yumberlina... Getting into my cooking, I became a dough aficionado and made my own pizza bases from scratch (thank you Sir Jamie Oliver for your lovely recipe.... ). Saturday night was pizza night. And I made THE best pizzas.

And then came the virus that changed it all and made me develop autoimmunity and M.E. As I was a health practitioner, I pretty quickly knew that I had to switch gears with diet and honestly, finding Dr Sarah Ballantyne's book (Paleo Approach, Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body) saved my life. Switching to AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) gave me some form of control back and my energy back, allowing my gut and immune system time to heal and reset. But boy did I sulk about it. No tomatoes?! Are you frikkin' kidding me?!

Over the years, I've tried various gluten free shop bought pizza bases but to be honest with you, they are so full of junk and ingredients that are not good on the gut or the immune system, that I just kind of let go of pizza. Yes. That was not easy. But, one of the phrases that I repeat again and again is "NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS HEALTHY FEELS". And it's true. If you have or have ever had a chronic health condition, you know as well as I do that you will do ANYTHING to get yourself back. So, saying goodbye to foods that I loved the taste of was hard but also easy if I stuck to this mantra.

There are many things in life I'm not good at. Singing, drawing, being patient..... ;) But, I think we should all be able to say proudly what our gifts are. And as well as being a magnificent DJ (!), I am a good cook. I am creative and instinctive around food and love to be inventive. When autoimmunity came along, I really had to dig deep into my creativity to keep the joy in my food and meals.

I've been experimenting with cauliflower based pizza recipes for a few years alongside psyllium husk and through this experimentation, this is my go to recipe for pizza bases and flatbreads. I perfected this over Glastonbury weekend so that I could indulge in my fave. The good thing to note is that it is both AIP friendly and also low histamine. For those of you navigating both of these - you have my full sympathy! It really is not easy. On both a 'what the heck do I eat' front and also food enjoyment sense.

I truly believe that a strict and stringent period of time spent allowing the gut and immune system to reset, will allow you to slowly bring in some wiggle room in time. I really hope you find this easy to follow and enjoyable. I will note that I am an intuitive cook. Which some might call slap dash in that I don't measure or weigh, I go with how the food looks and feels and tastes in order to adjust quantities and other ingredients. I've done my best to accurately capture how I make these and really hope you give them a go!

🍕 GloJo’s Gut-Loving Gluten-Free Low Histamine AIP Veggie Base

Use as FLATBREAD or PIZZA baseGrain-free option · Low-histamine-friendly · Egg-optional · Freezer-friendly ·AIP

🍕Ingredients

• 1 courgette (zucchini)

• 1 small carrot (peeled)

• 1 celery stick

• 5 cauliflower florets

• 1 egg – optional (omit if sensitive)

• Psyllium husk: start with 2 Tbsp, add more as needed

• 1 Tbsp tigernut flour

• 1 Tbsp brown rice flour (optional for those who are grain free)

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp dried oregano

Pizza Toppings

• 1 tbsp tomato purée (organic preferably)

• Extra oregano & grated garlic

• Mozzarella or ricotta (low histamine)

• Red onions and any tolerated toppings of your choosing

👩🏻‍🍳 Method

1. Blend the vegWash & chop veg. Blend in a tall NutriBullet cup or food processor. Add courgette last (it's your liquid helper). Blend into a thick smoothie consistency.

2. Mix it upPour into a bowl. Stir in egg (if using) and mix well. Add salt and oregano and 2 Tbsp of psyllium husk. Add rice flour. Mix well. Let it rest for 15 mins to thicken. Take a peek and have a feel. If it’s sloppy or too sticky, add more psyllium husk and /or rice flour until it forms a soft dough you can shape without it sticking too much.

3. Shape your basesPreheat oven to 220°C. Place a baking tray or pizza stone inside to heat.Grease baking paper with coconut oil, ghee, tallow, or lamb fat. Sprinkle the tiger nut flour over the baking sheet over the oil (this adds a lovely crunch / crust)Split dough in two. Slowly and gently flatten each into a round or rectangle using your hands or a flat spatula.

4. Bake round oneCarefully transfer onto the hot tray or stone.Bake at 220°C for 5 mins, then lower to 200°C and continue for 15 mins.

5. Flip & finishTake the bases out of the oven and flip them over. You’ll see a lot of steam come off. Once flipped, allow the steam to go and then put back in the oven and bake another 10 mins or until golden, firm, and flexible.

🎉 At this stage…

For flatbreads, you’re DONE. Serve warm. Add some ghee & garlic for the ultimate gluten free garlic bread. Or use as a wrap for whatever you choose.

Alternatively, cool and freeze for future use. Yes. You can freeze these! Once cooled, pop one into the freezer for a homemade flatbread or pizza base on standby — no flare risk, no faff. Future you will thank you. They also toast up well so you can fling from the freezer to toaster in a flash.

🍕 For pizzas…

6. Dress the baseSpread with tomato purée, oregano and grated garlic onto the base with a large spoon Top with your choice of whatever you fancy. If you’re adding dairy cheese - low histamine choices are buffalo mozzarella and ricotta. For those of you who follow AIP, you may find hard goat’s and sheep’s cheese much easier to digest. I also add red onion.

7. Final oven blastReturn to 220°C oven for 10 mins, until golden and bubbling.

8. Finish with flairScatter over fresh basil, black pepper, sea salt, and a glug of olive oil.Boom. You're now a gluten-free pizza goddess. 👑

If you want some visual support, head over to Instagram to take a look at my reel that I made to show you how I made it: https://www.instagram.com/p/DL2sbebIkNR/