Using Caputo Gluten-Free Flour to Make Pizza (Recipe Included) (2024)

I’ve never had a gluten-free pizza crust taste like this before, and it’s thanks to Caputo Gluten Free Flour. In this post, I’ll show you how I used Caputo Fioreglut gluten-free flour to make a chewy, crusty, and authentic Italian gluten-free pizza. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

I have a confession to make. I haven’t had a memorable, out-of-this-world gluten-free pizza in a long time.

The one time I remember having an amazing pizza was in Paris at Little Nonna, a 100% dedicated gluten-free Italian restaurant. The pizza there was memorable, and during our weekend in Paris, we returned to Little Nonna’s for gluten-free pizza twice.

Until then, I’ve had quality, fair-tasting, gluten-free pizza. But that changed when I found Caputo gluten-free flour. This stuff is life-changing. It’s the one flour blend that comes closest to the texture and taste of wheat flour.

Caputo is an authentic Italian flour brand, and while you cannot find this flour in stores in the U.S., you can easily find it on Amazon.

Caputo Gluten-Free Flour Ingredients

Before I get into how I made this delicious gluten-free pizza crust, I must tell you that Caputo’s Fioreglut gluten-free flour contains a controversial ingredient, wheat starch.

Before you write off this flour blend, you must know that wheat starch, when labeled “gluten-free,” is 100 percent gluten-free. The protein (gluten) is separated from the starch. The starch that remains is gluten-free. The protein is not.

I tested Caputo flour with my Nima Sensor to ensure it was gluten-free, and Nima returned a smile, which means it didn’t find any gluten.

While wheat starch is a confusing ingredient, it’s important to note that it is safe for people with celiac disease to consume.

However, people with a wheat allergy should avoid Caputo flour (remember, it contains wheat starch), and people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (aka gluten intolerance) should approach Caputo flour with caution.

Most gluten sensitivities are actually wheat sensitivities. Therefore, people with gluten [wheat] sensitivity may react to various components of wheat, not just the gluten protein.

As a person with celiac disease, I thought I would never eat wheat starch. However, as I became more informed on the process, I decided I was overly restricting myself from an ingredient that might make my gluten-free life a little easier and tastier.

As pictured above, the ingredients in Caputo gluten-free flour include:

• Gluten-free wheat starch
• Dextrose
• Maize starch (cornstarch)
• Buckwheat flour
• Rice starch
• Psyllium seed fibre
• Thickener
• Guar gum
• Flavouring

The label says it meets all FDA requirements for gluten-free foods.

The flour holds together well, and it doesn’t break when handled. In fact, you can even stretch it a bit without breaking it. Gluten is the “glue” that allows the dough to stretch without breaking; without gluten, most baked goods break, crumble, or fall flat.

Bottom line: A product can be gluten-free and still contain gluten-free wheat starch. For more details on this topic, please read Wheat Free vs. Gluten Free – What’s the Difference?

Pizza Dough Recipe

If you’re feeling comfortable moving ahead with this flour (and you should feel comfortable, but I understand if you don’t), then you’re ready to make one of the best gluten-free pizzas of your life!

(If you’re not okay with gluten-free wheat starch, you can make my homemade gluten-free pizza crust recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour or buy any of these gluten-free frozen pizza brands.)

To make the crust, combine two cups of Caputo Gluten-Free Flour and 1/2 tbsp of salt in a large bowl. Whisk it together.

Of note, I noticed that when I weighed two cups of Caputo flour, it weighed about 250 grams. However, according to the Caputo bag, two cups should weigh 190 grams. When I weighed 190 grams of flour, it fell short of even two loosely packed cups of flour. Therefore, I recommend using two cups or 250 grams and ignoring what the bag says.

In a separate bowl, combine one teaspoon of dry active yeast with one cup of warm water. Mix it together and set it aside for 3-5 minutes to activate. Once the yeast bubbles and foams on top of the mixture, add one teaspoon of olive oil to the mixture and stir it together.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix on medium speed in your standing mixer for eight minutes. The flour will be soft and a bit sticky.

Add extra Caputo flour to a flat surface (a clean countertop or large Silpat mat), then place the dough on the surface. Mix the dough gently with your hands to incorporate more flour until it’s no longer sticking to your hands and feels like pizza dough.

If the dough is too sticky, add a little olive oil to your hands. It will help you form the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands.

Add the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for 2-3 hours in a warm place. If your house is warm or you use the proofing setting on your oven, you’ll need less time. If your house is cold, you may need to give the dough extra rise time.

When your dough doubles in size (as pictured above), flour a piece of parchment paper, then place the dough on the surface.

Use your hand to shape a pizza into a circle, leaving a lip around the circumference of the dough. I was able to stretch the dough to about 13″ in diameter.

Top the pizza with sauce (see recipe below), cheese, and other toppings (optional), then bake it on a hot pizza stone (or baking sheet) in a 550º F oven for 6-7 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is cooked through.

Watch the pizza carefully, as oven temperatures can vary. If you have a pizza oven, follow the pizza oven cooking instructions carefully.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

While you could use store-bought pizza sauce, or even jarred marinara sauce, I like to make my own pizza sauce from scratch.

I used the New York-style pizza sauce recipe from the No Gluten, No Problem Pizza cookbook, which is a fantastic resource for gluten-free pizza making.

The ingredients include:

• 1 28-ounce can of whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt

Add all the ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth.

You will only need a cup of sauce for this recipe, so store the rest in a sealed container in your fridge and enjoy it for up to a week in other recipes, such as eggplant parmesan or turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash.

If you don’t want to make homemade pizza sauce, I recommend using jarred marinara sauce. My favorite brand is Mezzetta Spicy Marinara.

The Taste Test

The taste of this pizza crust is out of this world. It’s soft, chewy, and has the spot-on texture of the pizza you remember before you said goodbye to gluten.

This is hands-down the best gluten-free pizza I’ve ever made, and only a close second to the pizza I enjoyed in Paris.

Pace yourself, my friends… as you will want to eat the entire pie in one sitting. The texture alone will make you swoon. Just look at how thick and doughy the crust turned out!

I know this pizza would have tasted even better if I had baked it in a pizza oven, which maybe one day I’ll invest in. Use it if you have it.

Nervous About Wheat Starch?

I get it. Most people with celiac disease, especially in the U.S., are nervous about wheat starch. I promise you, this starch is gluten-free. As you saw above, I even tested it with my Nima Sensor, and it tested a-okay.

But if you’re not comfortable with it but still want to make one amazing pizza, check out the No Gluten, No Problem Pizza cookbook.

This cookbook features recipes for 75+ pizza styles, from New York style to Neapolitan and everything in between, and none use wheat starch. However, the authors note that wheat starch is a common ingredient used in gluten-free pizzas made in Italy.

Also, make my simple gluten-free pizza crust recipe, which uses Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Flour, which contains no wheat starch and is soft and doughy too.

I assure you, however, that wheat starch, when labeled gluten-free, is okay to eat. And I felt fine after eating it, and I’m very sensitive to trace amounts of gluten cross-contamination.

You, ultimately, have to make your own decision on what you feel comfortable eating. I hope this article gives you comfort and assurance in trying Caputo flour in your gluten-free pizza recipes. You won’t be sorry… even if doing so takes you outside your comfort zone.