I'm so excited to wake up early tomorrow morning and get cooking on breakfast; these little flatbread pizzas led me to the discovery that we can actually make those family breakfast crepes which dad would tempt us out of bed with, also rousing us with the clamber of pots and pans in his frustration to re-close the drawer underneath the stove. And cursing under his breath as one slipped behind into the dusty cavern which no one could reach.
It was completely by accident that I found this recipe, just as I perused a week old magazine mum had left on the counter top, and as I munched on a nutritious egg breakfast and sipped my tea I read the article about the qualities of quinoa flour. Which I ended up not using because we didn't have it, but I also figured that tapioca flour would do just the trick because of the similar consistency between the two.
I also remembered a delicious bun I had a few weeks before Christmas when mum and I went out for lunch at a little family owned cafe tucked in a side street of North Vancouver. In the window coolers were mouth watering gluten-free sweets and bakes displayed, and breakfast was served all day. Immediately upon reading the chalkboard sign, and in our hunger, mum and I were sold on the breakfast dishes. The tapioca bun which my breakfast came with was so light and flavourful, without any crumbs falling behind on the plate, I felt compelled to at least give this flour a chance.
And boy, am I glad I did.
Crepes, come back to me.
And making these flatbreads made it almost seem like those typical Friday family nights, when pizza is ordered in and delivered quickly after a long week to be inhaled by hungry family members. Except this time we made them, they were gluten-free, and tasted so much better than any regularly made pizza.
I love how the pictures turned out as well, the bright colour green of the spinach is brilliantly lit up with the rich red of the salmon, and both colours a brought out by a touch of each in the cream cheese spread, a sprinkling of dill and sun dried tomatoes. It looks delicious. Appetizing.
"Are those even gluten-free?"
You bet they are.
To get the ingredients needed for the pizzas on our way home from a trip to Main Street, a plan made as we drove into town and decided to go for lunch and get off the rock, mum and I had to quickly stop by the grocery store, split up the ingredients which we needed to get between us, run frantically throughout the aisles and meet up a split second later at the cash register. All in the effort of making it home on a reasonably ferry. We must have seemed a little crazy as our feet paced quickly along the linoleum tiles and our eyes scanned the shelves ferociously for what we needed. Then, as we caught each other at the other end of the store, we ducked in and out of line ups to pay earnestly finding the quickest thoroughfare.
Now that's speedy pizza.
Tapioca Flatbread Salmon Pizzas
Print recipe here.
No gums in this recipe, yet the flatbreads stayed together without any crumbling or cracking. The combination of the brown rice and tapioca flours was just right, and the outcome was a light and flavorful pizza bread, with just a hint of freshly minced .
Keep the temperature of the stove down low, it will increase cooking time, however the edges of your flatbreads will stay round and they'll be more evenly cooked.
Serves 3, makes approximately 6 flatbreads.
Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/4 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 tbsp dried dill
2 tbsp chopped capers (optional)
2 oz (55 g) smoked wild salmon, sliced
1 cup baby spinach leaves
Directions
In a large bowl, beat egg lightly. Stir in brown rice and tapioca flours, water, minced garlic, and salt. If the mixture seems too thick, stir in water 1 tbsp at a time. Let mixture sit at room temperature for 15 - 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the cream cheese spread, combine the cream cheese, sun dried tomatoes, dill and capers in a small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Over medium-low heat, grease a skillet with grape seed oil. Pour 1/3 cup of flatbread mixture into the centre of the pan.
Cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. With a spatula, flip, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Keep cooked flatbreads on a plate situated in the oven.
Before serving, prepare flatbreads by spreading the cream cheese evenly on top and adding equal amounts of smoked salmon and spinach leaves. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.
Labels: bread, brown rice, capers, cream cheese, crepes, dill, flatbread, garlic, gluten free, pizza, salmon, smoked salmon, spinach, sundried tomatoes, tapioca flour
