Have you tried KE's tasty keto pizza crust yet!?!? As a keto pizza fanatic myself, much to my delight, I “had” to make (and devour) hundreds of prototype keto pizza crusts for KE’s keto pizza crust mix product development. Because the crust contains no gluten, no egg, and no dairy, it may require a little bit of practice before you get the hang of making your own perfect keto pizza crust. In addition to the simple steps highlighted on our keto pizza crust mix package, following are tips to bake a perfectly golden crust every time. If I don’t cover off on one of your questions in the list below, please email curious@ke.life, and I’ll do my best answer your question or to experiment and offer more improvements.
Bon appe'keto!... Melissa, KE Founder & Fat-Fuel Explorer
Should I add more water if the keto pizza dough is not holding together well? If the dough seems dry, keep mixing a couple more minutes to allow the flax, chia, gelatin, and collagen to absorb the water. It should come together in a nice firm ball without shags or flakes of dough. When you roll your keto pizza dough, if it is shaggy or cracks on the edges, it indicates you need to add more water and mix more. Try to add as little water as possible as it takes longer to cook the dough and may not be as sturdy. If you feel like you need more water for the keto pizza dough to come together,
- Only add ½ teaspoon water at a time,
- Make sure you thoroughly mix in the water,
- Increase the baking time to ensure the crust is evenly and thoroughly cooked without moisture spots in the dough.
Unlike gluten-based doughs, you cannot overmix KE's keto pizza dough. Shaggy, cracked dough cooks up fine. It just won’t be as pretty. Next time add ½ to 1 teaspoon more water.
What if I don’t have a rolling pin? My favorite substitute for a rolling pin for our keto pizza crust is a frozen vodka bottle – though any cylindrical, room temp glass liquor, wine, or water bottle or glass jar does beautifully. You can also press out the keto pizza dough with the bottom of a flat bowl or cutting board if needed. Get creative! Have fun!
What if I don’t have non-stick parchment paper? No problem!
- KE's keto pizza crust dough rolls out very well between two sheets of plastic wrap.
- We cooked the majority of our prototypes on a silicone baking mat which works like a dream for rolling and baking the keto pizza crust with no sticking and an evenly baked keto crust.
- Additional alternatives for baking KE's keto pizza crust are parchment, aluminum foil, and baking directly on the pan. They do not require oil so long as you bake the crust completely, but you may want to lightly grease the surface to avoid any sticking. You can use your favorite oil such as olive, avocado, or MCT.
- Do not use waxed paper for anything but rolling the dough as it results in a waxy residue on your pizza crust or pan.
- See more on using a pizza stone for your keto pizza crust below!
With each rolling and baking surface modification for the keto pizza crust, be sure to watch the crust until you know if time and temp need to be modified.
Do I have to grease my baking surface? No. Especially if you cook the crust properly. Undercooked KE keto pizza crust sticks to baking surfaces regardless of greasing or not. If it's sticking, bake it a couple more minutes, but watch it carefully. The crust can turn from golden brown to burned brown in a matter of minutes.
How thin should I roll my keto pizza dough? How thin is “super thin?” While it’s counterintuitive, the thinner you roll KE's keto pizza crust dough, the more evenly it cooks and the sturdier it is to hold up all your tasty low carb keto pizza toppings. Roll your keto dough to less than 1/8 inch. Rolling your keto pizza dough to an 11-inch round achieves this result as does an 10-inch by 10-inch square or an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle.
How do you roll your keto pizza crusts so close-to-perfect for your pictures? (Pictures and video coming just as soon as I'm able to create a quality video!) Making KE’s keto pizza crust can be as simple as the three steps on the back of the package, or you can use the following guide to appease your type A Epicurean senses.
Rolling KE’s keto pizza crust mix dough is very similar to rolling out pie dough with the benefit that you do not have to handle it as delicately because there is no gluten. If you need to walk away in the middle of the process, the only thing to consider is that the gels from the gelatin, flax, and chia begins to set. The keto pizza dough is not as pliable and easy to work, but it does not do any harm to the keto dough or end result of your tasty keto pizza.
- Tear off two 12 to 13-inch square pieces of non-stick parchment paper, and place them on your counter.
- If desired, lightly grease one side of each paper with your favorite oil. When I use oil, I typically use olive oil in the spirit of Italian keto pizza but have also experimented with avocado, coconut, ghee, lard, and MCT oil.
- Use your hands to form a disc with the keto pizza dough roughly 5 inches wide and ½ inch thick. If you don’t like the gel residue that sticks to your hands when you handle your keto pizza dough, lightly oil your hands with the same oil you use on the parchment. Alternatively, you can simply use the parchment to massage the dough into the shape while never touching the dough with your hands.
- Once you have your starting dough keto pizza disc shape, position the keto pizza dough in the middle of your bottom parchment paper. Place the second sheet of parchment on top of your keto pizza dough disc, greased side down.
- Instead of rolling from bottom to top across your keto pizza dough, place your rolling pin in the middle of your keto pizza dough, and only roll outward on one half the dough at a time. If your parchment slips on the counter, press and secure its corner or edge between your hip and the counter. Give your keto pizza dough a quarter twist. Place your rolling pin in the middle of your keto pizza dough, and roll outward to the next half of your dough. Continue twisting your keto pizza dough a quarter at a time and then one eighth at a time until you have a shape 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Because we all have a dominant hand and cannot evenly distribute weight throughout the rolling, this results in a more even keto pizza crust base.
- Gently tug off your top parchment paper. Place the top parchment paper on the counter. Slide one hand under the bottom parchment and keto pizza dough, and use the other hand to guide the paper as you flip your dough onto the empty parchment on the counter. Gently tug off the formerly bottom--now top--parchment to make sure your dough isn't sticking.
- The paper typically works itself into the keto pizza dough a bit, resulting in small folds and creases. Patch any keto pizza dough tears or thin spots by applying ragged scraps from the edge with your fingers. Slide your hand under the bottom parchment and edge of the crust to fold and press any undesired scrappy edges back onto the crust to reincorporate and even out. This can be done in small increments or larger pieces if you don’t like how how your keto pizza crust shape formed with rolling. If you’re aiming to roll out a square, this is the perfect time to straighten your edges, too.
- Place the extra parchment back on top of your keto pizza dough and repeat the rolling process with your rolling pin to even out. Use your judgement to press the dough outward with your rolling pin strokes or even roll it back on itself to make the keto pizza dough thickness more consistent and the tasty keto pizza shape you desire. This can also be used to get the edges a little thicker if they are too thin which makes them prone to burning.
How do I get a great circle shape? Start by forming your keto pizza dough into a thick disk that is roughly 5 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. From there, start rolling from the center of the dough out instead of all the way across your keto pizza dough. Each time you come to the edge of your keto dough, twist it to spread it evenly. Start by rotating 90 degrees--by quarters--with each twist. As your keto pizza crust takes form, rotate it less and less to get get even rolls – by sixths and by eigths. Work to the edges. If parts of your keto dough are lop-sided or shaggy, use the parchment paper to fold back the shape as you desire, and re-roll until you are happy with how it looks. (Lop-sided pizzas taste just as super as round ones!) Unlike gluten based dough, you cannot overwork your keto pizza dough.
Many times I repeat this process around parts or the entire crust one or two more times to get it just right. If I’m in a rush, I plop my dough on my parchment paper without oil, don’t shape it, and don’t think about it for a minute. We’ve had some of the most beautiful slices and pictures as a result. Have fun with it! Regardless of how perfect the shape is, people enjoy it!
Can I make my edges super thick like traditional pizza to hold in my tasty low carb keto pizza toppings? You can make the edges a bit thicker, which also slows browning, but we don’t recommend any more than 1/4 of an inch as the dough may not cook through and may be gummy. Making your keto pizza crust edges a bit thicker is particularly helpful if you’re making breakfast pizza and cracking an egg on top.
What if I don’t have an oven? We know of at least one person who used a cast iron skillet and a couple of people who have used a pizza oven to cook up their pizzas. If you have a toaster oven, simply roll the dough to a size that fits, and cook it off in two batches if needed. If you need to cook it on the stove, do it “slow and low” with the lid on top. I haven’t tried a microwave as of yet since I don’t have one, but we’ll get to it at some point. Next summer I aim to test it on a camp fire! Any other ideas?
Can I use a pizza stone? Yes! Pizza stones distribute the heat beautifully for our keto pizza crusts during the cooking process. Just be sure to keep the temp at or below 350°, so the organic nuts and seeds don't burn.
Can I change the temperature to cook it faster? Because KE’s keto pizza crust mix is made with nuts and seeds, it is more delicate than a tradition gluten-based crust and can quickly turn from golden to brown. To make sure you don’t burn your keto pizza crust and to support even baking, we do not recommend cooking your keto pizza at temperatures higher than 350° during the pre-bake, once you add toppings, or if you reheat keto leftovers. If your keto pizza crust is getting too brown in your oven without consistently cooking through, try reducing the temperature to 300° or 325° and cooking for 5 to 10 minutes longer on the first bake.
How long should I bake the crust? Watch your keto pizza crust carefully during the pre-bake process once you hit 20 minutes as the edges of your keto pizza crust can go quickly from golden brown to burned brown. Be sure to cook the crust evenly and thoroughly, so it’s firm enough to hold up your tasty keto pizza toppings. For the second bake, I always say “cook it until the toppings are golden and bubbly.” Depending on how carried away I get with piling on toppings, this could be as short as 3 minutes or as long as 10, but 5 minutes typically does the trick. Watch the edges!
How do I know my crust is cooked properly? Your keto pizza crust should be evenly baked through-and-through without “dark” spots where it still holds moisture. It should be firm and cracker-like, not soft. When properly cooked, you can carefully lift your keto pizza crust from the parchment paper to be sure it’s not sticking to the paper. (Don’t burn your fingers!) If your keto pizza crust sticks to the parchment paper, give it a couple more minutes. If you don’t cook your keto pizza crust adequately, it is still be tasty, but is slightly mushy and gummy and does not stand up to tasty keto pizza toppings as well. Your keto pizza leftovers will also not keep as well and be a bit mushy.
Why is my cooked keto pizza crust mushy? There are three main culprits for mushy crust that doesn’t hold together.
- Cooked Crust: Be sure to cook the crust evenly and thoroughly. If your keto pizza crust is undercooked during the first pre-bake, it absorbs the toppings and gets mushy during the second bake. See “How do I know my crust is cooked properly?” above.
- Acidic Sauce: If your sauce is very acidic like a tomato paste, and you use a lot, the acid eats away at the protein bonding formed by the grass fed gelatin and collagen. Try using half the sauce you normally would or use fresh tomatoes and flavor with more herbs instead. Tomato sauce is typically high in sugar/net carbs, so we recommend going light regardless if you are managing your carbs.
- Leftovers: KE pizza crust is more sturdy when consumed fresh and not reheated. Reheating the crust with toppings can result in a mushy crust. See below for tips on leftovers.
Why did my edges burn? Edges of our keto pizza crust typically burn for one of three reasons:
- The edge of your keto pizza crust is thinner than the center of your crust. For thin pieces use the parchment paper to fold the dough back over itself and re-roll the dough either back into the center or outward to help control the shape as you desire.
- Your oven heat is too high. We recommend not baking your keto pizza crust at a temperature above 350°. If you see your edges overly browning before the middle cooks, reduce the heat to 300° or use foil to cover and protect them.
- The crust was in the oven too long. With a nut and seed base, the crust can quickly go from golden to burned. Watch the crust carefully at the end of the baking windows.