The perfect gluten free pizza crust, stuffed full of spinach, pepperoni and, of course, plenty of cheese. This pizza dough handles so beautifully and tastes so authentic, you won’t believe it’s gluten free!
When I make pizza, I usually just roll the pizza into rounds, scatter some sauce and cheese, and serve it with a big salad. But lately, I’ve been stuffing and braiding that gluten free pizza dough.
The first few times I made this braided and stuffed pizza, I made it with ground beef, broccoli and cheese (always lots and lots of cheese). And I made it into individual braids, one for each family member. I’ll be honest, though. Even though there was no complaining from the peanut gallery (hello! pizza doesn’t get complaints), I wasn’t thrilled with how dough-y the small braids had to be. I much prefer the single braid. The balance of dough to cheese to other fillings is much easier to strike.
In case you’ve never seen it, above is my Charlie Chaplin impression of silently shaping the pizza dough from the book. Oh, and you can absolutely still use the gluten free pizza dough from the blog; it just won’t be as easy to handle, but there are plenty of shaping instructions in that blog recipe so you’ll be fine. Now for the comprehensive step-by-step shaping instructions…
That’s my husband, Brian. The hand model. He was extremely proud of how he did, and you’ll be happy to know that he received very, very little instruction. And he still totally nailed it! Don’t you think?!
Please know that this really is the easiest thing to pull together. Its ease just doesn’t translate that well into words. It’s much more intuitive in pictures, and unfortunately a bit wordy, well, in words. So stare at the lovely hand model in the pictures for a bit before you read through the recipe. And don’t skimp on the cheese!
Gluten Free Stuffed Pizza Braid
Ingredients
- 1 recipe gluten free pizza dough
- 3 ounces Asiago cheese , grated (or another semi-hard cheese)
- 10 ounces mozzarella cheese , grated (plus more for sprinkling)
- 5 ounces fresh spinach , chopped
- 3 ounces pepperoni , thinly sliced
- Egg wash , (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
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Prepare the gluten free pizza dough according to the recipe instructions. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, and set it aside.
Prepare the dough.
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Prepare the pizza dough according to the recipe instructions.
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Follow those instructions in that recipe for shaping, but do not divide the dough.
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Instead, roll it into a 12-inch by 14-inch rectangle.
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Cover the rolled out dough loosely with a moist tea towel and allow it to rise slightly while you assemble and prepare the filling ingredients in the form indicated in the ingredients list.
Assemble the braid.
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Once the filling ingredients are prepared, uncover the dough.
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Using a sharp knife, pizza wheel or pastry wheel, cut a 3 1/2-inch x 1 1/2-inch rectangle out of each of the 4 corners of the dough rectangle. This will allow you to wrap the ends of the braid securely around the fillings.
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Position the dough rectangle so that one 12-inch side is facing your body as you work. Beginning about 1-inch from the top of each flap on the left and right-hand sides of the rectangle, cut 8 approximately 1-inch strips in those flaps.
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The fillings will all be placed in the center third of the rectangle, from the top to the bottom of the dough.
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Scatter all of the grated Asiago cheese in an even layer down the center panel of the dough.
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Cover with an even layer of all the chopped spinach, then 1/3 of the grated mozzarella cheese, followed by an even layer of the sliced pepperoni, and finally the remaining 2/3 of the grated mozzarella cheese. Pack down the fillings tightly by pressing down firmly.
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Starting at one end, pull the flap taught over the filling. Only the flaps on the ends will be pulled taut. The rest of the braid should be much looser, allowing room for expansion in the oven.
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Alternating sides, braid the 8 strips on each side of the rectangle over the filling, angling the strips slightly. Do not pull the strips taut.
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Stop braiding when you have reached the bottom two strips (one on each side) and the bottom flap. Pull the bottom flap taut up and over the bottom of the filling, and cover gently with the remaining two strips.
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Transfer the braid carefully to the prepared baking sheet.
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Brush the entire surface of the braid generously with the egg wash.
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Scatter the additional shredded mozzarella cheese on the top of the braid.
Bake.
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Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until golden brown all over (about 15 minutes). Remove from the oven, slice and serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.