Egg-free Pizza with Homemade Sauce

I already have a recipe for pizza on this blog.  However, I posted that recipe before Sabrina's egg allergy was diagnosed, and before I realized that the citric acid in store-bought tomato sauce comes from corn.  Since then I've started making pizza using the same Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza mix, but without egg.  I've also developed my own homemade pizza sauce using a can of tomato paste, since tomato paste is one of the few canned tomato products that usually does not contain citric acid.  The great thing is that my family likes the homemade sauce even better!  An additional bonus is that, for the cost of one small can of tomato paste, I can make enough sauce for two pizzas.  One bag of the Bob's Red Mill pizza mix makes enough dough for two pizzas, so the whole meal ends up being pretty economical.  In the summer when I grow basil outside, I can even throw on some fresh basil for practically free.  :)

One last note is that so far I have only made pizza on a metal pizza pan, so my instructions are for that kind of pan.  The main thing I've learned is that the pan has to be on the bottom oven rack for the crust to bake completely and get crispy.  Maybe someday I'll get a pizza stone and then work on instructions for baking a pizza on that.

Egg-free Pizza with Homemade Sauce
(1 pizza feeds 2 adults, or 2 adults and a couple small children, if the adults are willing to share)

Ingredients:

• half the bag (8 oz.) of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza mix
• 1 tsp. of yeast from the enclosed yeast packet
• 3/4 cup water, warmed in the microwave to 105 degrees
• instead of an egg:  1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp. hot water
• 1/2 tsp. white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives.  (I just discovered that some of the cans of sliced olives at Whole Foods are also safe since they contain just olives, water, and salt.)
• Hormel Natural Choice original uncured pepperoni
• 2 oz. aged extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated by hand (not pre-grated)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, grated by hand (not pre-grated)

Ingredients for the sauce:
(This makes enough for 2 pizzas.  On one pizza I use half, which is 6 oz. or 3/4 cup, and I freeze the rest for another time.)

• 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 

Instructions:

Heat 3/4 cup water in the microwave until it reaches 105 degrees.  (This takes about 45 seconds in my microwave.  The water is hot enough to help activate the yeast but isn't so hot as to kill it.)  Mix the yeast into the water and let it sit.  In a separate small bowl heat 3 Tbsp. of water and 1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal, and stir.  After letting the yeast water and flax seed water sit for a couple of minutes, transfer them to a mixing bowl.  Add the white sugar and olive oil and mix on low until combined.  Then add the flour and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.  Cover the bowl with saran wrap and set aside for 30 minutes for the dough to rise.

Move the oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Pour 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil onto a metal pizza pan and spread around using a paper towel, OR spray the pan with an olive oil spray.   Place the dough onto the pan and use a spatula to spread it until it is a 12-inch diameter circle.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes on the lowest oven rack.  Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Then return the pan to the lowest oven rack for about 10 more minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven when the cheese is melted and golden.  (If you add more cheese, you might need to cook the pizza longer once the toppings have been added.  You might need to place the pizza on the lower-middle rack so that the crust doesn't burn before the cheese is melted.)  Let the pizza cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.