Lower Carb Pizza Dough (Two 14

This is a variation on my favorite Pizza Dough recipe from an old Doubleday Cookbook. You'll find the dough more elastic and the crust more chewy than regular pizza. The key ingredient is Vital Wheat Gluten that shows up in many low carb foods. Be sure "Vital" is on the label since it has more protein and fewer carbs than other types of gluten. This recipe is more suitable for people on Weight Watchers or the Zone Diet than on Atkins. The 50/50 mixture of bread flour and gluten provides roughly half its calories from protein while the other half are from carbs. Vital Wheat Gluten is often available as a bulk item in health food stores. For more information, enter it as a keyword on the USDA food composition site: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄3 cups warm water (No warmer than 115 degrees F)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 2  tablespoons sugar (or Equivalent Amount Sugar Substitute)
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 1 1⁄2 cups bread flour
• 1  tablespoon fast rising yeast
• 1 1⁄2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1⁄2 cup  additional flour, for kneading
• 1  tablespoon  additional olive oil, for rising

Directions

1. In a large bowl add salt, sugar, olive oil, and optional garlic powder to the warm water.
2. Add Bread Flour and Yeast and stir until combined.
3. Add Vital Wheat Gluten and combine as much as possible.
4. Turn mixture out on a well floured surface and scrape any unincorporated ingredients from the bowl on top of the mixture.
5. Knead 1/4 turn at a time with your palm until the mixture is no longer sticky and is very elastic-- this usually takes about 3-5 minutes and 1/2 cup flour.
6. Note that the amount of additional flour required will depend on how much humidity your ingredients have absorbed-- You may need more or less than 1/2 cup.
7. Put 1 Tbs of olive oil in your large bowl then swirl it around the bottom and half way up the sides.
8. Put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over, cover and let it rise in a warm place.
9. After it doubles, punch it down, turn it over, cover, and let it rise again.
10. Cut the dough in half and place in freezer bags-- if using immediately, place half the dough on prepared pizza pan without punching it down so that it will be easier to spread out.
11. To use frozen dough, let it thaw in the freezer bag then place in a bowl, cover, and allow it to rise in a warm place before placing on a pizza pan prepared with cooking spray.
12. Since this dough is very elastic, I spread it out with my fingers as much as possible, then let it rise a little and spread it some more-- this seems easier than rolling it.
13. Prick the dough with a fork to avoid bubbles, add your favorite sauce, pizza ingredients and cheese.
14. Bake in a hot oven, 450°F, until the cheese and the edge of the crust are lightly browned and cut the pizza into slices.
15. Notes: The "cooking" time is an estimate of time for rising; The nutritional information is for one slice of pizza crust assuming that each pizza is sliced into 8 pieces.