Product Review: Domata Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix

Product: Domata Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix – $7.99+

It’s no secret…I love pizza.  Pizza, to me, is the perfect food.  Honestly.  Some people would probably disagree…but, I ignore them.  Because every thing that is right and good in this world…can happen on a pizza.  Pizza is a basic staple in my diet, especially the night before a big race.  I just have found that if I eat pizza before a half marathon or marathon (or, hell, even the shorter distances), I seem to run better.  I don’t know if it’s all just in my head, or if I have found that magic food that offers that perfect balance of protein, carbs, and fats that fuel my body on the long run.

Regardless…I love my pizza.  I love to make pizza and order pizza.  Around here, there are quite a few places in Louisville, Kentucky that offer gluten-free pizza.  And I love them for that.  On this side of the river, options are definitely more limited.  Therefore, I usually end up making my own (on the best gluten-free pizza crust ever…from Annie May’s Sweet Cafe – here in Louisville, Kentucky) or purchasing a frozen one (usually Udi’s, Ian’s, Glutino, or even Daiya).  That’s if I’m not planning on pizza that day.  Otherwise, I normally will head to Annie May’s Sweet Café on Friday or Saturday (pizza day’s) or hit up one of the restaurants around the area that offer gluten-free pizza…but I have to feel safe eating there, and that narrows down the possibilities.

That being said, on a recent trip to Columbus, Ohio, I made a stop by the infamous natural food store I have come to love…Raisin Rack.  In the aisle with various baking flours, I spotted this red and white box with bold black lettering.  It really stuck out and, therefore, it drew my attention.  It turned out to be the Pizza Crust Mix from Domata, a company owned by David and Julie Madison, who understand how difficult a gluten-free diet can be, and also believe in the importance of affordable gluten-free foods.  They kept this in mind when they created their gluten-free flour mixes: Recipe Ready Flour, Pizza Crust Mix, and their Seasoned Flour.  These flours are easy to work with too.  The recipe ready is a cup-for-cup exchange on all recipes and the pizza crust mix…well…I’ll get into that.  These products are made in a dedicated gluten-free and nut-free manufacturing facility, so there is no worries about cross contamination.  And Domata does pride itself on using all natural ingredients with nothing artificial.  I appreciate that too.

Ironically, I didn’t use this mix to make pizza crust.  Not this time, anyway.  This time, I used it to make the recipe for Gluten Free Foccacia Bread that is listed on the box.  Because, I was in Columbus, Ohio, visiting my friend Jenn…and we were making pasta for dinner.  Foccacia bread is a great side to have with gluten-free pasta…so that evening, after a busy day of shopping around town (and hitting up Raisin Rack for more goodies), she and I got busy in her kitchen, prepping this super-easy recipe for gluten-free foccacia.

The great thing about the Domata Gluten Free Pizza Drust Mix is that all you need to do is add water.  It’s that simple.  Put it in a mixer and blend the dough.  It will be sticky.  That’s why you turn it out onto a floured surface.  Jenn and I skipped this step because…eh…we didn’t want to mess with it.  So, using our oiled fingers, we spread the dough out in the baking pan and gave it a little brush of olive oil and seasoned it with the garlic powder and dried oregano that the recipe on the box suggests.  Super simple.  Into the oven it went to bake for 20 minutes.  We started to prep the water to cook the gluten-free noodles in and got out the marinara sauce for the noodles and, of course, to mop up with the bread.  When the noodles were in, the bread came out to get a dusting of Parmesan cheese…then it was back in the oven for another 5 minutes.  The noodles finished up.  They were drained and properly sauced (the Italian way), and dished up.  The bread was set on the table to rip into (instead of slicing it into strips) as we wanted to get as much as we wanted.  Dinner was served.

I have to say…I was very impressed with the quality and flavor of the Foccacia bread that we baked with the Domata Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix.  It wasn’t too heavy or dense and it browned up beautifully.  The herbs that we scattered throughout the dough and on top brought a nice pop of flavor.  And the bread itself was airy and light, rather than the kind that feels heavy and sits like a lump in your stomach.  The crispy outside gave way to a soft middle, which was bread perfection, if you ask me.  I have enough of the mix left to do a pizza crust with and I think I might do that sometime this week or next…just to see how well it works in pizza crust form.  But as a flour to make Gluten Free Foccacia bread…Domata totally wins.  It was delicious!

When Domata exclaims that “life is hard enough, baking gluten free shouldn’t be”…they hit the nail on the head.  This flour requires no time to rise.  It’s straight from the mixer to the pan to the oven to the table to the plate to the stomach.  It is fantastic and so easy!!  We all (me…the Celiac, and my two non-gluten-free compatriots, Cathy (the roomie) and Jenn (the hostess with the mostest!)) agreed that it made a very tasty and highly acceptable loaf of gluten-free foccacia bread.  Definitely impressed with the flavor, the lightness, and the texture.  I’d purchase this again in a heartbeat.  I mean, come on…you just add water!!!!  It doesn’t get easier than that!

So, let’s talk ingredients for a moment.  The Domata Gluten Free Pizza Dough Mix is a blend of rice flour, corn starch, tapioca dextrim, nonfat dry milk, whole egg, sugar, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder, soybean oil, and rice extract.  It is gluten-free, nut-free, and kosher.

Nutritionally speaking, a serving of Domata Gluten Free Pizza Dough Mix is 1/4 cup.  In this serving you will be taking in 150 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.  This serving will also be giving you 30 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium, and 2 grams of sugar.  In addition, you will be taking in 1 gram of fiber and 3 grams of protein.  Not bad for a pizza crust or pan of foccacia bread, right?  Especially when it’s gluten-free.  Because so often the calories and fat go way, way, way up in gluten-free items such as this.

Impressive!

I am definitely more than willing to try the other two flours and purchase the Domata Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix again.  Honestly.  I was impressed with how easy it was to make the bread with and how delicious each bite turned out to be.  If this holds true for their Seasoned Flour and their Recipe Ready Flour…you might just have me sold on it for life…simply for simplicity.  HA!!  But let’s not forget, it also bakes up into something amazing and totally delicious.  I want to make more foccacia bread.  I want to make pizza crust.  I just want to bake it all and see how this flour fares against others I have used…including my current favorite.

Only time will tell…but this was a winning flour mix in my book!