Product: Schãr Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts – $8.99+
Schär has once again surprised me with another one of their fantastic products.
I am always so skeptical when I open up one of their products, ready for it to disappoint me or, even worse, turn me off from the brand entirely. But…so far…it has surpassed expectations and made me a true believer in the products that they give to the gluten-free community.
The product that I was trying this time was Schär’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts. I had never seen these in my area, but my roommate and I spotted them while out at a grocery store in Birmingham, Alabama, shortly after the Gluten-Free Expo we attended. The moment I saw them I knew I had to at least try them. Pizza nights are kind of a big deal in our apartment. I love to experiment. But when I went gluten-free a year ago…pizza nights became less frequent and more trial-and-error when it came to the base to stack the toppings on.
Being completely honest from the start, I was more than a little disappointed when I opened up the box of pizza crusts and removed the vacuum-sealed bags that held two pizza crusts. I was only doing up one pizza (and topping it with some plum tomatoes, walnuts, goat cheese, vegan mozzarella cheese, caramelized onion, and spinach), and the box led me to believe the product I was getting was actually a good deal bigger than it was. That being said, I went ahead and opened up one of them, setting it in the middle of my pizza pan. It seemed so small laying on there. It felt almost dry and rubbery before baking and I was very nervous about using it because of it. However, I went ahead and spritzed it with some extra virgin olive oil, then layered on my toppings, save the spinach, which I added at the last minute to simply just wilt. Then, into the oven it went at 425°F for 10 minutes it went.
What emerged from the oven was a success and a surprise. The crust bubbled up a little to perfect, crunchy-but-chewy perfection. It wasn’t grainy as some tend to be in texture. And it definitely held up all the toppings without turning to mush. Crusts that get soggy are my pet peeve, and this one did not have that issue at all. It tasted flaky and like pizza you could get at a pizza place in town. I still wish the crusts were bigger, however.
These pizza crusts are a little higher on the calorie side than I usually like for my pizza crusts. For only 1/3 of the little crust, you are tacking on 130 calories, and that’s before adding the toppings. That being said, comparing it to other gluten-free pizza crusts I’ve had, this is lower…but some you can have an entire crust to yourself or at least half of one for just about the same amount. And these do make really small slices of pizza when you slice into it.
Each pizza serves 3 people, but you may want to consider a salad or something to go along with it, because the slices are far from filling when all is said and done. However, I will hand it to Schär for once again making a delicious gluten-free product that is not only easy prepare, but bakes up to pizza crust perfection. And, even better, the other slices sat in the refrigerator for two days and when reheated in the microwave, still weren’t soggy and maintained that crispy, but chewy texture of a perfect crust.
These crusts might be small…but they are mighty. And mighty good.
The Celiathlete 