Pizza (low carb and fast)

Author Notes

When I went low carb and no sugar, in 2015, one of the first things I needed an alternative for was pizza. And while I have published a few different versions of faux-dough alternatives, and all of them are good, this one is still my standby because it is fast, fresh, and really good. You can use the store-bought sauces and toppings, if you want, but when I make my own sauce and meatballs/sausages (see elsewhere), I make these super-simple and simply more delicious versions of this pizza. Joseph’s Bakery has a terrific low carb pita (“Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat”) that keeps forever. I am not sure it is absolutely necessary, but I soften up the pita before I top it by sprinkling one of them with a generous amount of water on both sides, then plop it into my countertop convection oven (where this pizza gets baked, anyhow) while it is pre-heating to 425F. I keep the wetted pita in there about 1-2 minutes, just until the surface moisture is gone and it has been absorbed into the bread. This creates a more doughy texture to the pita.

UPDATE: I picked up a couple of small, round pizza stones that are just larger than these pitas. So now I pre-heat my toaster oven with the pizza stone in it to 450 F, holding at 450 F after the warm-up for 10-15 minutes to be sure the stone is heated. Then I sprinkle the surface of the stone with a little corn meal. I do not need to bother with wetting the bread ahead of time any more, and just slide the prepared pizza onto the stone. The baking time is definitely reduced to 12 minutes or so. —Brian Coppola