Friday night in our house is pizza night, and since going gluten-free we have changed that from ordering pizza out to making our own pizzas. We were quick to realize not only is this healthier and cheaper, but tastes better too. There are a growing number of pizza places serving gluten-free pizza, however, they are usually more expensive than their gluten-filled counterpart, so in the end, we have found that creating our own pizzas makes it a fun family activity for all of us.
I started out making pizzas at home by creating my own pizza crust using recipes I found in my favorite magazines, or using Bob’s Red Mill pizza crust mix. But then I discovered some ready-made pizza crusts that I enjoyed more than my homemade ones, and my family was hooked. I am always a proponent of making things from scratch, but sometimes it is just easier to get parts of the dish ready-made. I like to justify this with the fact that I make my own sauce.
There are two pizza crusts of which we have become loyal fans, Udi’s and Kinnikinnick. Udi’s pizza crust is a round, individual-sized thin crust. It tastes just like it came out of a wood-burning pizza oven and gets nice and crispy. I have had my gluten-able friends eating this and not be able to tell the difference. These sell for $5.19 at Woodman’s, my local grocery store which is stocked with gluten-free goodies, and are two to a pack. The ingredients according to their website:
Water, Tapioca Starch, Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Egg Whites, Canola Oil, Sugar, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Yeast, Cultured Corn Syrup, Ascorbic Acid (Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Sulfate), Enzymes Contains: Eggs
Kinnikinnick offers a 7″ square pizza individually-sized pizza crust with four to a pack, and sells for $8.69 at Woodman’s. There is also a 10″ available, or one could put all 4 together to make a 14″ pizza, as a local pizza place, Aurelio’s, does in the Chicago-area. This crust is a thin crust, but a bit fluffier than Udi’s. The longer it is cooked the crispier it will get.
The ingredients according to the Kinnikinnick website:
Sweet Rice Flour, Water, Tapioca Starch, Whole Eggs, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Sugar, Dextrose, Cellulose, Yeast, Pea Protein, Sodium Carboxy Methylcellulose, Salt, Corn Meal
Both are free of dairy, nuts, and soy.
The verdict: While both pizza crusts are comparable in size, they are delicious in different ways. Both are equally enjoyable eating experiences. As a family, we will go through phases where we prefer one over the other, and after months of eating Udi’s every Friday night, we are now on a Kinnikinnick kick. I really like the slightly chewy and fluffy texture of this crust. I also like how it comes with four to a pack and ends up being a bit cheaper than Udi’s. Both are floured on the bottom, I assume with corn meal so that when they come out of the oven, they really taste as they came out of a brick oven. I must say I like them equally, it really just depends on the mood I am in at the time. The Kinnikinnick is a bit more filling and dense, and the Udi’s crust is a bit lighter, which shows in the nutritional data. Kinnikinnick says a single serving is half a crust, whereas Udi’s says it is a full crust, and realistically I think an adult would eat an entire crust to themselves of either brand. Yet, each crust holds up well with many different toppings added to it. My personal favorite is the homemade sauce, fresh mozzarella, caramelized onion, Kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes, and spinach.
What is your favorite gluten-free pizza crust?
Hmm….between Udi’s & Kinnikinnick, I think I would choose Udi’s. We eat a lot of Bob’s Red Mill pizza crust here, too.
Kim
I’ve never had the Udi’s gluten free pizza crust before but we are HUGE fans of the Kinnikinnick crust here!
Funny, I just tried Udi’s for lunch today. Loved it. They are side by side in the freezer with my Kinnikinnick ones, which matches my opinion. Really like them both!
I will be alternating them with BRM and crusts from Molly’s GF Bakery in Pewaukee, WI. Great post!
Right after I was diagnosed, someone told me I had to try the KK crusts. We thought they were the most horrid product we’d tried to date. I cried because I thought from that taste test that I’d never have great tasting pizza again. Then someone told me the crusts had been improved upon so I tried them again, just out of curiosity. I still could not tolerate the taste or texture of the KK crust. The fabulous crust from Udi’s is all we use at home now. My store doesn’t carry them so we have to order them online. I’m hoping someone brings them in locally soon.
I love the Kinnikinnick crusts. They cook up so nicely even in the microwave! Sometimes I just use them to make cheesy bread or use brushetta toppings and other times full blow pizza. For the first time in over 2 years, I can eat pizza with the rest of my family!!!!
Just an FYI: the Udi’s crust is 1/2 crust per serving (the label says package serves 4). Thanks for this review—now I’ll have to try a KK crust.
I think this also depends on when you were diagnosed and what was on the market at the time. As a person diagnosed when Ener-G white bread had only hit the market and there was NO other GF food available at that time and Bette Hagman was just publishing her first book, it tasted like shoe leather, and I had a similar reaction like Tiffany had but to bread and I did not eat it. Yes, Ener-G did branch into other bread like tapioca and I tried it and I used it for french toast but I still remained pretty bread free for 15 years. Then, as I am Canadian, Kinnikinnick showed up and I liked it and started eating some bread like their multigrain and in Vancouver, BC where I live it had no GF pizza places until 2 years ago, so I made pizza for the first time in 15 years ago with their then round crusts. Yes, they have improved their crusts and they are now square and used in all Boston Pizzas in Canada, and are the best to buy in my opinion, other than Glutino’s pre-made pizzas which I add more toppings too.. Udi’s was introduced to us at our National Conference in June, where there were a few pizzas served but I was not quick enough to grab a piece and since July the Whole Foods here has brought in just 2 types of bread and muffins no pizza crusts!. So I hope we get pizza crusts soon as they are really expensive to order over the border!
Some may prefer the thin crust of Udi’s, but I feel like I’m being ripped off for the price. I have a hungry teenage gf boy who isn’t sated by the Udi’s Crust. We love the KK crusts, and I’ve even taken to making a tomato-free topping with sunflower oil Indian spices and calling it “Indian pizza” (my son loves spicy tastes!). LOVE the Udi’s bagels and for my son I’ll make pizza bagels with those instead.
Has anyone tried Still Riding Pizza Crusts? They are AMAZING!!!!!!!