Those of you that are purchasing your gluten free crusts already parbaked – what company are you purchasing them from? We have a customer with an interest in them, but I’m unable to locate a vendor. I have been in contact with one – but they are not responding to my request. I know we saw one in the Pizza Deck pack of advertisers recently, but I can’t find that information either.
Any help leading us in the right direction would be appreciated. We do not have the facilities to make it ourselves, nor do we want to undertake that task, but would rather buy them premade.
One of my buddy’s added a par baked gluten free crust to his menu. About 2 weeks later he stopped selling them as he had a big problem with them breaking. Not sure what brand he used but I’ll try to find out.
I went to the pizza show this year in the search for the perfect gluten free crust and I think I found it.
Venice bakery. tasted A lot of crust over that weekend and this was miles ahead. http://venicebakery.com/ (310) 322 - 7357 ask for Joe.
The problem with breakage is the flour is rice flour, mine are shipped in bubble wrap and haven’t had that problem yet, also they are reasonable priced I get mine for 18.00 a case of 20 10inch threw Roma, they have all different sizes…I did a blind study yesterday and 4 out of 5 people couldn’t tell the difference.
I tried rich’s and was very unimpressed, I do know the gluten free community likes them but I think its because most thinks its their only choice and to me it taste like eating a rice cracker. But Rich’s is widely available so if it works for you…I am getting ready to hit all the schools and really promote the heck out of it
When we launched GF/AF pizzas over a year ago I had the exact same problem with them cracking on shipment…and those that were available at that time were horrid at best.
We had a different reason for wanting to sell these since our young son suffers from severe food allergies. With that impetus I took about 6-8 months and developed my own crust. I just looked at my numbers and as of last week we sold 10,000 pies from one store here in Pittsburgh.
This is a VERY tough market because they know what’s good…and those that they have to suffer through eating will not turn into multiple repeat customers. My average customer returns twice a week to buy a pizza because they know…that we know…what went into the development of our crust.
When you find one OR two ask for samples and have your GF customers come in for a taste test. As for the ones mentioned…YUK! Mine is different though since mine is allergen free first…and gluten free by default and that does not work the opposite way. With that we can say we are the ONLY pizzeria to offer a completely allergen-free pizza and wow did that open my market.
We sell GF pizzas from frozen bases we buy in. Yes we have problems with cracked bases and this is caused by the lack of gluten which makes the bases brittle. There is nothing to add “flexibility” to the base. We get them from the freezer and put them on screens specifically used for GF only and sauce and cheese them (on the frozen base). We then top them and place them in the oven while the base is still frozen. I find this the best way to cook them and to stop bases cracking . they are very fragile. Also they don’t come out overly crispy like thawed GF bases do, but you have to cook them less otherwise they burn.
Thanks to all for your responses. Actually it was Rich’s who we were trying to get a sample from, but having a problem with getting a vendor in the area who could supply them and a problem with someone from Rich’s contacting us. However, we were speaking with our Roma rep today and she did indicate that they now have a product in stock and are getting us a sample (not sure who the manfacturer is yet). We have a customer who has been asking for them and I told them once we get the sample we wanted them to try a pizza and give us their feedback – since we have NO idea what a great GF crust and what isn’t. Hopefully Roma’s product will be good and we will have this option for our customers who need it.
How can you guys promote a crust as gluten free when you are cooking it in the same kitchen that you are using flour in and also baking it in the same oven? Flour is in the air even if you cant see it yourself. If the crust is contaminated with flour it is no longer gluten free. For someone who actually cant eat gluten this is a very big deal compared to the person who is just on a gluten free diet just because.
HoustonPizza…Roma can get you Venice’s crust…I will send you over the product number if you need them. as far as cooking these I do thaw mine and the 14’s are the only breakage that we have had so far…knock on wood. Today I am trying to come up with how to saturate the market with the info that we now have Gluten free crust…BC here is a thought, you had mentioned that flour particles are in the air even though we cant see them, how is that different than them breathing in the particles in every day life?
BC Search for old threads on the subject. This one has been discussed at length.
Bottom line is that there are some people who are allergic to gluten and you are correct; they should never order from a typical shop. There is just no way to to assure “100% Gluten Free”. Many more are gluten intolerant and a bit of flour around the kitchen is not going to bother them. The same is true with lactose intolerant people like my daughter. If she drinks a big glass of milk she will get a tummy ache, but eating most foods prepared with some milk in small quantities is not an issue.
Rockstar i am not sure what the difference is other than that a pizza shop has way more flour in the air than most places you would be. Im just going on what i was told by someone who can not eat gluten. I would just caution anyone who is advertising gluten free to make sure they know their limitations with it.
We do our best and take every possible care to serve our valued customers with gluten-free foods. Our gluten free pizza crusts are supplied by a gluten-free bakery. They …arrive, are baked and delivered to you. Our toppings have been thoroughly researched and confirmed gluten free and every effort is made to keep these ingredients free of contamination. However, Daddio’s is not a gluten free environment. We mix pizza dough throughout the day and at any given time, particles of flour are present in the kitchen and dining areas. Furthermore, we can not warranty that the foods we serve are actually gluten free due to changes in brand or supplier and/or cross contamination caused from human error. Daddio’s does not assume any liability for the foods offered.
Here is a disclaimer that I borrowed from Scott Anthony from Fox’s Pizza in Punxsutawney, PA
The quote Daddio has provided is similar to what our attorney has recommended we do IF we were to delve into the GF market. I have a very good GF recipe we played with at the AIB “pizza camp” and have used it around the house when we were in the testing stages. Currently I’m just not sure we want to move into a GF menu at the Pub however simply because of the troubles which COULD occur if someone ate our product even after being well warned by a disclaimer. There’s always an attorney out there what would file a suit on a rock if there was a chance of a payday. I think any move into offering Gluten Free menu selections would be best vetted by your own attorney first as a precaution.
We have a few customers who are gluten intolerant and they asked if i could make bases using gluten free flour. I was hesitant at first but i decided to give it a try and its actually very simple. I purchased a gluten free bread flour mix that contains a mixture of rice and potato flour as well as xantham gum. I just make the dough by hand using the flour mix, extra xantham gum, sugar, olive oil, salt and water. I do this before opening when the store is spotless and free of normal flour. It’s very simple and after doing it at least once a week for the past few months i wouldnt even think about buying in gluten free bases.
Remember, celiac disease is a condition of the small intestine and it affects nutrient absorption. A person with celiac disease may experience discomfort if ingesting gluten, but it will not cause anaphylactic shock nor will it cause symptoms that are life threatening. That is why someone with a gluten sensitivity is willing to roll the dice and try GF options, because the worst that can happen is probably abdominal issues and a bad case of the runs if cross contamination is severe. We simply state on our menu that we do our best to isolate our GF options, but that this is after all a pizza restaurant, and those with severe sensitivities should probably not order. We haven’t had a single complaint and probably sell 5 or so a week. Not crazy, but those that want it have it as an option.