Gluten-Free Harissa Chicken Pizza with Pizza-Oven Crust

Step by step

1. Whisk the gluten-free flour, psyllium, yeast, sugar, and 8 g kosher salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons olive oil, then mix firmly with a sturdy spoon for 2 minutes. The dough should resemble a very thick, sticky paste rather than conventional wheat dough; extra dry flour would make the finished crust dense.
2. Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes. Psyllium absorbs water gradually, so this pause turns the sticky mixture into a soft, shapeable dough. With lightly oiled hands, divide it into two equal balls, place them in an oiled container, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 45–60 minutes, until visibly expanded by about half.
3. Heat the pizza oven with the stone at 625–650°F for at least 30 minutes. Use an infrared thermometer if available; gluten-free crust benefits from strong bottom heat, but the extreme 800–900°F temperatures used for Neapolitan dough can scorch its surface before the wetter center sets.
4. While the dough rises, toss the chicken with the harissa, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put it in a preheated cast-iron skillet and cook in the pizza oven, rotating the skillet as needed, for 5–8 minutes. Remove each piece once it reaches 165°F internally; the chicken will receive only brief additional heating on the pizza.
5. Mix the crushed tomatoes, garlic, and black pepper. In a separate bowl, toss the mozzarella with the cornstarch. That light starch coating binds surface moisture and milk fat, helping the cheese melt evenly rather than releasing oily puddles under the pizza oven’s concentrated heat.
6. Lightly oil two 10-inch pizza screens or perforated pizza pans. Dust each with rice flour. Place one dough ball in the center and press outward with oiled fingertips into a 10-inch round about 1/4 inch thick, leaving a slightly raised rim. Patch any cracks by pressing the dough together; do not stretch it in the air like wheat dough.
7. Par-bake each crust on its screen for 3–5 minutes, rotating once, until the surface looks dry and the bottom is set but only lightly colored. Cool for 2 minutes, then spread each crust with half the tomato mixture, leaving the rim exposed. Divide the mozzarella, roasted pepper, and cooked chicken between them without piling the center too heavily.
8. Return the pizzas to the oven, still on their screens, for 2 minutes. Once the crusts are firm enough to move, slide them directly onto the stone and cook for another 2–4 minutes, rotating frequently, until the undersides are browned, the rims feel crisp, and the cheese is bubbling without burning.
9. Transfer the pizzas to a rack for 2 minutes so steam can escape without softening the bottoms. Finish with parsley, slice each pizza into four pieces, and serve hot. DUNZO!