This Bubble Up Pizza Bake is so much fun to make. It's sure to become a family favorite.
It starts with my super easy no-rise gluten-free pizza crust. Then, we roll the dough into bite-sized balls and place them spaced apart in a baking dish. As the pizza balls bake, they rise and expand slightly, creating a "bubble-up" effect. I'm talking little hollows between the pizza balls that will later fill up with delicious toppings. Then, the pizza balls get covered in pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and chopped pepperoni. Finally, the pizza bake gets finished off in the oven until everything is melty and gooey.
This recipe is so quick and easy that it makes for the perfect lunch or weeknight dinner.
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What Is a Bubble-Up Pizza?
A bubble-up pizza is a type of pizza bake that gets made and cooked in a casserole dish. Small pieces of dough are pinched off, then rolled into bite-sized balls, and placed spaced out in a greased casserole dish. As the dough balls bake, they will rise and expand, creating a "bubble-up" effect. The spaces in-between the pizza balls act as hollows that will hold sauce and delicious toppings.
Tip: When making a bubble-up pizza, it's important to place the dough balls generously spaced apart (1-2 inches). This helps prevent the individual dough balls from forming one large crust, which would not produce a "bubble-up" effect.
Best Pizza Topping Ideas:
When making a bubble-up pizza, it's best to not go overboard with the toppings. This is because if you load the top of the casserole dish, you may not be able to see the design of the "pizza bubbles" any longer. When adding toppings to this recipe, it's best to use chopped, diced, or crumbled ingredients. (That's why you'll see my pepperoni is chopped.)
- Crumbled sausage
- Onions and peppers
- Mushrooms
- Diced bacon
- Variety of shredded cheeses
- Fresh basil
- Black olives
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Ground beef
- Ham
- Roasted eggplant
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make a Bubble Up Pizza?
- High quality gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum. I highly recommend using a rice flour blend. I use Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag).
- 1 packet Fleishmann's Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
- Warm water (110-120 degrees)
- Granulated sugar to activate the yeast
- Egg
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar adds a slight tang to the dough and helps it rise slightly.
- Salt
- Pizza sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Toppings of choice (pepperoni, sausage, ham, etc.) Always use chopped, diced, or crumbled toppings so that it doesn't completely cover the pizza balls.
How To Make:
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Take the temperature of the water using a meat thermometer until 110-120 degrees. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast packet in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- In a large bowl, stir flour and salt together. Add egg, vinegar, olive oil, and proofed yeast. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Tip: Grease mixer attachments with a little olive oil first to prevent them from sticking.
- Lightly flour the surface of the dough. Then, scoop 1 tablespoon measurements of the dough and roll it into balls using the palms of your hands. Tip: Add a light dusting of flour as needed to roll out the dough. You can also rub the flour on your hands.
- Place the dough balls at least 1 inch apart from the sides and the other dough balls in the prepared casserole dish. Note: This is an important step. There needs to be space in-between the dough balls to see the "bubbles".
- Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the center of the dough balls have cooked through.
- Spoon pizza sauce around the dough balls/into the cavities, as well as spoon a little on top of each dough ball.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese all over the surface.
- Place toppings over the cheese, being careful not to completely cover the space between the pizza bubbles. Tip: It's best to use chopped, diced, or crumbled ingredients.
- Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted and the ingredients have heated through. Optional: Broil on Low the last 2 minutes.
- Serve.
Notes:
- This pizza dough will rise. If you want to "double" the dough without increasing the recipe, roll the dough into smaller balls (about 2 teaspoon size). Space an inch apart from one another and all sides of the baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, set it in a warm place (like in the oven, on the stove top, or underneath a light), and allow it to rise for 45-60 minutes. Then, follow all baking and topping instructions. Note: This dough becomes fluffier the longer it rises and is more of a "deep dish" pizza consistency.
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Gluten Free Bubble Up Pizza
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Ingredients
For the Gluten Free Pizza Dough:
(Yeast Proof)
- 1 packet Fleishmann's Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
- ¾ cup warm water (between 110-120 degrees)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
(Dough)
- 2 cups high quality gluten-free all-purpose flour containing xanthan gum Tested with Great Value GF All Purpose, Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour, and King Arthur's GF Measure for Measure
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Toppings:
- 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
- pizza sauce (I used about ¾ cup, but this is personal preference)
- 4 oz. chopped pepperoni
- grated parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- For the Yeast Proof: Take the temperature of the water using a meat thermometer until 110-120 degrees. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast packet in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- For the Dough: In a large bowl, stir flour and salt together. Add egg, vinegar, olive oil, and proofed yeast. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Tip: Grease mixer attachments with a little oil first to prevent sticking.
- Lightly flour the surface of the dough. Then, scoop 1 tablespoon measurements of the dough and roll it into balls using the palms of your hands. Add a light dusting of flour as needed to roll out the dough. You can also rub the flour on your hands.
- Place the dough balls at least 1 inch apart from one another and the sides of the prepared casserole dish. Note: This is an important step. There needs to be space in-between the dough balls to see the "bubbles".
- Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the center of the dough balls have cooked through.
- Spoon pizza sauce around the dough balls/into the cavities, as well as spoon a little on top of each dough ball.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese all over the surface.
- Place toppings over the cheese, being careful not to completely cover the space between the pizza bubbles. Tip: It's best to use chopped, diced, or crumbled ingredients.
- Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted and the ingredients have heated through. Optional: Broil on Low for the last 2 minutes.
- Serve.
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