This recipe springs from love for my three favorite men.
My father has been my hero every winter (and every other season) for as far back as I can remember. As the cold settles in and darkness comes earlier each night, my dad starts the first of two countdowns that speak hope to my heart. The first countdown starts in early December. Dad reminds me how many days there are until the days (meaning daylight) start getting longer.
Sometime in January, Dad starts counting off the weeks until sap season. Sap season in New England is that wonderful window of time when the maple trees start to thaw during the day and refreeze at night. With enough warm days and cold nights, buckets fill with sap that gets boiled down to make a beautiful maple syrup. Spring is just around the corner from sap season. Winter’s end is then in sight. Three cheers for warmer temperatures and longer stretches of daylight! And for my dad. And maple syrup.
The second source of inspiration is my son. Tim has never been fond of eggs but loves pizza for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. If you scour the internet for breakfast pizza, you’ll mostly find versions that include egg. A little tinkering in the kitchen led to this family favorite. It goes great with a medley of fruit.
When we discovered my husband could not tolerate gluten, the recipe underwent a gluten-free makeover. It’s every bit as delicious as the first version, and no one in our family has to feel left out.
Here is our gluten-free version of Maple Breakfast Sausage Pizza.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a standard round pizza pan.
Precook 8 oz. maple sausage. (I cook mine in a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of water in the pan to keep it from scorching.) Cut the cooked sausage links into 1/4” slices.
Whisk together in a bowl:
2 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
½ tsp. xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend includes xanthan gum)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Add all at once:
2/3 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
Stir with a fork just until the dough is blended. Spread on a greased pizza pan to form the crust. Use your hands to spread out the dough.
In a small bowl, whisk together the following:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (you can put cold cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds)
2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
Spread evenly over the crust.
Top with:
Cooked maple sausage
8 oz. shredded Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese (use more or less to suit
your preference)
Bake in a preheated oven until the cheese and edges of the crust are lightly browned. Start checking after 10 minutes. Be sure the crust is cooked through. Enjoy!
Gluten-Free Baker's Bench 