• There are several benefits to buying premade gluten-free pizza dough balls, including no need to mix your own dough.
• Although premade crusts may have been associated with lower quality in the past, manufacturers have made plenty of progress on their recipes.

By Tracy Morin

Not long after Sean Ferraro, owner of Madison Avenue Pizza in Dunedin, Florida, opened his operation, he knew he wanted to diversify his crust offerings to include options like cauliflower and gluten-free. The only problem was that he couldn’t commit to the equipment needed to do it himself from scratch. “We looked at developing our own recipes for these crusts but, to do it right, we would need a separate mixer, which wouldn’t be feasible for us,” Ferraro says. “Because of the risk of cross-contamination from our mixer, we decided to use premade gluten-free and cauliflower crusts instead.” 

Ferraro knew that, in his area, there was a huge market for gluten-free and cauliflower pizzas, and it turned out that his instincts were spot-on. “The customer response has been incredible—we sell cases of each crust (gluten-free and cauliflower) every week,” he says. “People really enjoy them, and they love that they can get our signature items on a crust that fits with their diet.”

“Our mantra is somewhat antithetical to premade crusts—our mission is to give pizzaioli a gluten-free dough they can make into their pie, as opposed to a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach.”
— Kim Desch, Bravadough!/Wild Flour Bakery

Premade Promise

Kim Desch, CEO, general manager and product developer for Bravadough! (by Wild Flour Bakery, its sales/distribution arm), based in Spearfish, South Dakota, says there are several benefits of buying premade gluten-free dough balls, including—as Ferraro found—no need to mix your own dough. Therefore, no separate mixer or prep space is necessary to keep pizzas gluten-free.

Related: 3 reasons to add gluten-free desserts to your pizzeria’s menu

Though premade crusts may have been associated with lower quality in the past, manufacturers have made plenty of progress on their recipes. “Our mantra is somewhat antithetical to premade crusts—our mission is to give pizzaioli a gluten-free dough they can make into their pie, as opposed to a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach,” Desch explains. “With a full fermentation profile, just like wheat, and because we are 100% yeast-raised, with no added cauliflower or pea proteins to change the flavor as the dough ferments, you get a flavor profile that goes from fresh to full sourdough.”

With so many premade options available, Ferraro recommends doing thorough tastings. “We sampled a lot of crusts from all of the distributors that we purchase from, and we all agreed on the ones we thought tasted best,” he explains. “Customers understand that they aren’t buying a traditional yeast and flour leavened crust, and they understand that it is going to taste different, but it still needs to taste good. Do your research to find the best product, and then stick with it.”

Premade Profits

No premade crust is going to be as profitable as the dough you make in-house, but you can also realize significant profits in a variety of ways. First, Desch notes, a premade dough ball allows chefs to get creative—going way beyond just pizza. “With a dough ball, the gluten-free menu items you can add are almost unlimited: calzones, stromboli, rustic flatbreads, knots, sticks, dipping breads, table breads, cinnamon rolls—the list goes on,” she says. “If you can do it with a wheat dough ball, you can do it with a gluten-free dough ball. And it allows the operator to create gluten-free pizza their way, so any style of pizza is possible: Neapolitan, Sicilian, Detroit, Chicago, Roman, Grandma. You can make pies that are oblong, thick, thin, with full cornices; any size, shape and thickness. The point is to make a gluten-free pie that represents the operator’s brand, not just a dummied-down (and more expensive) version.”

In addition, Ferraro has found that customers are happy to absorb the extra cost. While a 14” dough ball made in-house costs him less than $1 to make, a premade crust can cost more than $3. “We do pass the cost along to the customers, and they are happy to pay it,” he says. “Most people who follow a restricted diet understand the costs associated with it and are usually looking for places that accommodate them—not the cheapest price. Nobody gives us a hard time about the price.”

“Our smallest regular-crust pizza is 14”, but we offer a 10” cauliflower and 12” gluten-free, and both crusts are delicious enough to suggest to customers looking for a smaller pizza.”
— Sean Ferraro, Madison Avenue Pizza

Plus, Ferraro has found ways to make these crusts work in other applications, like serving them as personal pies at the bar. “We have a large bar and a large crowd of bar regulars, so we suggest them to our customers looking for a smaller pizza,” he says. “Our smallest regular-crust pizza is 14”, but we offer a 10” cauliflower and 12” gluten-free, and both crusts are delicious enough to suggest to customers looking for a smaller pizza.”

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You may also look around for less expensive options in the world of premade crusts. Bravadough!, for example, recently started offering its formulation as a dry mix, which allows operators to reduce their costs by about 30%; they simply add water and olive oil to a traditional two-stage Neapolitan dough—or water and butter to a Sicilian-style dough—when using the dry mix. This can reduce costs and improve profits, while retaining that legendary gluten-free diner loyalty. “Repeat, loyal gluten-free customers are golden, and, in the long run, that far outweighs short-term product profit margins,” Desch notes.

Ferraro also finds that premade crusts keep waste to a minimum, while smart storage and prep ensure no cross-contamination. “We keep everything frozen and pull only what we need for the night, and the cauliflower crusts and gluten-free crusts are different enough not to be mistaken for each other,” he says. “We have little to no waste. We also use different cutters for the gluten-free and cauliflower crusts to reduce cross-contamination.”

To further reduce the possibility of cross-contamination in the pizzeria’s ovens, Ferraro also buys crusts that have an aluminum pan liner. “The aluminum pan keeps the pizza off the deck and off the flour in the oven,” he explains. “I highly recommend that operators look into and purchase gluten-free and cauliflower crusts if they don’t do so already. They’re very profitable and help accommodate people who love your food but might have dietary restrictions.”  

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

Gluten-Free, Done Right

Kim Desch, CEO, general manager and product developer for Bravadough!, offers her top tips for adding premade gluten-free crusts to your operation:

1. Use a premade product that gives you more than just pizza. Your gluten-free customers will absolutely order gluten-free breadsticks, garlic knots, pan-style pizza, wraps and more, if you offer them! A product that gives you multiple solutions is more profitable and cost-effective, with less waste.

2. Make sure the product you choose is worthy of your brand. Gluten-free diners always do a full visual comparison when the pizza comes to the table, so it’s ideal when the gluten-free version actually looks like yours and tastes like yours—that upcharge they’re paying looks well worth it for a change!

3. Don’t assume you need a separate space for gluten-free. Diners don’t expect your restaurant to guarantee zero risk of cross-contamination if it’s a non-gluten-free restaurant. But still use the best techniques (change gloves or use clean hands, use a barrier as the pie goes down the prep line, etc.) and give them a dining experience they’ll want to return for.

The million-dollar question is: Would you want to eat that gluten-free pie or menu item, and would you come back again for it? “Good enough” doesn’t generate repeat customers—great does!