Summer is almost here...which means the house will soon turn into a sauna any time I use the oven. Mindful of trying to keep utility costs down while maintaining a comfortable level of cool air in the house, I'm on the hunt for recipes that don't need time in the oven. But what about pizza, our Friday night staple?

While looking for inspiration for skillet pizza online, I ran across an article at the L.A. Times (The New Pan Pizza: No Oven Required). I decided to loosely follow the instructions in the article and use my own pizza dough recipe for the crust. I am very pleased with how my pizza turned out - crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside - it even had awesome charred spots just like my favorite pizzas of yesteryear (which are made in coal or wood fired ovens and are definitely not gluten free).

We of course don't put cheese on our pizza anymore. But if someday "they" come out with a mozzarella-style cheese that is gluten, casein and soy free, I'll top the pizza with it and finish the pizza under the broiler for a minute, just until the cheese melts. Hey, I can dream.

This recipe makes two 6-inch personal size pizzas, or one 10 inch pizza to serve 2 people. The dough can easily be doubled to make two 10 inch pizzas to serve 4 people.

1 cup GF flour blend (I used this one)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Italian herb mix
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. good quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the skillet
Toppings of your choice: sauteed vegetables, red sauce or pesto, pepperoni, etc.

Preheat two 6 inch (or one 10 inch) cast iron skillets over medium heat. Smear with olive oil.

Whisk together the flour through the herbs. Make a well in the center and add the water and olive oil all at once. Stir with a fork until well combined.

Divide the batter in half if using two 6 inch skillets. Working quickly, spread the dough thinly to cover the bottom of the skillet, sprinkling generously with cornmeal or rice flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hand. Cook over medium heat until the top is slightly dry and the bottom is light brown. Flip over to cook on the other side - don't worry, the dough won't fall apart. Cook another couple of minutes until light brown and dry, then flip again. Quickly top the pizza with your favorite toppings. Cover and cook a couple of minutes or until the toppings are warm (and if using pepperoni, until the pepperoni is soft) and the bottom of the crust is slightly charred. Remove to a plate, cut into quarters and serve hot.