Is there such a thing as Puffball mushroom pizza?

by Beth
(Indiana, US)

QUESTION:

I overhead some people talking about making pizza with Puffball mushrooms.

I don’t think they were talking about adding mushrooms as a topping. From what I understood, they were using the puffball mushroom as the base of the pizza, instead of pizza dough.

How on earth does that work? Have you heard of this?


ANSWER:

Beth, hi

Fun question!

And yes, you’re right… using Puffballs when making pizza isn’t about the toppings. It’s definitely about replacing the dough.

First off, we’re talking about Giant Puffball mushrooms, the kind that can be as big as a basketball. Slice through one of those at the center, cut off a ¾ inch slice, and you have a slice of mushroom that’s about the dimension of a medium pizza.

In the photos above you can see my very first effort at doing this for myself.

I didn’t buy a whole Puffball mushroom. I just purchased a slice from a mushroom seller at a local market.

As you can see in the first photo, the slice is the right thickness, and still has some skin on the side, which you peel off before cooking.

Many people cook their mushrooms dry, but I can’t help adding a splash of olive oil first. I then kept it over a medium heat and watched it shrink.

Pretty soon that ¾ of an inch shrinks down to the thickness of a thin-crush pizza. There’s a LOT of moisture in mushrooms!

Watch it turn golden brown, like you see in the third photo.

If I were doing a whole pizza this way, I’d remove it from the pan at this stage, put it on a baking tray and add pizza sauce, cheese and any other toppings I wanted. I’d then put it on the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes.

This was my quick and dirty trial version, so I left it in the pan and just added some mozzarella cheese on top, as you can see in the fourth and final photo.

The verdict?

Pretty darned good! The funny thing is, the Puffball mushroom actually tastes like pizza dough!

One point to mention… if you find a Giant Puffball in the wild, cut it right through the middle and check the insides. If it is solid white flesh, you’re good to go. Make some pizza! If it isn’t solid white flesh, through and through, leave it be. It’s probably past its eating prime, and no longer suitable for the stove.

Anyway… short answer… Yes, Puffball mushroom pizza really is a thing!