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Buckwheat flour. Can it be used for pizza dough, and what other uses/properties does it have? I remember making crepes from buckwheat flour and I'd like to use it more often. I'm fond of pizzas, the child that I am, and was wondering about why do you hear so little about alternative flour being used for pizza dough.

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Great Pan Cakes, or add some to Cookies/Biscuits. –  Optionparty Apr 6 '13 at 2:17

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up vote 6 down vote accepted

You can use buckwheat for pizza dough, but it will not be anything like an actual wheat flour. Buckwheat isn't actually a grain and doesn't contain gluten. The gluten is what gives pizza dough it's chewy texture (and makes it stretchable when you're tossing the pie).

You need to substitute something like xanthum gum to make up for it. If you want to go down this path, google 'gluten free baking' for advice and directions.

On the other hand, buckwheat makes an excellent partial flour substitute in pancakes.

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Alternatively, a little buckwheat flour could be added to otherwise normal pizza dough just for the nutty flavor. The buckwheat could be used in place of cornmeal on the peel. –  Sobachatina Oct 9 '12 at 1:49

If you're looking for a traditional pizza dough, no it won't work.

However, there's a style of pizza (seems to be centered around Maryland), that uses a biscuit style crust for pizza. If you wanted to make a gluten-free pizza crust, or really wanted to make a buckwheat pizza, that could be a viable route.

Buckwheat does impart a different flavor than flour -- I made Poffertjes a few months ago for my neighbors, and the kids ate them no questions asked, but their mom wasn't a fan of the buckwheat. I'd suggest for a first attempt that you try a partial substitution over 100% buckwheat.

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