Monday, August 4, 2008

Honey Whole Wheat Grilled Pizza

Last week, Amber wrote to ask me if I had any tips for grilled pizza. If you need help with a recipe, leave me a comment or shoot me an email (vsmylroie@aol.com) and I'll give it a go. There are three kinds of people that should not make grilled pizza: #1-people who want to follow a recipe EXACTLY as written, without having to watch and adjust, #2 people who like to talk on the phone while they make dinner and #3 those who like their pizza supremely loaded with toppings. At times, I fall into all of the above categories. But I'm also in the category of people-who-will-sacrifice-anything-for-fabulously-good-food. So if you want to make grilled pizza, and trust me you want to, you have got to pay attention, follow directions closely-watching and adjusting as you go, and go easy on your toppings. The reward for your sacrifice will be a smoky, crispy, scrumptious, summery pizza.
And don't be like me and try to read the directions for the first time while you're making the recipe; read everything carefully before you begin.
For the dough, I like to use my sturdiest honey whole wheat crust (recipe below), guaranteed not to slip through the grill grates. I recommend it highly for grilled pizzas, since it's not too soft or elastic.
I'll also include my recipe for pizza sauce, but it's not essential to this recipe. If you have one that you love, go ahead and use it. As for toppings, keep in mind a couple of things. The pizzas are going to cook very very quickly, so if you have a raw topping, it may not have time to cook through. If you want to include a vegetable-such as onions, raw peppers, or mushrooms, you'll need to saute them briefly. For this reason, I used sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, and roasted red pepper on my pizza, since they don't require any precooking. Use any meats of your choice, but again, be sure if is fully cooked. I made pepperoni pizzas for the two little charges, and the pepperoni never really crisps up. It stays a little soft and greasy looking, which doesn't bother children at all, but wouldn't do for me. For cheese, again, keep it a little light. You also want to be sure that you stay clear of the edges of the pizza. Every grill is a little different, so pay close attention. On my parents grill, the pizzas are easily finished with 90 seconds per side; on my grill they need about 6 minutes total. No matter what, make sure the grill is clean and preheated, or else your dough really will stick. I'll give directions on how to put it all together, and I'll include my exact recipes below.
Making the Pizzas:
#1 Give your grill grates a quick scrub. Spray the clean grates with no stick cooking spray. Preheat the grill to medium.
#2 Have a spatula and all your topping ingredients ready on a tray near the grill. Have your pizza dough rolled out (small pizzas are easier than large) and brushed lightly on both sides with olive oil.
#3 Place one pizza on the grill. Close lid for 90 seconds. Open lid and look at your dough; if it has bubbles and smells like it's cooking, take a peek of the underside. If it has grill marks and is dry to the touch, flip it over. If not, give it a little more time.
#4 Once flipped over, work quickly to spread a bit of sauce and sprinkle lightly with cheese and sparsely with other toppings. Close the lid again for 60 seconds. If your pizza toppings are melted and all looks well, take it off the grill and you're done. If your dough seems done, but the toppings aren't quite melted, move your pizza to a cooler spot on the grill. (I move mine to the higher level.) If your dough isn't done, close the grill again for 60 second intervals.
Honey Whole Wheat Grilled Pizza with Assorted Toppings and Super Fast Pizza Sauce
Estimated Cost: $8.00
Honey Whole Wheat Crust:
Notes: You'll be done in minutes if you have a free standing mixer.
1/2 cup very warm water, plus more later
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (I like SAF yeast)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I like Prairie Gold and King Arthur)
In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and just a drop of the honey. Stir to dissolve. Let stand for five minutes. If the mixture is puffed, you know your yeast is active. In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, an additional 1/2 cup water, honey, olive oil, salt and white flour. Stir until combined. Add wheat flour, a little at a time, kneading as you go along. Knead for about four minutes, or until smooth. Shape bread into ball and coat on all sides with olive oil. Place in clean bowl (I wipe out the mixing bowl with a paper towel) and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for one hour. The best place to let your bread rise in the summer is in a warm car with the windows rolled up.
Punch down dough and divide into four equal portions. Roll each portion into a circle. If it shrinks back too much, let the dough rest for five minutes. It's much easier to handle four smaller (about 6-8 inch) pizzas on the grill. Brush both sides of the dough lightly with olive oil.
Super Fast Pizza Sauce:
Notes: This makes enough sauce for the grilled pizza, but if you ever wanted to bake your pizza, I'd double this recipe.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 fat clove garlic, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14 ounce) can Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with their juices and all other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until juices are thick. At this point you will have a chunky sauce. You can take a hand held potato masher or fork and mash it down a little bit for a semi chunky sauce, or use an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender) to make it smooth, if you prefer.
My grilled pizza toppings:
Pepperoni for the kids
I used about 1 and 1/4 cups mozzarella plus 1/2 cup Parmesan for all the pizzas
Sliced Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Roasted Red Peppers
crushed red pepper flakes
Coming Tomorrow:
Tuesdays with Dorie
Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Banana Loaf

39 comments:

Anne said...

That looks amazing Prudy! I love that you incorporate whole wheat into so many recipes. Keep it up! :)

Aggie said...

This looks so so good!! I have never tried grilled pizza, I've been scared to try making it, but after seeing this I think I can do it! I love the grill marks on the crust! Great job Prudy!!

RecipeGirl said...

I'm definitely bookmarking this one!! Grilling pizza has been on my 'to do' list forever. Before summer's end, I hereby vow to grill me some pizza!

Chef Jeena said...

I love your pizza topping it sounds lovely and looks really tasty - topped onto a honey whole wheat base YUM!

Anonymous said...

We're going out to buy a new grill tonight and I think that this will be the first thing we make on it!

Amber said...

Great Job! I love the little pizzas! And you are right-go easy on the toppings and you MUST pay attention to the dough. I will have to try your sauce sometime!

Mary Ann said...

Looks absolutely wonderful! I have been looking for a great homemade pizza sauce, so I will have to give this one a try! It looks so great and I am going to use your 2 ice cream/sorbet recipes for an upcoming birthday! I am so excited to try them!

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

I love pizza! Especially home made!

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Tomorrows recipe............creative alturnative! Be sure to check ours. I think you will think it very neat!

Sara said...

I am totally going to make these tonight. Thanks for the idea!

Anonymous said...

Oh! I made pizza last night for dinner too! I add fennel seeds to my dough- throwback from grandmama. We've never grilled them though. I'll have to try it out now.
I also made your vanilla ice cream with raspberries (which prompted The Husband to say... This is the best vanilla ice cream ever!") and the Raspberry Sorbet- which, seriously... almost didn't make it out of the maker. I kept dipping my spoon in "to check" it. Thanks for the recipes. I'm going to have to make up for lost time with my ice cream maker and that sorbet.
~The Cat's Pajamas

The Blonde Duck said...

I think even I can manage that! I just bought some pepparoni the other day too....

Ali said...

I haven't tried grilled pizza yet and I have been wanting too! YAY! I am so excited to try this recipe.

ps - thanks for commenting on my blog! I wanted to tell all my friends about your blog. I hope it is okay that I used your pictures (with your links of course). Let me know if it isn't.

I was wondering about the beans in the crockpot. I wasn't sure how long to cook them. Did you do the same (1 1/2 hours) as the stovetop? I would love to try them again and see if I can get them right next time...

NKP said...

That looks great! We love to make grilled pizza. Ours are definitely not as round as yours though! Sort of freeform by the time we get them on the grill. There is nothing better than the taste of grilled pizza though!

Michal said...

i've really been wanting to try grilled pizza this summer. now i have the step by step so it doesn't sound so risky. thanks, prudy.

Pamela said...

I've never done grilled pizza before either. I really have to give it a try. Everything about this recipe looks delicious. I think you'll enjoy the ice cream!

test it comm said...

That grilled pizza looks great! I like the sound of the honey whole wheat crust.

Anonymous said...

I've been meaning to make some grilled pizza, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I don't know why either. You make it look so easy!

Sara said...

Prudy, I am making this dough as I type, and it is super thick and tough. I only have added 1/2 cup of the wheat flour. I have been reading over and over the recipe and can't figure out what went wrong. Is it supposed to be super tough to knead? Your dough looks so nice and smooth. I will work on it.

Prudy said...

Sara:
I made the dough exactly as I wrote it. But I believe you are in AZ where it is very very dry, so you should add in more water so that you can get a workable dough.

Prudy said...

Sara:
I just read through my recipe again and realized I left out 1/2 cup water. I am so very sorry. If you did not get it worked out in time, I will pay you for your ingredients. Let me know!

Sara said...

Thank you so much Prudy...I will try that. I'm in Utah, and sure glad I'm not in Arizona...oh, the heat!!! Thanks for the quick reply.

Sara said...

How funny is that! You are silly...no you cannot pay for the ingredients. It is not a big deal at all. I will go work in the water, and if that doesn't work, I've got plenty of time to whip up another batch. No way...would I ever let you pay for the ingredients. That is a simple mistake that I'm sure I have made, or will make in the future. Thank you!

Prudy said...

Sara: I'm so glad you wrote me back! I've been biting my nails. I vow to proofread better and never post when my children are hovering over my shoulder.

Darius T. Williams said...

I've never had grilled pizza before - I've seen it - just never had it. I'd totally try this and that honey wheat pizza dough looks yummers!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

Karleen said...

Hey, thanks for the comment! All of your food looks so scrumptious. I look forward to your Dorie post tomorrow. I was also thinking peanut butter would be a great ingredient to mix in, so I want to see how it turned out for you!

Amy said...

YUM!! I tried a pizza on the grill awhile ago. It didn't look pretty, but it sure tasted good!! I'll have to try your crust recipe next time!!

La Bella Cooks said...

Oh my goodness, those pizzas look delicious. I really need to get on this grilled pizza kick everyone is trying out. Looks fantastic!

Emily said...

Your parents must have a super-high powered grill. I would probably end up burning a lot of stuff.

I've always wanted to make grilled pizza.

Marie Rayner said...

Okay . . . it's 7:30 in the morning and I am wanting Pizza...specifically YOUR pizza! Hot dang! That looks fabulous Erin!

Andrea at Nummy Kitchen said...

Oh wow those looks delicious! I've always wanted to try grilled pizza, thank you for all the tips, that crust recipe sounds great!

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I've never grilled pizze before - usually just put it on a preheated baking sheet and in the oven. The honey whole wheat crust sounds fantastic too.

Sara said...

Prudy, the pizzas were amazing! My husband loved them, and said they tasted like something you would order at a restaurant. They were delicious. I am going to post a picture of them on my blog, and connect it to your blog. It is a must try, and we are going to make these often. Thank you for your help.

Lucy..♥ said...

Sounds like a great tasting pizza crust... Recently I tried made a pizza directly on the grill after much fear.... truthfully I found there's nothing fear & it's so good!

Noor said...

You know I just love everything about your blog. This pizza's look so good and I bet they were ate all up.

Sophie said...

Very neat crust! I am really anxious to try a grilled pizza. I like the idea of the honey :).

Esi said...

That dough sounds so good!! I am so excited to make another grilled pizza!

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