Prudence Pennywise: grilled pizza

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.