Grilled Pizzas

Steve and I made these again last night and remembered how fun they are for entertaining and how much we like them. The idea has come from a few places, a food network show I saw once (not sure which one), and one of our really fancy cooking magazines (once again not sure which one)! The nice thing about them is that everyone gets exactly what they want. A few notes about these pizzas, first the crust is crunchy, so if you like a soft doughy crust, this may not be for you. Second, if you aren't careful they can end up charred, so turn the grill down really low once you are ready to cook with toppings on.

Pizza Crust
I got this recipe from a class I went to at a wheat store. I made a few small modifications.

5 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute part or all with white flour if you want)
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp Italian spice
1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in mixer and mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be very soft. Cover with a towel and let rise until double. Punch down and knead until smooth, adding more flour if necessary to make it workable*.

Cut dough into 4 pieces. Cut each 4th into 2 pieces for adult size pizzas and 4 pieces for child size pizzas. Coat the counter with oil or white flour to roll out dough. (Make sure not to roll out with whole wheat flour as too much will create a crumbly crust.) I find that oil works great, and you will need to oil the crust anyway in order to grill it. Roll out each piece to the size of a plate. Brush one side of dough with oil. Place dough oiled side down onto plate. Brush other side with oil.

Preheat grill to approximately 400. Place two large or four small crusts on the grill and cook with cover on for about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn crust over and cook for one minute. Remove crusts and place on a plate. Cook remaining crusts the same way.

Turn grill down as low as it goes. Have everyone place toppings on their pizza. Place pizzas on grill and cook with cover on until cheese melts and is bubbly (approximately 5 to 8 minutes).

Topping Ideas: Olives, peppers, tomatoes, sauteed onions, chicken, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, zucchini, pineapple tidbits, fresh basil, regular pizza sauce, pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, barbecue sauce (for a BBQ chicken pizza).

Notes: This dough can also be used in the oven. I like to pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes at 400 before topping. Top and return to oven until cheese melts.

*Make sure not to add too much extra whole wheat flour as this can make the dough crumbly.