Grilled Pizza Recipe

The following pizza recipe is quick, healthy, easy, and delicious...so really, what more could you ask for?

The recipe for the whole-wheat dough was adapted from Andrea's Recipes. This is where you should go if you don't have a grill or simply prefer to make it in your oven. (If you don't have a stand mixer, don't fret...a regular one would work just fine I think.)  At our house, we prefer it grilled. Eric once stood outside in the rain with an umbrella over the grill to make this pizza...we don't play.

Dough Recipe:

 2 cups whole wheat flour
2-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast or 1 package quick-rising yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¾ cup hot water (approximately 115°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine whole-wheat flour, yeast, salt, and sugar and whisk together. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Mix on low until the dough forms a ball, then increased speed to 2 for just 1 minute to knead.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling. (At this point, fire up your grill. You want the coals to be hot, hot, hot.)

3. Lightly flour your hands. Flatten the dough with your palms, then pick it up and hold it by the edge, rotating the dough in a circle. This helps stretch the dough. Alternatively, you can break the dough ball into 2 pieces and mold them into rectangular shapes - this is what we do because it makes the dough easier to flip on the grill.

4. Place dough on the hot grate of the grill and resist the urge to move it until the dough starts to bubble on top. Then flip. Two spatulas make this easier.

5. Add toppings of your choice while the other side of the pizza cooks! When the bottom turns golden brown, keep it there for about one more minute to get the crispiness. Then move off the hot coals or to the upper rack to let the cheese melt (if you used any).

This pizza cooks FAST, so stay close by and keep an eye on it. As for toppings? We have tried two different kinds so far:

My favorite - Artichoke and Tomato - Chopped artichoke hearts (I used canned ones, and rinsed to remove the salt), chopped tomatoes, and onion. Sprinkle with shredded fresh parmesan cheese.

Eric's favorite - Classic Italian - Marinara, Pepperoni, Peppers, Onions, Mozzarella, the works, etc.

My Artichoke Tomato Favorite - with a few extra grilled artichokes on the side!

If you decide to do the two smaller pizzas like we do (as you can see, "rectangle" is a loose term), you could easily do different toppings for each person in your family! The recipe makes enough for Eric and I (really, a little more than a enough but we Eric always manages to finish it all) but you could easily double the dough recipe.

So try it as the summer comes to an end! Our prime grilling days here in Florida are in the winter, so it will be a staple in our house for quite sometime. It beats Dominos calorie-wise, and taste-wise in our book! What's your favorite topping to use?