Saturday, August 9, 2014

Grilled Pizza with Homemade (DIY) Whole Wheat Semolina Crust


Years ago when we did our backyard my husband designed the ideal grilling island with visions of standing over his yard, tongs in hand and bringing one delight after another from his beloved grill.  However, when he actually took those tongs in hand he found he didn't really love the whole process as much as he loved the dream.

Cooking has always been my area in the house, and after trying out his awesome grill, I gently took the reins and proclaimed the grill to be mine.  Since then I've grilled everything from fillets to kale chips, and this grilled pizza has become a regular in our rotation.


With homemade dough you only need to plan a little bit ahead, and with the versatility that pizza brings, you can have a meal tailored to anyone's taste.

I'll admit that the first time we grilled the dough I had visions of melting dough slipping through the hot grates, but it never happened.  The rolled and pulled dough begins cooking immediately as it hits the hot grates, and a flip before "dressing" ensures the dough isn't "doughy" as you bite into your first piece of pie.

A year round favorite here in San Diego, grilled pizza takes the mess out of the kitchen and gets everyone involved.  Enjoy!


Grilled Pizza with Homemade Pizza Dough
Get the family involved and have them style their own pizza... topped with a little sauce and cheese, the pizza is a blank slate for creativity and versatile to any taste.

Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup semolina flour
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
jarred pizza sauce (in a rush we use Trader Joe's brand)
garlic (optional)
cheese - Ciliegine Mozarella and shredded cheese blend
toppings - basil leaves, tomatoes, meats, veggies, etc.
Additional toppings for after cooking - arugula, sliced avocado, fresh basil leaves.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment add the water, yeast and oil.  Turn to low and add the salt along with 1 cup of all-purpose flour and the semolina flour.  Add the whole wheat flour by 1/4 cups, leaving at least 1 minute in between each addition, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.  Allow to knead for about 5 minutes.

Dump the dough into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray and cover with a clean towel.  Allow to rise until doubled in size, 40 min to 1 hour depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Cut the dough into desired number of pieces - about 4 mini pizzas or 2 larger pizzas - and roll thin.

Place the rolled dough (may have to do one at a time depending on the size of your grill) directly onto clean grill grates and cover.  Turn the burner below the dough to low.  Grill for about 3 minutes, then remove the dough by sliding a pizza peel (or in my case a cookie sheet) sprinkled with semolina flour under the pizza.  Flip the pizza so the par-cooked side is UP.

Prepare your pizza by spreading with sauce (add finely diced garlic if desired) and topping with pieces of the Ciliegine Mozzarella.  Sprinkle with a shredded cheese blend if desired and add additional toppings (my personal favorite is sliced mushroom, sliced red onion and fresh basil leaves).

Slide the pizza back onto the grill and cover.  Grill until the cheese is bubbly -  5 - 7 minutes (keep an eye on it... grill temperatures vary greatly and while mine may take 6 minutes yours may only take 4).

Remove the pizza and allow to cool slightly before slicing.  Add additional fresh basil leaves if desired.  I love to top my pizza with arugula and fresh avocado slices.



7 comments:

  1. I'm the 1 in front of the grill too. I have never tried grilling pizza though, if you can believe it. I will have to give this a try.

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    1. Hope you like it as much as we do... I even grill in winter now as it's so easy.

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  2. I was just sitting here thinking: "I need to make homemade pizza again soon" and here was your post. :-) Perfect. :-)

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  3. oh that grilled pizza to looks to die for. I love doing pizza on the grill instead of the oven. Make it more rustic don't you think. So glad you agree with me that barbecuey is a word! LOL! I have never used semolina flour before to make my pizza dough. I am looking forward to giving that a try

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  4. Thanks for sharing this. My husband has been wanting me to try grilling a pizza. Yours looks fantastic!

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