Pizza on the Grill

I like outdoor grilling, but towards the end of summer I start to want a change for the more typical grilled foods like BBQ chicken, hamburgers and steaks. For a change of pace, we really like pizza on the grill…and company usually does too.

Here’s my recipe:

PIZZA ON THE GRILL

Crust:
1 package yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
2 cups flour (1 cup unbleached white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour works really well)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Ground beef topping:
½ pound lean ground beef
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
4 large tomatoes, quartered
1 cloves garlic, sliced
1 T. olive oil
2 T. fresh basil

Other toppings:
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in 3 T. butter or olive oil
1 large purple or yellow onion, sliced
½ cup black olives, sliced
½ green bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Romano cheese, freshly grated

Make crust: Soak yeast in water for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and sugar. Mix to blend. Knead for 2-3 minutes, until flour is well blended. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Cook ground beef in small sauté pan over stovetop. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder while sautéing. Drain off grease. Set aside.

To prepare sauce, put tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat grill to very hot (550 degrees); adjust grill grid to 8 inches above heat. Roll crust to fit 12-inch pizza pan. Spread sauce on dough. Top with ground beef, mushrooms, olives, bell pepper and cheeses. Cover and bake for 5 minutes. With a large spatula, slide pizza directly onto grill grid and cook an additional 10 minutes or until the bottom size of the crust is nicely browned. Return to pizza pan and cut into 8 slices—enough for 4 average-sized servings (or enough for 2 teenage boys!).

Happy pizza grilling!
~Becky