This spring, we are having part of our house remodeled so that the MIL (as my husband calls her) can move in with us. If you don’t understand MIL, it is “mother-in-law.” It’s all good, though; she calls him SIL.
Anyway – contractors have been in the house for a good two months now, going from one room to the other, and in the process, we have become friends. Buzz Person, the paint contractor, cooks. I don’t know how much he cooks, but I do know he cooks homemade grilled pizzas, and when he started talking to me one day about them, I told him I needed his recipe. Actually, I told him I needed a piece of his pizza, but he said he doesn’t deliver!
However, he did deliver his recipe. (He claims he didn’t hear me ask for the pizza itself. I don’t know – should we believe that?)
He is letting me share his recipe, so that is the treat for today. Let me tell you, I made four of these pizzas, and they are delicious! A bit time consuming, but such a treat!
Before I get into the recipe, I want to give you a few pointers that came to mind while I was making it.
The sauce is super easy and only takes about five minutes to make. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready for it. You can also add a few Italian spices to it and simmer it a bit, but to make it as the recipe directs is tasty. The recipe makes about two cups of sauce.
Make sure your grill is hot and ready to use by the time you get the crust ready. After you put the crust on the grill, depending on your grill, turn the middle burners off or on low. I turned mine off, but that caused my crust to brown unevenly, so I turned them back them on low.
This crust recipe makes about four medium to large pizzas – depending on how thin you roll them. If you don’t need them right away, you can refrigerate the dough for seven to 10 days, or do as I did: roll them out, cook on the grill, cool, wrap in foil, and then refrigerate until ready to use. I suppose you could even freeze them for a short time.
One more thing: It is better to prepare and assemble all of your ingredients before topping your pizza. That way you won’t forget anything. (Like I did!)
Have fun making this – you will love the results! Call anyone at the office – they will tell you!
Buzz’s Homemade Grilled Pizza
Crust:
1 single package instant dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups Semolina flour
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
In bowl of stand mixer equipped with dough hook, add sugar, yeast and water. Blend with fork. Allow to sit five to eight minutes, or until foamy. Add semolina flour; mix thoroughly on low speed. Add all-purpose flour, one half cup at a time. Blend each addition well, stopping when mixture forms a ball and no longer sticks to the bowl. Detach bread hook (dough should be wrapped around it) and set aside. Oil bowl well with olive oil. Remove dough from hook, and form into a ball. Return to bowl and roll it around until covered with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven. Place a pan with two cups boiling water on bottom rack of oven. Allow dough to rise about one hour, or until double in size. Once dough has risen, remove from oven, punch down, and recover with plastic. Allow to rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into four quarters. Roll each quarter out to desired size and shape. Place on well-oiled pizza pan.
Preheat grill to maximum temp, then either turn middle two burners off, or down on low. Flip pizza crust onto burners, with pan side up. Gently remove pan. Close lid and cook to desired crispness, about five to eight minutes. Remove from grill. Take inside and top as desired, then bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F. about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Sauce:
4-5 medium tomatoes
4 leaves fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
While dough is rising, place tomatoes, basil and garlic in food processor or blender. Puree. Remove and add olive oil, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Buzz’s Favorite Pizza
Prepared grilled crust
Prepared sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Manchego cheese, grated
1/2 cup fresh Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2” chunks
2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into lengthwise strips
1/4 cup Kalametta olives, sliced lengthwise
1 medium tomato, diced
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread about one cup of sauce onto already grilled crust. Layer with rest of ingredients in order listed. Bake in preheated oven until cheeses are brown, about eight to 10 minutes.