Cooking for Seven

Our family loves homemade pizza; but when the days grow more hot and humid, I just don’t feel like turning the oven to 500° for an hour or more. The solution: grilled pizza! Here’s the method I like to use.

Make sure you have all your toppings ready. Preheat your grill on high. Roll your dough out thinly. Grease a piece of aluminum foil that’s a little larger than your dough. Transfer your dough to the foil and place on a pizza peel.

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Can you believe that this dough is 100% whole wheat? Can you? It is! Yet is handles so well - better than any pizza dough recipe I’ve ever tried. It is so easily manipulated, yet it doesn’t tear easily.

What’s the secret? I really couldn’t say. Perhaps the method of mixing. Perhaps the perfect combination of ingredients (thanks, Cook’s Illustrated!). Perhaps the type of whole wheat flour I use (white whole wheat flour). All I know is, my search for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe ended when I found this one. Maybe someday I’ll try a different pizza dough recipe, but for now I’m content.

Care for some ideas for pizza?

~ Why not spread it with some homemade pizza sauce and sprinkle it with homemade Italian sausage?
~ Or you could drizzle it with Smoky BBQ sauce and add chicken (perhaps some bacon) and cheddar cheese for a BBQ Chicken Pizza.

~ The other day, I made pizza on the grill. It’s a great way to beat the heat and it is so delicious. Here is an excellent article and video with the instructions.

How do you like to fix your pizza?

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Pizza Dough

Adapted from The New Best Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water (about 110°
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (20 ounces) white whole wheat flour (aka white whole wheat flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• Olive oil or butter, for greasing the bowl

Directions:

1) Place the 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast begins to swell. Add to the room temperature water and oil and stir.

2) Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly until combined. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the liquid ingredients. Mix just until a cohesive dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

3) Change to the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

4) Oil or butter a medium-sized bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise for 1 ½-2 hours, or until double in volume. The dough is now ready to be used in your recipe.

Makes enough dough for approximately 3 large thin-crust pizzas

With this little mix of spices you can create your own bulk Italian sausage. Perfect for pizza or any place sweet Italian sausage is called for.

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:: Sweet Italian Sausage Spice Blend ::

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Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork (ground beef may be substituted, but the flavor and texture will not be the same)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Directions:

Combine the spices in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly with ground pork. Cook as directed by recipe.

P.S. It’s Kitchen Tip Tuesday…

Sauce is so important to a homemade pizza. I’m sure you could buy a very good bottled sauce. But why not make your own and control what goes into it?

This recipe makes a slightly sweet pizza sauce. The maple syrup helps to balance the acidity of the tomato paste. If you would like a less sweet version, simply decrease the amount of maple syrup.

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:: Quick Homemade Pizza Sauce ::

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

1-2 tablespoons red cooking wine (optional but very good)

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Whisk together until well combined. Place over low heat and cook until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Makes about 3/4 cup, or enough for two large pizzas

P.S. It’s Kitchen Tip Tuesday…