When it comes to pizza I will literally eat it all. Lunchable mini pizzas? Duh. Domino's? Check. That new (but i guess really not so new) garlic crust is the bomb. Lover's pizza? Check. Campisi's? Check. Grimaldi's? Double check. There are so many other great pizza places around this city and I'm sure plenty I've never heard of. Union Bear in west village is one of my new favorites and I highly recommend it to anyone.
But with all of these options it's easy to throw away home cooking and my favorite motto of fresh is best. I know it's pretty hard to get motivated, especially when you have to make some sort of dough. It's time consuming for sure! But it tastes amazing, it's healthier, and it's a good way to get kids, other family members or friends involved in the kitchen.
These little pizzas are also a great idea for a small party or get together. Every time I have made these I've set up a pizza bar and invited friends and family over to dig in. You just need to make a bunch of dough discs and chop up your favorite toppings like pepperoni, sausage, bell pepper, olives, jalapeno's, onions, etc. and let your guests make their own creations. It's great because it can be hard to cater to and please everyone at a party. This way you most definitely don't have to.
Without further ado your recipe! The dough recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten but i changed it up a tad and grilled it instead of putting it in the oven :)
Tan Tan's Grilled Pizzas
**The dough makes about 4-5 pizzas
Dough essentials:
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Olive oil*
4+ cups all-purpose flour
4+ cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Toppings
Whatever you want!
4 C. Mozzarella
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper
Pepperoni (I buy from butcher)
Sausage
Jalapeno
Olives
Onions
Pinapple
Ham
*I recommend O Olive Oil's Roasted Garlic You'll have to order it, but it (and all of the flavors) is amazing!
Instructions:
Step 1: Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of
olive oil in a bowl (I use my hands, but if you want use an electric mixer with a dough hook). Allow the yeast to dissolve.
Step 2: Add 3 cups of your flour a teaspoon or two of salt and begin mixing. I start with a spoon and as it begins forming into a dough I add 1 more cup of flour and also cover my hands in flour (it helps with the stickyness). Work the dough until it becomes smooth. You can add flour if kneaded (haha get it?) 
Step 3: Continue kneading until the dough is elasticy. Then coat your bowl and the dough lightly in olive oil, cover it with a towel, and all the dough to rise for about 30 minutes. No need for a warm location it will be just fine at room temperature.
Step 4: While that is rising you can make your garlic oil that coats your pizzas. Using a small sauce pan add 1/2 C. of olive oil, the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes together. Simmer over medium low heat so all of the flavor blends together. Just be sure nothing is burning. Let it sit for roughly 10 minutes.
Step 5: Divide the dough into equal pieces. Cover them with a damp towel and let them for 10 minutes. Then take each piece and stretch it, knead it, flatten it, whatever you need to do to get the dough in the size and shape you want. (this is a great time for kids to get involved).
Step 6: At this point you should do 2 things. Turn on your grill and heat up a fry pan on your stove with a little olive oil. You are about to cook the dough just a tad on the grill and while that is happening you can cook the sausage or soften your vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms and jalapenos if desired.
Step 7: When your grill is ready to go. Brush ONE side of your pizza with the garlic oil you made earlier. Put that side down on the grill. (the olive oil will help it not stick to the grill). Try not to put it directly over flames if it can be avoided. You only want to let it cook for 5 minutes max. You want the bottom to appear lightly cooked. Then bring the pizzas back inside. Have everyone put their sauce and toppings on the cooked sides of their pizzas. I recommend toppings first then cheese on top. (as it melts the cheese traps the toppings so they don't fall off). Then bring them back out to the grill and cook through! You can gauge it based on the cheese. Once it is done melting start checking the bottoms of your pizza. I typically move mine to the little rack in my grill so it's further away from the heat to allow the dough to cook all the way through.
Then you can enjoy it!
I hope you don't let the fear of dough or the time consumption deter you from trying this recipe, because seriously you won't be disappointed! As always let me know if you have suggestions or if you try it another way! I'm always looking for new variations of my favorite recipes! Have a beautiful weekend!
xoxo & Happy Eating!
Tanner
