grilled pizza with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto

grilling pizza is much simpler than you might imagine. i even think it's easier than making pizza in the oven. sometimes when i cook pizza in the oven i have a hard time getting the crust to cook all the way through. but by using a grill, you ensure you'll get that wonderful charred taste on both sides that pairs so nicely with the melted, fresh mozzarella. add whatever pizza toppings you love most; i just went for the basics.

ingredients:
fresh pizza dough
roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch
fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch
fresh basil, cut into small strips
proscuitto, cut into small strips
wegman's basting oil (if you can't find this, just use evoo)

directions:

preheat outdoor grill to medium high heat. (make sure you grease the grill!)

using a floured surface, shape pizza dough into desired shape - square, rectangle, round. place on rimless cookie sheet and bring out to grill. let the dough slide off the cookie sheet onto the hot grill grates. close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes.

open the grill and check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned. if not, close grill and cook for a couple more minutes. this step shouldn't take long. the top of the pizza dough will start bubbling up with air pockets.

once the dough has cooked on one side, use the same cookie sheet to remove it from the grill. flip dough so grilled side is facing up on the sheet.

brush surface with basting oil and top with your favorite pizza toppings. slide back on grill, close top and cook for 4-5 minutes. cheese will be bubbly and bottom side will be charred.

remove from grill and let rest for a couple minutes. garnish with fresh basil leaves. cut into slices and serve!