Grilled Sausage Pepper and Onion Flatbread

Grilling season is here once more and having grown up a diehard cheesehead myself, I know that the flame kissed meal is an essential part of summer time eating.   Who doesn’t love a bratwurst hot off the coals?  Combine it with a melted topping of Wisconsin cheese and you’ve got yourself one heck of a tasty treat.

If you’ve never thought of grilling up a pizza over the coals, now’s the time to try it.  Zip up your cooker as hot as it will go and you’ll discover a magic formula for crispy, delectable pizza crust that will rival any thin crust joint you’ve frequented in the past.   If you’re not in a grilling mood or are looking for a quicker option, this pizza can be made in the oven as well.  Simply grab a store bought crust, add your toppings and cook until the cheese is melted and golden bubbly brown.

Here’s how to put one together at your house.  Start by mixing together a quick tomato base.

Set it to the side and move on to your flatbread dough.  I love making this crust because it’s a mere four ingredients that you simply combine into a dough and roll out flat.  Easy peasy.  The one tip to remember is the skinnier you roll it the better.  This recipe calls for breaking the dough ball in half and making two pizzas, but we also like to break it into five on occasion and let everyone create their own personal sized pizza.  Do what works best for you.

Move on to the sausage topping by heating up a little oil and cooking some garlic, peppers and onions.

Let them heat up for five or so minutes on medium heat and then turn the stove top down to a simmer.  Add in a hearty handful of sliced, cooked bratwurst and the tomato base you created earlier.

Move back to your rolled out crust and brush with a light amount of olive oil.  Top it with a sprinkle of Wisconsin Parmesan cheese.  Now add the meat mixture on top making sure to leave as much of the juice in the pan as possible.

Finish it off with some healthy slabs of fresh Wisconsin Mozzarella and get ready to grill.  To make it easy to transfer the pizza to the grill, I like to roll the dough out on a piece of aluminum foil.  That way you can simply slide the foil onto the back of a cookie sheet and then onto the grill from there.

A seriously hot grill is essential for cooking pizza so don’t be afraid to crank it up on high.  Once you’ve slid your pie over the coals close it up and don’t take a peak for at least six to eight minutes.  We want to give that grill a chance to work it’s magic without letting all the heat out.

Time to be rewarded for all your hard work.  Let’s take a walk outside and see where we’re at…

It’s a true thing of beauty.  Grab up your cookie sheet to transfer the pizza to it’s final destination.  Time for a cheesy slice of summertime in Wisconsin.

This post is also being featured over at the Wisconsin Cheese Blog this week.  Be sure to drop by, check out the post and learn a bit or two about Wisconsin cheese while you’re there!

Sausage Pepper and Onion Flatbread

Yield: 2 Medium Sized Flatbread Pizzas

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the Tomato Mixture:

3 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
8-10 Basil Leaves, Chopped
1 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 Hearty Pinches of Salt

For the Flatbread:

3 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt

For the Sausage, Onion, Pepper Topping:

1 tsp Canola Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Green Pepper, Sliced
1/2 Red Onion, Sliced
4 Wisconsin Bratwurst (or Italian Sausages), Sliced
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
Salt to Taste

For the Assembly:

2 tsp Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Wisconsin Parmesan Cheese
10 Oz. Wisconsin Made Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced

Directions:

Grab up bowl and mix together all the ingredients for the tomato mixture. Set to the side.

In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the flatbread and form a soft dough being careful not to over-knead. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Heat up the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

When the pan and oil are heated, add in the garlic and cook for about a minute.

Add in the pepper and onion and let cook for about 5 or so minutes until the onions are translucent.

Turn the heat down to a low simmer and stir in the sliced meat and the tomato mixture.

Shake in the crushed red pepper and add salt to taste.

Preheat the grill on high heat.

To assemble the pizza, tear the flatbread dough into two equal sized hunks.

Roll each hunk flat on a piece of aluminum foil. The thinner the better.

Brush a teaspoon of olive oil over the top of each flatbread and then sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.

Add half the meat/tomato mixture to each pizza.

Finish by topping with hunks of fresh mozzarella.

Slide the finished aluminum foil w/ the pizza onto the back of a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and transfer out to the grill.

Close grill and let pizza cook for a good 6-8 minutes before checking for doneness.

Pizza should be crispy brown around the edges with the cheese completely melted.

Serve with extra shredded Parmesan and Oregano for sprinkling.

* This pizza can also be made in the oven with store bought pizza dough. Simply add toppings to rolled out dough and cook in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until pizza is cooked through.

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