I have been wanting to make grilled pizza for awhile now. I was unsure of how the dough would do on a grill and was concerned that I would have a big doughy mess on my hands. Michelle over at
My Italian Grandmother did a step by step on her blog of grilling pizza. She made it seem so easy so I knew I had to try it even though I was still on the skeptical side. Michael was out of town so I thought what a perfect opportunity. If it didn't work out and the grill became encased in dough, I had plenty of time to clean it without him knowing about it!
In order to grill pizza, first you must prepare your dough. I homemade the dough, the recipe is shown below. You can also use a good dough that is purchased. Make your dough into rounds. I prepared my dough on a cookie sheet and was going to slide it onto the grill, which did not work so well. Next time I plan to make smaller pizzas which will make the transfer process to the grill much easier.
I also made my own pizza sauce and the recipe for that is below as well. When making the pizza sauce, I read the recipe wrong and thought it said tomato sauce. I still followed the directions accordingly skipping the use of the blender. It was still a really good sauce, but I will prepare it the correct way next time!
Light the grill to high heat and allow time for it to it to get hot. While the grill is warming, get all of your ingredients ready and bring them grill side. Once the process starts, it goes rather fast.
Before putting the dough on the grill, turn the heat down to medium high. Place the pizza dough on grill and close the lid. Allowing the dough to cook for 4-5 minutes. Next, flip the dough over. There should be beautiful grill marks on your dough. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough and top with your favorite toppings . For this pizza I used fresh spinach, mushroom and mozzarella cheese. Close the lid and allow the cheese to melt. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pizza from the grill and enjoy.
Even though I was skeptical, this turned out so good! I can not wait to make another one and play around with the different toppings. There is an endless possibility of toppings and flavors that you could cook on a pizza.
Pizza Dough
Printer friendly recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe. (At this stage I grilled it instead of baking it in the oven.)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pizza Sauce
Printer friendly recipe
Ingredients:
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried marjoram
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for at least 15 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from the heat. If you prefer a smoother sauce, use a potato masher or immersion blender to break up the chunks of tomato. Alternatively, simply leave it as is if you prefer a chunkier sauce. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
