Grilled Pizza
Labor Day is coming up, and that means that summer is coming to an end. If you’re looking to fire up your grill before the end of summer, there’s no shortage of options. Everyone thinks of burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and kebabs when they think of grilled food, and for good reason. All of these foods are delicious and simply scream summer. However, if you’re looking for a recipe that’s a little bit different, why not try grilling up a pizza?
Grilling up a pizza is pretty straightforward, and it lets you have a taste of everyone’s favorite comfort food with all the delicious flavor of grilled foods. Making a grilled pizza is a lot like making a homemade pizza in your kitchen. To start with, you’ll need to make a pizza dough. This recipe from Simply Recipes is a great, simple recipe.
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1.5 cups warm water, about 110-115 degrees Farenheit
3 ¾ cups of bread flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pizza Dough Instructions
Note: If you have a stand mixer, you can do this with that. Otherwise, start with a standard large mixing bowl and transition into kneading the dough with your hands once the ingredients are mixed.
Start by proofing the yeast; place the warm water in a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast has dissolved. After 5 minutes, stir if the yeast hasn’t dissolved yet. (If you are using instant yeast, this step isn’t necessary, and the yeast can be added with the flour in the next step)
Add the flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil. If you have a mixer, mix on low speed for a minute with paddle attachment, before switching to 7-10 minutes with the dough hook. If you do not have a mixer, you can knead the dough by hand. The dough should be tacky to the touch. If it is too wet, add flour.
Coat the inside of a bowl with oil and place the dough inside the bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. You can allow this to rise for 24 hours in the fridge, or about 1.5 hours in a warm place.
Now, onto the grilling. Luckily, Simply Recipes has an article with plenty of info about grilling pizza.
Grilled Pizza Ingredients:
Your pizza dough, which should be finished rising
Plenty of extra virgin olive oil
All-purpose flour or corn meal
Toppings! This part is up to you. Classic tomato sauce or tomatoes with cheese is always delicious, or you could load up on some mushrooms and veggies, such as peppers and spinach, to get your 5-a-day in.
Grilled Pizza Instructions:
Start by prepping the grill and toppings. Have everything ready, so once your dough has been stretched, you’re ready to go.
Use your hands and a flat, flour-dusted surface to shape the dough. You can lay it down and stretch it with your hands, or work around the edges of the dough and allow gravity to help pull the dough out. Once you’re done, let it sit for 5 minutes before coming back. You should eventually have the circular shape and relatively thin crust we all know and love.
Once your grill is hot, fold up a paper towel, hold it in your tongs, and dip in olive oil. Brush the oil over the grill so your pizza doesn’t stick.
Place the dough on a cookie sheet to transport to the grill and gently slide it onto the grill. Close the lid and allow it to cook for about 2 minutes
Keep an eye on the dough: you want lightly browned dough with air bubbles. Once this happens, use a spatula to put your pizza back on your baking sheet, grilled-side-up.
Brush the grilled side of the pizza with olive oil and add all of your toppings. Use a light hand, or else the pizza will get soggy and heavy.
Slide the pizza back onto the grill. Close the lid and let it cook ‘til the toppings have browned and the bottom begins to char. Remove from heat, let cool, and dig in!
Labor Day is a great day to get outside and fire up the grill, and this pizza is a surefire crowd pleaser for your family or guests. Happy grilling!