Pizza on the Grill

One of my favourite things to make on the grill is pizza - it produces a crisp crust reminiscent of the thin crust pizzas made in wood burning ovens.

You can use a ball of store bought dough or you can make your own. My current 'favourite' pizza dough is a recipe by Emily Richards. It makes a soft dough that is very pliable and easy to spread - always a plus in my book.

Homemade Pizza Dough

pinch sugar
2/3 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle with yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes or until frothy.

Whisk in oil and salt. Stir in the flour.

Scrape out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough 'comes together'.

Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Knead again on the floured surface until a smooth dough forms.

Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour or until doubled in bulk.

Tonight I decided to make four pizzas. I heated the grill to high. While it was heating I cut the dough into four pieces. I spread each piece of dough into a rough circular shape (raking care not to tear it or spread it too thinly) on parchment paper that had been lightly greased with olive oil.  I lightly greased the top of the dough with olive oil as well.

When the grill was ready to go I just picked up the parchment paper and turned the dough onto the grill with the parchment paper on top. I then peeled the parchment paper off. I was able to do two pizzas at a time. I covered the BBQ and cooked the dough until it was lightly browned (about 5 minutes).

When the one side done I took the half cooked shell off of the grill and put the non-browned side down on a baking sheet.

I placed the uncooked side down on baking sheets and put the toppings on the cooked side.

Tonight we made four types. The first received sun-dried tomato pesto, sliced pepperoni, mushrooms and an Italian grated cheese blend. The second sun-dried tomato pesto, prosciutto, thinly sliced fresh pineapple, and Italian grated cheese blend. The third BBQ sauce, cooked chicken breast, sliced green onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese. The final one was Paul's creation. It was dressed with a garlic olive oil, cooked chicken breast, roasted pepper, black olives, halved grape tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Back out to the grill they went. This time I used a large metal BBQ flipper to lift the pizzas on to the grill. After closing the lid I cooked them for about 7 minutes, checking periodically to make sure that they were not burning.

The finished product:

YUM!

Comments

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

Did you serve them with your scissors?
I'll take a sliver of Paulo's!

[Jerry]

I forgot the scissors! I still do the crazy North American thing of cutting them into slices. When will I learn?

Obviously both you and he have incredible taste in pizza!

[Cindy Ruth]

Jerry-Thanks for sharing the info about cooking pizza on the grill. As you saw on my blog, I decided to steal the idea for the Gorgonzola, Fig Jam, and Prosciutto Pizza I made last night.

[Annie]

YUM! is right! Those are beautiful pizzas!

The first time I tried pizza on the grill, I overcooked them and the crust was beyond crunchy. The next time, I got the timing right and they were delish.

[Barbara]

I still haven't been brave enough to try pizza on the grill, but I did use your recipe for pizza dough and it's a winner! Thanks!

Oh, and we use sissors to cut our pizza too!

[Jerry]

You have to be so careful not to overcook - I've charred a few myself! LOL

Barb - the thing I like about this dough is that it is so easy to spread - so many pizza doughs just poull back when you try to roll it out.

I had never heard of being served scissors to cut pizza until we went out to a restaurant in Pienza. It was a great idea.

[Ice Tea For Me]

Jerry thanks for sharing this dough recipe, I hate it when the dough bounces back on you.

I think this is the perfect dish to christian my bbq grill with, I'll have to remember the scissors - first I've heard of it but love the idea.

Thanks!!

[Jerry]

The scissors were served with a whole pizza allowing you to chop it up anyway you wished. We were surprised at first but Pino showed us how it was done! :-)

[katie]

I keep wanting to try this... I've had them and they are wonderful. You've inspired me....
Never heard of the scissors. Here they are served with a knife and fork, of course....

[Jerry]

Katie - the scissors were an Italian thing (although only in one restauran that we were in). There are some great recipes on line - Bobby Flay has some interesting ones although he calls them grilled flatbread instead of pizza.

[Wendy and Rob]

May I add my own "yummmm"? Between the recipes and the images I am really wanting to try this. Thank you for inspiring me. W.

[Jerry]

Good luck Wendy - you'll be happy with the results!