Grilled Pizza
Guys, we got our grill fixed! We celebrated by making our favorite meal of all time: grilled pizza.
Grilling pizza sounds kind of scary - like the dough would drip into the flame, but, magically, it doesn't! The trick is to make sure the grill is really hot which makes the dough start to cook as soon as you throw it on. Years ago I read a recipe for grilling pizza in Martha Stewart Living and had always kept the recipe around, but never tried it. The house Chris and I first rented in Arizona had a fancy grill in the backyard so we decided to give grilled pizza a whirl. We were HOOKED. I think it's the way cooking over a hot flame gives the dough a crisp outside while leaving the inside a bit chewy. It seems like the closest thing you can get to a brick-oven pizza at home...without the trouble of building a brick oven.
Grilled Pizza
adapted from Martha Stewart Living
Make a batch of pizza dough. I usually use the pizza crust/foccacia recipe from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food but last night I used the recipe that Meghan posted from Pioneer Women, it was really yummy! I'll also usually use a mix of whole wheat and white flour to give the crust a nutty taste.
Light the grill and let it get really hot, ~400 degrees or so.
While the grill is getting hot, roll out the dough and brush the top side with olive oil. Place it on a cutting board or cookie sheet.
Gather all your pizza toppings on a cutting board, including some olive oil and a brush. You'll also need two spatulas to flip the dough and then to remove it from the grill. Take the dough, toppings, and spatulas out to the grill.
Now it's time to put the dough on the grill. Don't be scared! Pick up your dough with both hands and lay the side with the olive oil down on the grill. Sometimes it won't go down completely flat, that's OK. Just use a spatula to adjust it. Watch how it magically does not drip into the grill!
Brush the top side of the dough with olive oil while you're waiting for the bottom to cook, about 5 - 10 minutes. You'll know it's time to flip it when you peek underneath using a spatula and see grill lines on the bottom of the dough. To flip the dough, use the two spatulas to support the right and left side of the dough....and then just go for it! You can make this a joint effort if you're cooking with someone else by each taking a spatula and then counting, "1...2...3!" If you count too loudly and your neighbors hear you and think you're weird, don't sweat it. You're having a great time! If you don't get a perfect flip just adjust the dough with a spatula. Some might call a pizza crust with a few wrinkles imperfect. I call it "artisan".
Once the dough is flipped it's time to put on the toppings. Martha recommends not going too heavy on the sauce to prevent a soggy crust and I think it's good advice to follow. Last night our toppings were pizza sauce mixed with pesto, mozzarella, feta, ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms.
Close the grill and let it cook for 7 - 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and you can see grill marks on the bottom of the dough when you check with a spatula.
Remove the pizza from the grill, which is easiest with two people. Use both spatulas to slide the pizza off the grill and onto a cutting board or cookie sheet.
High five. You just grilled pizza!