Memorial Day has come and gone – are you all burger, brat, and hot dogged out yet? If so, or you’re just looking for a change, may I suggest pizza on the grill?
When the weather is warm, the last thing you want to do it heat up the house by cranking up the oven. But there’s still a way to enjoy a favorite on that outdoor grill with exceptional outcomes. I would argue that this pizza is better than when made in the oven as it more closely resembles an authentic Italian pizza crust with bubbly pockets of air and that perfect, thin crust with a crunch.
Mr. Prevention was adamant that this pizza grilling would end in disaster. “Nicole, I’ve tried this…it doesn’t work.”…”Babe, just make one dough…it’s going to end up burnt to a crisp.”
Wrong…wrong again. Ye with little faith, dear husband-o-mine.
Lucky for him he swallowed his pride, admitted he was wrong, and enjoyed 3 portions of this pizza. Needless to say, grilled pizza is likely to become a warm weather staple in our house, and he was more than impressed with the result. Me, too. 😉
Pizza on the Grill adapted from All Recipes
Dough:
1 (.25 oz) package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-110 F)
1 pinch sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 Tbsp herbs, chopped (I used sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano)
Add-Ons:
4 tsp olive oil, divided
3/4 cup pizza sauce (3 tablespoons per pizza)
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup per pizza)
*Toppings of choice (we used zucchini ribbons, kalmata olives, feta, fresh mozzarella pieces, turkey pepperoni, roasted red peppers, fresh crushed garlic, roasted grape tomatoes)
Directions
In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water, and mix in sugar. Proof for ten minutes, or until frothy. Mix in the salt, olive oil, and flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the herbs until smooth, about 8 minutes. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down. Set aside to rise for 1 more hour, or until doubled again.
Preheat grill to a temperature of about 350 F. Punch down dough, and divide into 4 pieces. Form each piece into a round or square pizza 9-to-10-inch dough, about 1/6-inch thick.
Note: Have olive oil for topping and a pastry brush nearby the grill, along with your pizza sauce, mozzarella, and any toppings. You will also need 1 large spatula that is safe to use on the grill (i.e. not plastic). Have plates ready for serving, as well.
Brush one side of each pizza dough with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and flip oiled side down onto the grill grates. Drizzle the other side with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and brush to distribute with a pastry brush. Rotate the pizza 1/4th turn every 30 seconds or so. When the bottom side has nice grate marks and the pizza has puffed up, flip it onto the other side. Immediately spread 3 tablespoons pizza sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella and all of the desired toppings onto the pizza. Close the lid and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, checking the bottom of the dough each minute to be sure it doesn’t burn. Continue to rotate 1/4th turn to ensure no burning. The entire process will take 5 minutes or less, depending on how hot your grill is and how close to the heat source your dough is. I recommend starting with 1 pizza and never grilling more than 2 at a time. Yield: Four 9-inch pizzas (8 small servings, 1/2 pizza each)
Nutrition Information (per serving)*: 285 calories; 8.4 g. fat; 15 mg. cholesterol; 729 mg. sodium; 39.6 g. carbohydrate; 0.6 g. fiber; 13.4 g. protein
*not accounted for in nutrition information
Result: Why did I not attempt grilled pizza years ago? We have so been missing out…ENJOY!
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Quick Tip: To make this a quick meal, try pre-made pizza doughs such as those available at Trader Joe’s!
Question: What would go on your perfect pizza?
Back to the grind…
Be well,
Confession… I have yet to try pizza on the grill, but I’m dying to. My husband is in love with his new grill & seems willing to try most anything on there (we recently made a pecan pie on his grill, I kid you not!) Thanks for reminding me that this is on my list to try soon!
Author
Pecan pie!? I am impressed…and love pecan pie 🙂
I take no credit for the great idea. It was in a cookbook that he got when he got his new grill… but here’s a picture of it. Srsly… would you ever think this was made on the grill!
http://professionalpalate.squarespace.com/blog/2011/5/10/song-of-the-south.html
Author
Never…gorgeous!! P.S. LOVE your blog!
YUM! This will HAVE to be made by Nick and I sometime this summer. I think it sounds wonderful. And the fact that Mark enjoyed it makes me think it’s EVER BETTER! Favorite pizza toppings; mushroom, spinach, parmesan, red pepper, and whole tomato. Yum.
Author
Pizza Man approved!!! You guys will love it!
I’ve heard about making pizza on the girl, but never bothered to try it. I might have to after seeing this. Delicious!
Yum! Now if I could only get my grill working. I bet the grill marks would taste great with pizza, like brick oven.
Author
It does taste like brick oven pizza…sooooooo good 🙂
EVERY summer, Ryan and I swear that we’re going to try grilling pizza…and then we never do! Maybe this summer will be the one!
Author
You must!
I may have missed this for Memorial Day, but I’ll definitely try it for the 4th of July!
Author
Perrrefect! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
I always wondered how the pizza on the grill worked, too. Totally would have let you do it, but may have raised an eyebrow and had a backup plan in the back of my head… lol
I absolutely LOVE grilled pizza!!! It’s my favorite!
Pizza on the grill is so good!
I saw Paula Deen do this a few years ago and have wanted to grill a pizza ever since. It just sounds so freaking good.
My perfect pizza is just basil, mozzarella and tomatoes. Maybe with some carmelized onions too just for fun.
My hubby could be your hubby’s long-lost brother, lol! I’ve been dying to make grilled pizza for so long and Mike has always said that it won’t turn out. I’m bookmarking this recipe, emailing the link to Mike, and adding grilled pizza to this week’s menu. 😉
Author
Haha! Too cute! Those doubting husbands of ours…do we not feed them incredible meals all the time? You’d think they’d be sold on our skills by now! Let me know how you guys like it!! 🙂
I’ve always wanted to try making grilled pizza, but I have never done it. Kudos to you for making it especially after all Mr P’s doubting.
Author
…I had to…victory is sweet! ;0)
I use the same dough for the oven and grill and its interesting to see how different the flavor is. I love an italian beef pizza with hot peppers! Thanks again for joining my 101 days of summer challenge! We are going to kick ass!
Just curious, what temp & how long did it take in a regular oven?
Author
Hi Anna. I haven’t made this in a regular oven, but I would do 425 F for 10-15 minutes if I had to guess.
We just got a new grill, so I cant wait to give this a try!!
I have tried pizza on the grill once and it turned out pretty good. My grill isn’t that great so I am sure it would have turned out better had I got to work right.
I love bbq pizzas! I love a different spin on the traditional pizza.
Sausage, tomato, red pepper, mushroom, pineapple, lotsa cheese.
I love pizza on the grill, but have never made it before. I’m a little scared 😉
You’ve inspired me 🙂
I have yet to make my own dough but it looks like a little fun experiment. I love your toppings of olives, feta, and turkey pepperoni. I recently bough some at Publix and I am hooked. Taste just like regular pepperoni, yumm 😀
I’ve never had pizza on the grill, but it looks amazing. I think my perfect pizza would have pepperoni or veggies on top.
ooo you’re making me hungry! this looks great! I think we are making english muffin pizzas tonight! My fav toppings def include feta, olives, basil, tomato, carmelized onion
Grilled pizza is the bomb! I’ve only had papa Murphy’s take n bake n the grill, now I want to make my own!
Yum, these look delicious and so fresh for summer! I will need to try it! 😀
Pizza on the grill is the BEST. Glad you had a good long weekend Nicole!!!
Nicole, I’ve heard lots of pizza on the grill, yet still have to try. Yours came out great. Like the toppings,,,great way to use the grill. Have a wonderful week 🙂
I LOVE making pizza on the grill. My perfect pizza would have ricotta cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil, and probably a bunch of other things 🙂
I’ve grilled a Boboli crust. It worked out well.
YUM! Still missing my grill!
My favorite pizza is BBQ chicken ala Cali Pizza Kitchen! 🙂
This pizza looks great! Now I just need a grill. and some of that gluten free dough from Whole Foods! 😉