If you can’t stand the heat—grill pizza.
“Mom, what’s for dinner?”
My first reaction, during these busy days of summer, is TAKEOUT. But having just gotten the first monthly bill for next year’s heating oil—OUCH—I know we’re eating in. Which is usually a pleasure; I like to cook. But not when the temperature in my kitchen is 92°F.
It’s been searingly hot and breathlessly muggy here in Vermont’s Connecticut River valley the past few days. This is our equivalent of global warming; 90°F days used to be infrequent, but are now a regular occurrence. Not regular enough, however, for everyone to have air conditioning. So when the heat descends, an awful lot of us move outdoors and light the grill for our evening meals.
Hotdogs, hamburgers, chops, chicken, steak, fish… pizza? Believe it or not, pizza is one of the easier, quicker supper dishes you can make out on the deck. You literally just slap the dough onto the grill, cook one side, flip it over, add the toppings, and wait about 5 minutes for everything to warm up. And while dinner’s cooking, you’re sitting in a deck chair, cold glass of (fill in the blank) in hand, enjoying whatever faint breezes happen to be stirring in the trees arching overhead.
I made pizza on the grill last night. My college-age son scoffed at the toppings. “Mom, come on—goat cheese?!” But my husband, a pizza omnivore, was happy to down quite a few slices with his bottle of beer. And me? So long as I could leave my hot, stuffy kitchen behind, I was overjoyed. Case closed.
Now, don’t be skeptical—grilled pizza is quite simple. Just follow this step-by-step. The most challenging part is finding the right grill temperature, but once you’ve got that nailed, you’re good to go for the rest of the summer.
First, put everything in a bowl. Good way to start, right? Where would we be without bowls? It doesn’t bear thinking about. I use 100% Italian-style flour in this recipe, as it’s extremely easy to pat into a very thin crust. If you use another type of flour, you’ll find it more time-consuming to make a thin crust, as you’ll need to stretch it, then let it rest; stretch again, then let it rest… You’ll get there; just understand it’ll take longer than if you used lower-protein Italian-style flour. Can you use pastry flour? I haven’t tried it; give it a go, and post your comments.
Next, mix up a rough dough. At this point, you can tell if you need a bit more liquid, or a bit more flour. it should be clay-like—everything hanging together, but not sticky.
Knead for 5 minutes. The dough will become smooth and sinuous.
Notice, though, it’s still a bit rough. That’s OK; it’ll smooth itself out as it rests.
So, I made the dough at work, put it in a yogurt container, brought it home, and put it on my picnic table while I was slicing the cheese and tomatoes for the topping. WHOOPS—guess the container wasn’t quite big enough.
See how nicely the dough has smoothed out? It’s the miracle of fermentation!
Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disk.
Stretch each piece of dough into a larger disk, letting gravity do some of the work for you.
Tear off a 12” square of parchment, and spray it with olive oil. Put the dough on it. Wait about 5 minutes…
…then stretch it out to the edges of the parchment.
Spray with olive oil.
Repeat with the other piece of dough. Meanwhile, start getting your grill up to heat; medium-hot is good for ultra-thin-crust (about 1/4”) pizza. Lower heat is appropriate for thin-crust pizza. Don’t try to bake a pizza thicker than 1/2” on the grill; it’s too tricky trying to get the heat right. Thin-crust pizzas are best for grilling.
We have one of these mozzarella cheese slicers in our catalogue, so I grabbed one from our merchandise area and brought it home. Yup—made it REALLY easy to slice mozzarella…
See? Might be too thick for you, but I happen to like big, chewy blobs of cheese on my pizza.
I sliced some tomatoes REALLY thin. We have a tomato knife in the catalogue that does a great job.
Let the fun begin! Take the dough on its parchment, and turn it over onto the hot grill. Peel off the parchment.
Isn’t that pretty? The oil from the parchment is now atop the pizza crust.
When the bottom is nicely browned (which can take anywhere from 1 minute to 5 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill), use a pair of tongs to flip the crust over. I like these red tongs we sell. They have a nice, sensitive feel to them.
Bottom on top, top on bottom. At this point, your toppings should be all ready.
Here I’ve used black olives, tomatoes, marinated red peppers, and dabs of goat cheese.
And here they are, a couple of finished pizzas. The one on the left is simply Parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes.
And this one is sun-dried tomatoes, the aforementioned mozzarella blobs, and homemade pesto. Notice how thin the crust is; this is just about the right thickness.
Having one of those sultry summer days? Think about pizza tonight. Read, review, and rate (please!) our recipe for The Fastest Homemade Pizza Ever, with an option for grilling at the end.
Buy vs. Bake
Buy: Lebanon, N.H. Pizza Hut—12” thin-crust pizza, cheese: $12.41 each
Buy: Lebanon, N.H. Pizza Hut—12” thin-crust pizza, two toppings: $13.91 each
Bake at home: 12” thin-crust pizza, with mozzarella cheese, roasted red pepeprs, and fresh tomatoes, $3.59 each
July 9th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I could cry!… it’s so beautiful to watch the perfect dough rise, and in a yogurt container no less…. still a beautiful sight to behold. :p
Thanks for the post. I’m so ready to grill my own pizza for tonight’s dinner.
PS… got to get me one of those mozzarella slicers.. let’s see, where’s the store tab ……
July 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Wow, I’ve never had such a pizza! Really amazing and ever so scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
July 9th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Grilled Pizza is our specialty at HarpoonFest, a BBQ and Beer festival that is sponsored by Harpoon Brewery here in VT. King Arthur has a booth where we make grilled pizzas, hand out free samples and chat with folks who love baking! We go through dozens of pizzas in the two days.
Our pizzas feature bottled barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce, and cheddar cheese instead of mozerella. Pulled pork or BBQ chicken make excellent toppings as well. Never a crumb left in all these years!
Happy Baking!
MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline (and happy festival goer)
July 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
a great great whole wheat pizza dough recipe can be found here:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001506.html
I’ve made it a few times and it always comes out perfect and grills up like a charm and tastes *amazing*. If you know how to toss pizza dough (a friend taught me in college) this dough does very well for that as well.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I can’t believe this…I was just thinking this morning about what the best way to successfully grill pizza would be. How auspicious!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
You’re like those ice-skaters on TV from when I was a wee kid: you make it look soooooo easy.
I just might try this.
And honey, I am with ya on the heating oil bill. I just prepaid mine NOW before it gets any higher. Ouch and double-OUCH. Thank God I am “Alaskan” (born in TX, but consider AK home, but trapped in VA) so I will only fill my tank ONCE this year. Thank God for wool socks.
I will try the pizza this weekend, I think.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
We’ve been doing grilled pizza for several years and while we’ve done it direct on the grill, we’ve moved on to using a pizza stone which sits on the BBQ grill. That allows you to pile on a more toppings and sauce than you’d be able to get away with if you were sliding it right onto the grill, and it gets the entire bottom nice and crisp. Having a wooden pizza peel also helps when you are trying to slide a hot, juicy pizza off the grill without burning your fingers!
July 9th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
You’re using a gas grill, I suppose. We have a charcoal grill. The temperature isn’t as easy to control, but do you think we could grill pizza over charcoal? Surely someone has tried that. Here in Louisiana we have temperatures of 95 plus right now and cooking outside would be great, even though we DO have air conditioning.
Hi Granny - I actually have a little electric grill. On charcoal, I think I’d try to control the temperature by moving the grate up and down, if you can do that? Sorry about your 95°F - it thunderstormed here this afternoon, but only made it muggier - WHEW. Should be a tough sleeping night tonight…
July 9th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
We love pizza at our house. We especially like to grill it. I don’t know why but it tastes so different on the grill. Thanks for the parchment paper idea, maybe our pizzas will be round from now on instead of blob-a-riffic
July 9th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Y’all are thinking of grilled pizza as an easy but gourmet dinner. I want you to know it is also a great “emergency” meal. I try to keep a ball or two of pizza dough in my freezer for quick pizzas but when the hurricane season comes it also becomes part of my emergency meal plans. Grilling pizza on the propane grill is a great way to use up the perishables you’ve stashed in the cooler just before the power goes out and it sure beats the cold canned beans and pbj that everyone else is eating!
Hey, FEMA’s got nothing on you, right? I like it… After the Storm Pizza. You go! - PJH
July 9th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
We’ve been grilling pizza on the grill for several years. One tasty alternative is to make it a dessert pizza. Cook the dough as described here, but instead of tomato and chees, use ricoota and fresh fruit, like peaches and cherries. Sounds different, but is is good!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
In response to Granny - I barbecue pizza on a charcoal grill. I roll the dough out on a teflon sheet and put the teflon right on the grill. You can turn or move the teflon sheet to compensate for any hot or cold spots on the grill.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:59 am
can I use regular all purpose flour instead of the italian-style mentioned in the recipe?
Yes, as you can read in the step-by-step instructions, you’ll see a difference, but you can definitely use it. Good luck - PJH
July 10th, 2008 at 5:34 am
This sounds so good and easy. What about some cornstarch in place of a little flour to lighten up thewhole thing.
Well, Sherrill, cornstarch might be good if you’re using a higher protein flour. But if you use Italian flour, it’s already low-protein. Adding cornstarch won’t lighten the dough, as it’s cutting back the gluten so much that the dough will have trouble rising. And it might make the dough tear more easily, and be harder wot work with. But give it a try, and let us know what happens… - PJH
July 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I cannot get the recipe for this particular pizza. The recipe spot and printable version is blank. Help! (thanks)
Thanks to everyone who let us know that the link was not working correctly. It has been corrected now. Here is a link straight to the recipe.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=1193245537637
Enjoy the pizza!
July 10th, 2008 at 9:04 am
We have been grilling pizza for years. My husband uses foil pie tins to start the pizza. We spread the dough in a pie tin that has been sprayed. He then puts the tin on the grill just for a few minutes. He sprays the top of the dough and turns it out of the pie tin onto the grill. We grill until we get those nice grill marks then we flip it over and add the toppings onto the grilled side. The side that was originally in the pan in now on the grill and getting those nice marks. We lower the heat and cook until toppings are hot and melted. He loves doing it this way. He said it is easier to handle the dough. He is the grill master and I just sit and enjoy the results with that cool drink.
Joyce
July 10th, 2008 at 9:07 am
P.J. I click on the recipe button and the next window appears on my computer but no recipe just a blank space where the recipe should be. Can I get the recipe another way?
Thanks,
Bob
We apologize for the incorrect link. Here is the link directly to the recipe.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=1193245537637
July 10th, 2008 at 11:38 am
The pizza recipe is missing. Would you please post it? I would love to give it a try this weekend, because it is going to be hot!
Hi Cindy,
The link to the recipe has been posted further up in the comments section for this post. Thanks for asking!
July 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Hello,
I think the issue to which Cindy is referring is that the link from the email received on the 9th of July has a link that takes one to a King Arthur page, but sans recipe. The section of the page normally containing the recipe is blank; clicking “printable” likewise takes one to a blank page.
Something (other than your fabulous pizza) for your techies to sink their teeth into!
July 10th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I’m with Kandi on using a pizza stone on the grill. I love it!! I’ve been making pizza on the grill for years now but hated having to hurry and get the toppings on or the bottom would burn. Now I just heat up the stone and I can take my time getting on the toppings- and when it “bakes” with the grill top down the cheese gets bubbly and brown. Great brick oven flavor!
July 10th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
can’t wait to try it - used a New York Times recipe (also will be trying the chocolate chip cookies!) for this a few years ago, but lost it. I found the recipe by going through the blog - but I am glad to know that it wasn’t my fault that it wouldn’t show up when I first clicked on the link! I always assume I am the one who can’t get the computer thing right!
July 13th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Our Granddaughters love grilled pizza so I was very excited to see this post. I have used KA AP flour in the past and will definitely try this flour. My question is, since it gets very caotic on “make your own pizza night” with trying to time the first grilling of the dough, everyone adding their own toppings, and then grilling again, can I make and grill the dough ahead of time, freeze, and then defrost, top and either grill or bake to warm? It seems to me that would make the event a lot more fun, especially for Grandma! Thanks for your comments.
Absolutely, Sheryl. That’s the way to go when things get hectic. Grill one side;the other side should be done enough to freeze just fine. When it’s time for Grandma to help the kids grill, have them add their toppings to the grilled side, then put them on the grill pale side down, and grill/warm till the toppings are ready. You might want to test one yourself, first, to adjust the heat just right; because you surely wouldn’t want to incinerate one of the kids’ creations! Also, you might want to make them smaller than 12″ -more personal pizza size. Good luck -PJH
July 13th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I recently started grilling pizzas. I actually have a charcoal grill and use a pizza stone - I find it also to be pretty easy and a lot of fun! I’ve been cheating a little bit by sometimes using Trader Joe’s pre-made dough (which is delicious). Eventually I will make my own dough from scratch like you!
Cheers!
Nico, try the Italian flour… you won’t believe how easy it is. Glad your bread-making is progressing- keep up the good work! PJH
July 17th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I’ve been on a quest to make really authentic rustic pizza and as always KA has provided fantastic recipes for great tasting pies. I’ve just begun grilling pizza on my gas grill and it produces a wonderful & perfectly charred crust. During my attempts to make great pies, I’ve begun to use a wild yeast sourdough culture in lieu of active dry yeast and it produces an incredibly light, airy, sour (but not too sour) flavor that simply must be tried. It may take a few attempts to get the starter to activate, but once it does, get ready for mouthwatering pizza and rolls. The KA website is truly one of the best ones out there, thanks.
Sounds good, Susan - I’m not a sourdough person, but I KNOW I have to become “fluent” with it. This may be a good place to start. Thanks for sharing- PJH
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am
Our household enjoys a thicker crust pizza. By using whole wheat white flour instead of the Italian flour, will that produce a thicker and chewier crust? Also, schedules in our house are all over the place….what do you think about grilling up the pizza crusts ahead of time and then finish them off with their toppings when each person gets home? I would think that by grilling them first, it would infuse, and hopefully keep that smoky flavor that we all love. BUT, if the weather allows, then I will use my cast iron Sunshine Grill from Australia! It’s a gas grill, but one side is a cast iron grate, and the other side is a cast iron flat plate! It’s fun to use but you have to watch the temp! It gets pretty hot! The only drawback to this grill is that it doesn’t have a high cover to close down and hold heat. I just use a wok cover or roasting pan cover….whichever fits the food!
Hi Chunny, You are correct, by using the white whole wheat you will get a thicker crust, even if you just substitute it for half of the flour. Keep in mind that the more whole wheat you use the more liquid the dough will absorb and you may need additional water above the 3/4 of a cup-possibly an additional 1/4 to make it a total of one cup. As for your schedule, you can grill the crusts and top/warm later in your oven, or you can also refigerate the dough, cut and grill as needed. I have held pizza dough in the refrigerator several days with super results. Experiment and have fun! Jessica @ The Bakers Hotline.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I just made this today with the KA Pastry Flour. It worked out pretty well, although the dough was very very soft! We made them with what was supposed to be a white sauce, but was more of a goo, and it was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this for a warm summers day!
August 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I, too, have been grilling pizza for years. I just purchased the Italian flour and it does indeed make a wonderful crust. For the grandma that said it is hard to make pizza for lots of kids, I do it all the time. For a side with steaks or just for pizza, I make the dough in an individual size. When ready, grill the one side, then store it in the fridge with parchment between layers. I prep all the toppings, if camping, in zip lock bags. and refrigerate. About an hour before grilling take the pizza out and let it come to room temp. When ready to start, put the pizza on the grill, grilled side down to warm a bit, then flip and add toppings. I use a pizza stone that is elevated about 2″ from the grill, so there is no worry it will burn, close the lid and let the cheese melt. Ready in no time. Before I bought the pizza stone I put it directly on the grate, just have to watch a little bit to make sure it doesn’t burn. Is great for camping, all can be done ahead. Everyone is crowded by the grill waiting for their individual pizza to be ready. Then the bragging starts, mine is better than yours, and so on………
individual “creation” to be ready!
November 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I made grilled pizza’s a few years ago as an appetizer for our daughter’s graduation party….what a hit…..people didn[t have room for the BBQ after all the pizza…..the vegetarian’s especially loved it. Grilled pizza’s have the best flavor…..my mother did these when we were very young, she been gone for years, so we couldn’t ask for any help ..so we just winged it and it came out great. my favorite is with fontina cheese. YUM