Simply Delicious Grilled Pizza

I promised you I’d share with you my favorite pizza crust recipe.

This comes from Cook’s Country magazine – the September 2010 issue – which is chock-full of some of my favorite recipes. I love that magazine (and not just the Sept 2010 issue!)

This grilled pizza crust is so good. Slightly sweet, a little crispy, and oh, so, yummy with a light dusting of your favorite toppings. I think the part that makes it so good is the parmesan that is baked into the crust. Oh.my.goodness.

I make a batch and it is more than enough to make four small (personal) sized pizzas for the family.  Which the girls love because they each get to fix their pizza the way they prefer.

For the sauce, I usually use leftovers from my homemade sauce, but I have been known to either open a jarred marinara or even just open some canned crushed tomatoes and season those to use.  Depends on how lazy I am and how stocked (or not) our pantry is!

And I’m sure you can use this not on the grill but I’ve just always grilled it. I bet it would work just fine in your oven on a pizza stone or baking sheet.

Here’s the basic recipe:

Grilled Pizza Dough

• 1 cup water (heated to 110 degrees ~ hot)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (plus extra for brushing dough & grill)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
• 2 3/4 cups flour (plus more for dusting rolling surface)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt (I use kosher)

For the top:

• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• ~ 3 cups marinara or homemade spaghetti sauce
• toppings of your choice

To prepare dough:

1. Whisk water, 1 tbsp oil, sugar & yeast in large measuring cup. Let sit 5 minutes.
2. In food processor, pulse flour, parmesan, & salt until combined.
3. While machine is running, slowly pour oil mixture down spout until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball (this takes about a minute)
4. If dough seems too sticky, you may need to add 1-2 Tbsp flour.
5. Turn dough out on floured surface and knead 3-4 times.
6. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces.
7. Working with one piece at a time, press into a small circle and use a rolling pin to stretch dough to form a 9-inch circle. (mine always turn out oblong!)
8. Transfer each finished circle to baking sheet lined with parchment paper *and dusted with flour* (you can stack them with floured parchment paper between)
9. Meanwhile, heat your grill on high for about 15 minutes (while you are making the dough)
10. Leave your primary burner on high and turn all other burners to low/medium-low. Scrape cooking grate and grease with an oiled paper towel.
11. Brush tops of 2 of your dough circles with olive oil. Peel off of parchment and place OIL SIDE DOWN on the COOL SIDE of your grill.
12. Now, don’t touch them for 3-5 minutes (until the tops are bubbly and undersides are browning)
13. Brush the tops with olive oil, and using tongs, flip the circle.
14. On this freshly-browned top, add your sauce, cheeses and toppings.
15. Cook pizza for 3-5 minutes on cool side of grill and slide to hot side to crisp for 1-2 minutes if desired.
16. Repeat with remaining dough rounds & serve.
17. Finished pizzas can be kept warm in a preheated 200 degree oven if you want to serve them all at one time.

I promise, once you try this, you won’t want the pizza delivery man to bring you his overcharged, under-flavored pizza ever again!