Grilled Pizza

I made grilled pizza last Friday night. This is a great summertime meal and it's very easy.

My recipe comes from Weber's Book of Grilled Pizza. We have a gas grill, so that's what I make the pizza on.

You can get dough anywhere, but I choose to make my own because it's so easy.

Basic Dough Recipe

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Place lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine flour and salt. Add to water, 1 cup at a time, until well incorporated. If very sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft and slightly sticky. Add 2 tablespoons oil, mix well until dough feels elastic. Turn dough onto well floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. (I use my Kitchenaid with the dough hook here). Oil a large bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until more than doubles in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and knead until smooth. Divide into 4 balls and proceed with pizza making.

For pizza

Roll out each piece of dough, generously covering each side with oil. Stack with sheets of wax paper between. Get ingredients ready. For pizza Margherita (shown above) I used mozzarella, some grated parmesan, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, minced garlic, and salt.

Preheat grill. Place dough over direct heat for 2 minutes, utnil bottom is marked and brown. Flip over with tongs. Cover with toppings. Turn off middle burner to bake on indirect heat. Close grill and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bottom is lightly browned.

It is quite delicious, a nice smoky flavor. If I'm feeling ambitious, I put wood chips in a smoker box and that gives it an even better flavor.