Pizza on the Grill

I once said the phrase “I never met a pizza I didn’t like”. To this day, that statement is true, but there are definitely ones that have a special place in my heart. Brick oven pizza has always been my favorite because you get the rich fired flavor and crispy crust that I have never been able to mimic in my home…that is…until now. The funny thing is that I had my own personal brick oven this entire time. It’s otherwise known as a grill. Why didn’t I think of this? My mom introduced this at a family party. She had made all the dough before we all arrived. When we got there we got to take our pizza from dough to done with whatever ingredients we wanted.  Everyone got the kind they liked, and it didn’t matter what we put on them, they all tasted like we were in some fancy pants restaurant.  Here’s how you do it…

1. Make your favorite pizza dough recipe.

If you don’t have a favorite, you can borrow ours.  Chances are you’ll soon claim it as your favorite too! Here’s the link for Mama’s Best Pizza Dough. If you are pressed for time, you can always buy Rhodes Dough in your freezer section and use that as a substitute. Just make sure to follow the instructions for thawing and rising times. Once your dough is ready…

2. Fire up your grill to medium heat.

3. Prepare your pizza dough.

Rip off about 12 inches of tin foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Take a ball of dough (about the size of a baseball) and flatten it out onto the sprayed piece of foil. Flatten the dough until it is 1/2 inch to an inch thick. (Any thinner and the dough will droop through the grill. Any thicker and the middle won’t get cooked.)

4. Grill one side of your crust.

Take your flattened dough and spray with non-stick spray, or brush with olive oil. Place your dough, oiled side down, on the grill. Keep your foil handy, you’ll need it again in a minute. Let crust cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes or until you have golden grill marks on  the bottom.  Since all grills are different, watch them carefully, and adjust heat as needed.

5. Take the crust off the grill.

Place back on your sprayed foil grill mark side up. Dress up your pizza with all the toppings you want.  Make sure to have fresh ingredients, and make sure you have a variety for all your guests. The sky is the limit.  Get creative. (My personal favorite is a Margherita Pizza with a good marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, lot’s of fresh cut basil and thinly sliced tomatoes. So simple, so delicious!)

6. Place dressed pizza back on the grill.

Slide the pizza off the foil and back on the grill. Make sure to close the grill lid this time. This will melt all the yummy toppings together as the crust cooks. Look how perfect it makes a plain old pepperoni pizza (which happens to be my kids’ favorite)!

 

 

Enjoy! Let me know how your pizza on the grill turns out and what your favorite combinations are!