Baking a pizza using an oven is fun and the process that goes through it is really enjoyable for all ages. But what if I told you that you can use your grill to make pizza?
Do not be surprised because it is completely true and yes, it may sound unconventional at first but really, grilled pizza is hard to differentiate with the ones cooked in ovens.
In terms of the process, grilled pizza may take longer to cook since the heat from the grill might not be even. But if you go past that, the result will be as surprising and as amazing as hearing that you can grill a pizza for the first time.
If you really think about it, there is nothing essential that was removed in making the conventional oven-baked pizza.
Pizza needs a lot of heat and the grill can produce amazing heat as well as an oven. So cooking pizza in the grill would not be that hard.
Of course, it takes practice to perfect it but it would not take long before you get the hang of it.
If you are worried that the pizza dough will fall on the grates (as most people think of), it will not. I guarantee you that the crust will only stiffen and it will not fall.
If you do not have the budget to buy a great oven and you already have a grill, then this is perfect for you.
You will now be able to enjoy arguably the best food known for humans using only your grill and a few practices.
So follow this article as we demonstrate how a grilled pizza is done and how you can do it in your own backyard.
All in One Go
So this technique is simple and easy. You just have to prepare everything you need while the grill is heating up.
The process involves putting all the needed ingredients on the pizza dough before putting it inside the grill.
So first prepare the dough, the sauce, and the toppings.
Making the dough
Ingredients (Dry):
16 ounces 00 flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Half teaspoon yeast
One and a half teaspoon salt
Ingredients (Wet)
11 ounces of water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
You can opt to use store-bought dough but in this recipe, I used my own dough and kneaded it a couple of days before actually using it.
So first, mix all the dry ingredients of the dough in a bowl or in a food processor for a faster result.
Using a food processor is great for consistency and even distribution of the ingredients. First, put 16 ounces of flour in a bowl, add a tablespoon of sugar, and then the yeast.
Mix them all well together for about 15 to 20 seconds in the food processor. After the ingredients have been mixed well enough, start adding the wet ingredients.
Add 11 ounces of water and mix it well so there are no dry spots. Then let it rest for at least ten minutes, this is to make the gluten activate and it will keep the dough together.
Do not remove it from the bowl of the food processor just yet. After letting the dough rest for ten minutes, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt.
Mix them again until the ingredients are distributed evenly on the dough. After that, you can cut the dough into smaller pieces and then let it rest for at least one day.
The sauce
Ingredients
4 tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dried oregano
So in making the sauce, I used fresh ingredients that you can buy on your local market or if you have a garden, then you can use your own ingredients from there.
So first things first, make some sort of paste from three to four tomatoes by using a blender to break them down. It does not have to be perfectly smooth, having chunks of tomatoes will not affect anything at all.
Put the tomato paste in a pan on medium heat. Add the two tablespoons of olive oil, the sugar, the salt, and the oregano.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and then cover it in medium heat and stir once in a while to prevent burns on the bottom of the pan.
When the sauce has a consistency of your liking, get it off of the heat and let it rest while you get back to your dough.
The Toppings
Ingredients
4 hot Italian sausages
2 red peppers
4 mushrooms
With these few ingredients, the pizza dough will be the highlight so you can taste what you made and how you can improve it.
First, cook the sausages in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil until they turn golden brown. Not too cooked because it will still go under heat in the grill.
Using a fork, break down the meat into small pieces. This can also be done before cooking it.
Let the sausages rest and move on to the other ingredients. Slice the peppers into small bite-sized pieces enough to evenly distribute it on the pizza dough.
The same goes for the mushrooms. There is no need to cut them into small pieces, just retain the shape and just slice them thinly.
Table of Contents
Pre-cooking
So after a day or two of letting your dough rest on the fridge, you can start making your pizza. It is best to prepare the sauce on the day that your dough is ready.
So while you are preparing the sauce, get the dough out of the fridge and let it rest for at least an hour at room temperature. After that, knead the dough one last time using flour so it would not stick to the surface that you are kneading it on.
Make sure that you preheat the grill for at least 15 minutes or up to a temperature of 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the dough on a pizza peel powdered with a fair amount of flour so the dough can freely move on the pizza peel. You can now start putting your sauce on the dough by spreading it evenly or place it by chunks on the surface.
Put the toppings on the sauce and then the cheese. Put a fair amount of grated parmesan or mozzarella on top or you can opt to put both kinds of cheese.
Cooking
Now lift the pizza peel and carefully slide the pizza on the grill. The dough might get deformed but there is no need to worry as it would not make any difference in the taste.
Close the grill and wait for 2 to 3 minutes before turning the pizza 90 degrees. See the grill should have hot spots and some parts that are a little colder.
With that said, the pizza needs to be turned 90 degrees to get that browned crust but not burned.
There is also a need to close the grill so the heat from under will radiate on the lid and then go back down to the cheese for it to melt.
Wait for another 2 minutes after you turned the pizza for the cheese to melt and then you are good to go.
Finishing Touches
Put some fresh basil on top of the cooked pizza, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some coarse salt to finish the pizza off.
If the shape of the pizza was near a circle, cut it into a classic 6 or 8-slices pizza. However, if the pizza is a little deformed you can cut it into rectangles.
Check out this video below to see the full steps on how to cook this recipe.
Toppings while Cooking
This is another way of cooking a pizza on the grill. This is a way to put toppings on the pizza, not before, but while the dough is cooking on the grill.
This recipe and technique are perfect for toppings that can be easily cooked and makes them taste great.
For example, Vegetables- Vegetables can be cooked easily but making them stay under heat for a long time will not result in a great pizza.
You can use the same recipe for the dough above. Just remember to let it rest for at least a day.
The dough can last for 3 to 5 days or even a week so do not worry about its longevity in the fridge as you can use it after it has rested for a period of time.
The sauce
1 stalk of fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon pine nuts
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper
In this recipe, I used a pesto sauce so I might as well show you how a delicious homemade pesto is made. You can also buy pesto from your local store.
So first, peel the garlic and get the leaves from the basil stalk. Mix the garlic, the basil, the pine nuts, and the grated Parmesan in a bowl.
Put the mix in a food processor and switch it ON. While the food processor is mixing, add the olive oil.
Using a mortar can also be great since you can taste the pesto sauce every now and then and season it to your liking easily.
Add salt and pepper to taste. After mixing the ingredients and they are all emulsified, store the mix in the fridge for at least one week.
Green Toppings
Ingredients:
5 large leaves of Tuscan Kale
2 scallions
5 large leaves of Swiss Chard
So the first step is to remove the stalks from the leaves. Just slide your fingers through the lining of the stalk and it would come off easily.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and season them with salt and olive oil. Get your grill fired up on one side and cool on the other. Put the vegetables on the grill and wait for them to cook or become tender.
The leaves will not cook at the same time so putting the Tuscan Kale, then the scallions, and finally the Swiss Chard would be the best order for them to finish cooking at the same time.
After grilling them, chop the leaves into small pieces and mix them in a bowl. Season it with some chili pepper and salt.
Then add lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil and mix it again.
Cooking
After kneading the dough in a preferred size, brush some oil on one side and put the dough on the hot part of the grill with the oiled part facing down.
Flip the dough after two minutes and place it on the no heat area of the grill. Add the pesto on the surface of the dough. Do not spread too much of the sauce so it will not make the dough soggy.
Proceed to place the mix of greens on the pizza covering the surface. You can add fresh ricotta if you like and distribute it sparingly on the surface.
Put the pizza back into the heated surface of the grill and wait for 7 to 10 minutes and the pizza will be cooked.
Finishing Touches
Put the pizza on a peel and top it with parmesan cheese and some salt. Slice the pizza and enjoy it!
Check out this video below to guide you further and tell us what you think.
So why Grilled Pizza?
Using your grill as an alternative for the oven can be so much better than you think. Grills can go so much hotter than your oven. Heat is the best component of a great pizza and grills can certainly give heat.
The heat from a grill gives that charred brown on the bottom that you can learn to love so much. It gives you that crispy bite on the crust and chewy inside.
Some toppings are also better cooked under direct heat so there is a benefit there as well.
Just imagine yourself sitting on a chair in your backyard with a cold beer and you and your family are grilling, then suddenly you all wanted a pizza.
Well, now you know you can make one from your grill and you do not have to heat up the oven inside. So make sure to try these recipes and enjoy the outdoors with an amazing pizza!
Do let us know how you liked these ideas and tips on grilled pizzas!
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