Grilled Pizza

So how do you take something that is already delicious and make it taste even better?  My answer: grill it!  I seriously think most food just seems to taste better when it's cooked on the grill-chicken, steak, and even pizza.  Now that summer is officially in full swing here, Matt and I have been grilling about 4 nights a week, including our weekly pizza nights.

At first we were both a little initmidated about the idea of grilling a pizza.  There seemed to be so many things that could go wrong-would the toppings all fall off?  Would the pizza break?  Would the pizza cook evenly? 

Luckily, there are a few "tricks" that ensure a grilled pizza will come out great-perhaps even better than one baked in the oven.  First, it's much easier to make smaller pizzas than one large pizza.  This allows you much more ease when putting the pizza on the grill and taking it off, as well as when flipping it.  Plus, if you make a few small pizzas, you can experiment with different toppings and make different pizzas (Matt and I like to have a contest and each make a pizza and then see whose comes out better).  When it's just the two of us, Matt and I first divide the dough into fourths and use 2 of the fourths-this will give us some leftovers as well.

The second "trick" is to lightly oil one side of the dough, put that side face down on the grill, let it cook, then remove the dough from the grill, putting it grilled side up on a plate off the heat.  At this time, put on desired toppings, then put it back on the grill to cook the other side.

The last tip is to simply have fun with your toppings!  We've done everything from arugula to grilled veggies to bacon to goat cheese.



The grillmeister in action :-)



Grilled Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough, divided into fourths and rolled into smooth balls (use as many as desired)

olive oil

Toppings of your choice

Heat grill.  Roll and stretch each dough ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets. Lightly brush top side of dough with olive oil.

Place the pizzas directly onto the grill and cook on 1 side for 1 minute. Turn the pizzas over onto a clean baking sheet or platter and lightly brush with olive oil or spoon desired amount of sauce, if using. Top the pizzas with desired toppings.  Put the lid on your grill and cook for 5 minutes more, until the crust is crisp and the toppings are cooked.


Source: Inspired by Ina Garten