Pizza on the Grill

My husband and I are basically obsessed with our Weber Kettle Grill. We are grilling anything and everything. I was previously obsessed with my pizza stone but it has unfortunately fallen out of favor. I have also been excited with the opportunity to repurpose my 8 inch parchment rounds that I bought for all the cakes I never made. Cupcakes are just superior to a layer cake! The parchment really makes the shaping of the pizzas and the transfer to the grill much easier. The recipe below is just the basics to get you started. You can be creative with toppings. Unfortunately my pictures are not the best because we could not help but to immediately slice and taste these pizzas. Be careful here, it is easy to overcook the pizzas. It takes just 2-3 minutes for each side of the pizza. This technique of grilling one side and then placing the toppings on the grilled side allows you to cook the pizzas evenly. Use plenty of olive oil to prevent sticking. We enjoyed our grilled pizza night with a bottle of Chandon Blanc de Noir. This is a rich sparkling made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. It really complements the flavors of grilled foods. You can serve this light pink sparkling wine with any food that you might traditionally serve alongside a still pinot noir wine.

Grilled pizza

Makes 3 x 8 inch pizzas

One recipe pizza dough
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey (sugar or agave can be substituted)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bread flour

Your favorite pizza sauce – tomato based or otherwise
(The white sauce recipe pictured above can be found here.)
Fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
Pepperoni
Sliced mushrooms
Any toppings you want!
Parchment paper

Make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast and honey with warm water (110 degrees). Wait 10 minutes until bubbles form and it gets foamy (see bubbly yeast to the left). Add in salt, oil and half the flour. Using the dough hook, mix to combine.

Once the flour is mixed in, add in the rest of the flour bit by bit until combined. The dough should be tacky but should not stick to your hand. You may need to add more flour, add this 1 tbsp at a time.

Knead the dough with the mixer on a medium to high setting for 7 minutes. The mixer bowl will be clean after 7 minutes. Use olive oil to lightly grease the dough and the bowl. Cover with a warm towel and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Make the pizzas
Light the grill. When using charcoal, you will want this to be a “hot” fire. You should not be able to hold your hand over the heat 5 inches from the grill for more than 3 seconds. Prepare a pizza peal or baking sheet with sprinkled corn meal.

Cut the parchment paper into 8 inch circles and coat them lightly with olive oil. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, you can use a scale for accuracy. Shape it into a ball and stretch the outer edges with your hands forming it into a disk that is almost the size of your parchment circles. If the dough is too stick, use some olive oil on your hands. Place the dough on the parchment and continue to stretch it to the edges. Lightly coat the surface of the dough with olive oil.

Flip the dough onto the hot grill, remove the parchment paper. Replace the lid and let this cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, check the dough, it should be crispy with grill marks. Transfer the dough to your prepared pizza peal, grilled side up.

To the grilled surface of the pizza, apply your sauce, red pepper flakes, parmesan, toppings and mozzarella. Yes, in that order. Be careful not to overload the pizzas with sauce and toppings.

Transfer the dough back to the grill with the uncooked side facing the coals. Replace the lid and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the bottom begins to char.

This is a Bubbly Kitchen original recipe.