Corn-Free,
Dairy-free,
from scratch,
grill,
Little Kids in the Kitchen,
Pizza,
pizza crust,
pizza sauce,
slow food,
Spring,
yeast
Pizza on the grill (homemade yeast crust recipe)
10:46 AM
We've been trying to grill as much as possible lately not only because it's delicious and a change of pace from cold weather cooking, but also because the girls can run around like crazy outside while we're making dinner. What a reprieve from the usual blaring kids tv shows and bickering hungry siblings who are trapped inside at dinnertime.
I admit, I was skeptical about putting raw pizza dough on the grill. I was certain it would just fall through the cracks and make a mess... but I was wrong! We made "personal sized" pizzas by putting flattened raw dough straight onto the grill and flash grilling both sides. The result was toasty, crispy, amazing pizza crust that we then added toppings to and continued to grill on a low setting until the (Daiya) cheese melted.
The dough was made ahead of time and frozen until we were ready to use it so this was a great weeknight dinner choice.
Add a little oil to each side of the pizza crust, and to the grill surface. Grill the dough on high on either side.
Enjoy!
I admit, I was skeptical about putting raw pizza dough on the grill. I was certain it would just fall through the cracks and make a mess... but I was wrong! We made "personal sized" pizzas by putting flattened raw dough straight onto the grill and flash grilling both sides. The result was toasty, crispy, amazing pizza crust that we then added toppings to and continued to grill on a low setting until the (Daiya) cheese melted.
The dough was made ahead of time and frozen until we were ready to use it so this was a great weeknight dinner choice.
Homemade Pizza Crust (yeast version)
*This crust is a 2-day process... so plan accordingly OR use my yeast-less recipe
4 1/2 cups AP flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups ice water
Semolina flour for dusting
Stir together flour, salt and instant yeast in a large bowl (or an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and cold water until the flour is completely absorbed. Kneed the dough for 5 to 7 minutes until it becomes a solid, smooth mass and the ingredients are evenly distributed. You may need to dip your hands in water a few times (or use a dough hook on an electric mixer) to keep the dough from sticking to you. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky and will register between 50-55 degrees f.
Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment the old-fashioned way with a brush). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (for personal-sized pizzas, you could also cut it into 2 larger pieces for family-sized crusts). Dip the scraper in water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it. Sprinkle flour over the dough then make sure your hands are dry and sprinkle them with flour too. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. Transfer the dough balls to the baking sheet. Mist the dough generously with oil and cover the pan with plastic wrap.
**Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days.
If you want to use some of the dough for future baking it can be frozen in ziploc bags after the initial 24 hour rest period. Simply dip each dough ball in a bowl with a few tbsp oil in it to coat and then put each ball into a seperate ziploc bag. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
And so, we come to our weeknight, outdoor dinner recipe!
Personal Pizzas on the Grill
Take your dough balls out of the freezer and let them come up to room temperature. This may take a few hours, OR if you're like us, you can cheat and put them under a heat lamp (which hubby just happens to have for helping dough rise on cold, damp days).
When the dough is room temperature, shape it into little personal pizzas.
Add a little oil to each side of the pizza crust, and to the grill surface. Grill the dough on high on either side.
They DO NOT fall through the cracks!
Once the dough is cooked through (happens FAST) turn down the heat and transfer crusts to the top rack (if you have one), add sauce and toppings of choice. Pictured is sauce (re-hydrated tomato paste, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and fennel seed), Daiya Mozerella, mild italian sausage, onions, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms.
