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Three small pizzas topped with cheese and fresh basil and tomatoes on a metal tray.

Grilled Pizza

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  • Author: Nguyet Vo
  • Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Grill
  • Cuisine: American, Italian

Description

Cooking pizza on the grill can be intimidating but pre-cooking the crust in a hot skillet on the stovetop then finish baking the pizza on the grill makes it much easier. You get the same great results without worrying about sticky dough on hot grill grates.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the pizza dough

  • 3/4 cup warm water (about 120 degrees F)
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for the bowl

For cooking the pizza crusts

  • Flour for rolling out the dough
  • Olive oil for coating the pan

For baking the pizzas

  • Asiago cheese
  • Fresh mozzarella, water drained and thinly sliced
  • Diced plum tomatoes
  • Fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Instructions

For the pizza dough

  1. Proof yeast. In a glass measuring cup, add water, yeast and sugar. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Let sit for 5 minutes. A thin layer of foam should appear on the top indicating the yeast is active. If a thin layer of foam does not appear then throw out the mixture and start again. Check that your water is not too hot or cold and that your yeast is not expired.
  2. Mix dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt and cornmeal together. Add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix 2-3 minutes on low speed using the dough hook until the mixture comes together.
  3. Let dough rise. Spread the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in a thin layer on the inside of a large bowl. Gather the pizza dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl. Turn the dough around so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
  4. Chill dough. After the rising time, move the bowl of dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight if possible) to firm up the dough and to enhance the flavor. This will also make it easier to roll out.

For pre-cooking the pizza crusts

  1. Divide dough. Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and punch it down. Divide the dough into four equal parts and shape each part into a ball.
  2. Roll out dough. Work with one ball of dough at a time. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough into an 8-inch flat circle.
  3. Cook crust. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Brush olive oil on inside of the pan then gently transfer the rolled out dough to the hot pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the underside is lightly browned. Brush olive oil on the top of the crust then flip the crust over in the pan. Cook until the second side is lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
  4. Store crust. At this point, you can proceed to the next step of making your pizza or you can allow the crusts to cool on a plate or wire rack. Then wrap the crusts in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Bring the crusts to room temperature if they have been chilled.

For baking the pizzas

  1. Prep grill. Heat grill to high heat.
  2. Assemble the pizzas. Brush olive oil on both sides of each pizza crust. Top each pizza with freshly grated asiago cheese and slices of fresh mozzarella.
  3. Grill pizzas. Using a spatula, transfer the pizzas to the grill placing them directly on the hot grates. Close lid and cook for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted and underside of crust in nicely browned. Remove pizzas from grill and top with tomatoes and basil. Cut each pizza into quarters and serve.

Notes

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