Long time, no post! I got a new camera recently and wanted to test it out on a blog post. Unfortunately I am a total newbie so my photos aren’t too great. I should have been using my extra flash but on the actual camera the photos were looking too bright. Anyway, I am taking some classes this coming November so more to come on that.
My husband and I have been grilling pizza for awhile now. It gives the pizza a totally different taste – almost more of an authentic taste with the slight char on the crust. Whatever it is, we haven’t cooked a pizza in the oven since we discovered this new method of cooking our pies. It’s rather easy too but does take a few times before you really get the hang of it.
I typically take care of prepping the dough (which is super easy considering we buy pre-made dough) & coming up with the toppings. And my husband is the grillmaster.
Like I said, I buy the pre-made dough in the bakery section of our grocery store. It needs to sit out at room temp for about an hour before rolling it out. Once it’s ready to roll, I make sure I have a clean counter top and sprinkle flour down to prevent sticking. I then just roll it out with a pin adding more flour as necessary.
Shape doesn’t matter so don’t strive for perfection. Just do your best to get most of the bubbles out.
While I’m doing all the prep work, my husband is getting the grill ready. We have a Louisiana Grill which runs on pellets. The grill needs to be super hot for pizza grilling so we shoot for 500 degrees.
For this particular pizza, I decided to do a white pizza. We’ve done allll kinds of toppings in the past though. You can really get creative with homemade pizzas which keeps it a popular dish to make on a regular basis.
I sliced up some garlic and sauteed it in some olive oil. Once the garlic started bubbling, I added a bag of spinach to the pan. Once the spinach wilted, I removed the pan from the heat and set aside.
I wanted to have some of my toppings ready before we put the dough on the grill. The dough is on the grill for a very short period of time and once the toppings go on, it goes back on for another quick minute. Because we don’t want the grill to lose heat, we need to plan accordingly.
Before putting the dough on the grill, we brush the grill gates with olive oil. We do this by balling up a paper towel which is dipped in olive oil and rubbing it on the grates by holding the paper towel wad with tongs.
Then we brush the dough with olive oil too. The dough then gets placed on the grates olive oil side down.
Let the dough grill about 1-2 minutes with lid down. Use tongs to check the dough after 1 minute. You want grill marks but you don’t want it completely crispy. When ready, remove the dough with tongs.
You lay the uncooked side down and place toppings on top of the cooked side. For this particular pizza I used white pizza sauce that I found at the grocery story made by Classico brand.
I then made a mixture of ricotta, shredded mozzarella & grated parmesan. Oh and more garlic of course! Minced this time. So then I spread the cheese mixture on top of the sauce, then the spinach mixture, and then I topped it off with some fresh basil and italian seasoning.
Once your toppings are on, it’s time to get the pizza back on the grill to finish cooking the other side. The pizza should only be on the grill for about another minute on the same high temp as before with the lid down.
And there you have it! A delicious grilled white pizza!
Grilled Pizza
- Heat the grill: You should heat it quite hot; Aim for at least 500°F. If you have a choice on your grill between direct and indirect heat, set it up so the pizza is over direct heat.
- Have your tools close to hand: You will want a pair of long metal tongs. A spatula may be helpful, although not absolutely necessary. You may want a hot pad or oven mitt if your grill lid gets hot.
- Prep your dough: It should be stretched or rolled out into a thin circle.
- Brush the dough with olive oil: Brush one side of the dough with oil; this is the side you’ll lay down on the grill.
- Grill one side of the pizza: Take the lid off the grill. Lay the dough round on the grill, olive-oil-brushed-side down. Brush the top of the dough with a thin layer of olive oil too. Let the dough cook for about 3 minutes, with the lid off, or 1 to 2 minutes with the lid on. Use the tongs to lift up the dough from time to time, checking on how it is doing. You want grill marks on it, but you don’t want the dough to get crispy; it should be just set.
- Top the pizza: Flip the dough over with the tongs or spatula. The dough should come up easily and flip without tearing. Now is where your organization comes in! You need to top the pizza quickly. Spread on a thin layer of sauce, some cheese, and toppings. It shouldn’t be too heavily loaded, or the pizza won’t cook well. (I never just flip it on the grill and put the toppings on while it’s on the grill. I would be too panicked to get it all done quick enough. I like to bring the pizza back in the house and quickly arrange the toppings before putting it back on the grill)
I hope to make a pizza with homemade dough in the near future. I’ve attempted before but it never turned out well :-/
The Lyons Den 