Pizza on the BBQ

While scouring the Sunday newspaper for my usual coupons I came across a recipe for pizza dough and how to cook the pizza on the BBQ.  I have always wanted to try pizza on the grill, but never went to the effort to find a recipe.  I'm glad the recipe found me! 

I know I say 'easy' a lot, but this was truely an easy recipe and the best part is that you can freeze any extra dough for future use.  The only un-easy part is having to let the dough rise, but you could do this the day before or in the afternoon if you're around the house.

My dough, tripled in size after almost four hours of resting/rising.

Some of the toppings... leftover BBQ'd chicken, sauteed red onions, green bell peppers.  I also had some pineapple chunks for my Hawaiian pizza lover and Isernio ground sausage.  Other topping ideas: roasted potato slices, green apple slices, crumbled goat cheese, cooked bacon chunks...

The first step of the baking process, cooking one side of the dough for 3-5 minutes. Our grill is indirect heat, so it took a bit longer.  And if any huge bubbles start to grow in the dough during cooking, just poke with a knife to pop.

Remove the one-side-cooked pizza dough from grill and put toppings on the cooked side.  Now return pizza to grill and cook other side as well as heat up toppings.  Ours took about 5-7 minutes with indirect heat at a temp of 450 degrees.

This pizza dough was a HUGE hit.  I talk'n repeated comments on how good it tasted and how it wasn't soggy.  We already have plans to make this again for my step-brother and family next week.  That good!  And the kids thought it was a blast getting to stretch out their own dough.  Win, Win!

Pizza Dough for the BBQ

1/2c warm water and 1 1/4c room temp water.

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 Tbsp olive oil

4c bread flour

2 tsp table salt

Mix 1/2c warm water and yeast in bowl. Whisk together and let sit until yeast dissolves and expands, about 5 min. Measure in remaining water and oil to yeast mixture.

Meanwhile, pulse flour/salt in food processor with steel blade. Pour liquid mix over flour; mix till dough forms rough soft ball. Continue to process till dough is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds.

Put dough on floured surface and knead for few seconds to form smooth ball. Place in large bowl spritzed with vegetable cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise to double in size, approximately 3 hours.  I suggest placing bowl in a warm area of kitchen or in an oven or microwave (just don't turn either of these on with dough inside!).

Without punching down, dump dough on floured surface and use chef knife or metal dough scraper to halve dough. Punch down remaining half and wrap and refrigerate or freeze. (Total dough Makes enough for 8 mini pizzas.)

Cut the half of dough in to 4 pieces and then stretch to rectangle shape (about 12x4ish) on cornmeal lined baking sheet. I found that ours needed to be a little smaller as to avoid ripping holes in the dough.

Put on grill for a few minutes to brown then remove and place grilled side up on cornmeal lined baking sheet. Put toppings on grilled side of dough and return to grill to cook other side and to heat up toppings, cheese. Anywhere from 3-8minutes.