Grilled Pizza

I've been wanting to grill pizza for years now and after our hike around Lake Union, we decided to give it a go.  We had made the dough that morning and let it sit all day and since our recipe made 3 perfect personal sized pizzas we invited Christian's sister over as well {she had also just recently grilled pizza, so we wanted to take advantage of her expertise}.  It took a while for us to get each of our dough rolled out and into somewhat pizza-looking shapes but once we did we were ready to grill!  We had picked up a bunch of random toppings - mushrooms, peppers, onions, prosciutto, tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, basil, jarred marinara - and after getting each dough perfectly grilled on each side {it only takes a few minutes} and the veggies heated up in a makeshift foil pan on the side, we headed back downstairs to top each of our pizzas.  They were all super similar looking {and we got a bit carried away with toppings so they were quite heavy} and when we brought them upstairs we set them on the grill again to warm up the toppings and melt the cheese.  We were all so excited to eat our creations and I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs because no one could finish their pizza.  However, I was so delighted with how it turned out {and how easy it is to make pizza on the grill} that I can't wait to try again - and maybe not get too greedy with the toppings :)  If you're interested in trying it yourself, below is the Cook's Illustrated recipe we used for the dough that I would highly recommend!

Grilled Pizza Dough

Ingredients
3 cups King Arthur bread flour
1 Tblsp sugar
1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tblsp ice water
1 Tblsp vegetable oil {plus extra for counter}
1 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
1. Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor or mixer until combined.  While running, slowly add water.  Process until just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, about 60 seconds.  Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Divide dough into 3 equal parts.  Roll each piece into tight ball, transfer to bowl or oiled baking dish and coat top of each ball with oil.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap {careful not to squish the dough} and refrigerate 24 hours or up to 3 days {we only refrigerated ours about 8 hours and it still worked fine}.

After this, you can follow any grilled pizza recipe you can find.  The main thing to remember is to use a lot of oil so your dough doesn't stick to the grates of your grill and to cook on very high.  Voila!

xoxo,
stephanie marie