Grilled "Barbecue" Pizza

I don’t know about you but when the weather is warmer all I desire to do is run around outside and play with my kids. Which means that a quick dinner is a must. I have to admit that the idea of cooking over my gas stove doesn’t sound enjoyable when it’s so beautiful outside. So with my kids playing in the back yard I decided to do something I had never tried before. Grilled Barbecue Pizza. I had so many fresh veggies to use and some sausage and pepperoni in the freezer, so with a quick pizza dough recipe I was set for a delicious dinner. A few months back a few girlfriends of mine had a lunch where they served Grilled Pizza. I was very impressed with how tasty and creative this was. So without hesitation I pulled out my trusty “quick” pizza dough recipe and an hour later we were enjoying a DELICIOUS crispy crunchy summer pizza dinner. YUM…

Printer Friendly Recipe

Quick Pizza Dough
Recipe adapted from: American’s Test Kitchen
Dough yields: 3 quantity (12″ pizza’s)

4 cups bread flour *
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 3/4 cups hot water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix flour, yeast and salt together in standing mixer. Add hot water VERY SLOWLY until combined in rough ball. Add olive oil. Mix together on medium speed for 1 minute. Allow dough to rest in rough ball for 2 minutes. Begin to mix dough on medium speed for 5 minutes. If dough is too sticky and no pulling away from sides, add 1/4 c. flour, total. Add slowing with 1 tablespoon at a time. Don’t be afraid of dough being sticky, transfer to a greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and towel. Allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Grilled Pizza Steps:
Once the dough has doubled in size, divide in thirds. Lightly flour your counter and roll out very thin. Transfer to greased (olive oil) cookie sheet. Brush top crust with olive oil. Preheat your barbecue for 10-15 minutes, 300-400 degrees is desired, about Medium heat on propane grill. Have all your toppings and fixings out by your grill.
The process goes VERY quickly. Use tongs to flip your pizza on the grill. Place dough on grill without any fixings and close the lid. This will allow for the bottom of the crust to cook evenly and not be doughy. Do not leave unattended! It can burn easily. FLIP dough once beautiful crunchy grill marks appear, about 1-2 minutes. Assemble your desired toppings as quickly as possible, on the grilled side up pizza dough. Keep your pizza toppings to a minimum. It cooks so quickly, it’s hard to melt all that cheese! Close the lid and keep closed for 1-2 minutes. Don’t be afraid to reduce the grill heat when assembling and cooking to melt the cheese. Also, it can burn quickly. Remove once it has melted or the bottom is well cooked on to an available cookie sheet. Serve immediately. Even though some cheese may not appear melted, it’s still delicious!

Tips and Tricks:
(*Can be substituted for all purpose flour, but the crust won’t be as crunchy, thin and crisp)
*Don’t be alarmed when the dough begins to bubble up on top. Once you flip the pizza it will give a delicious crunchy crust.
A few of our favorites tonight were…barbecue chicken pizza – BBQ sauce, red onions, cilantro, green onions, chicken and pineapple.
Supreme – bell peppers, onions, sausage and pepperoni
Veggie – zucchini, peppers, onions,
*I can’t wait to try a Margarita Pizza once our basil and tomatoes grow in the garden!
*A favorite food blog of mine is Mels Kitchen Cafe. When I have an idea or a recipe in mind I like to see if she has made the same thing…I was in luck! She has made these very things. She took amazing pictures of each step.