Categories
Beer Recipes Breads Dinners

Pizza on the grill

You can cook your pizza on a grill or in the oven.   When it is 100 degrees out- you can almost cook it on the sidewalk.  We have a deep love of pizza in this family.  When my kids were younger we called it “pizza on the rug night” and it was almost always our favorite take out pizza.  Now, we have perfected the homemade pizza- and we call it “top your own” night.

Since the “white wheat” flour has shown up on the store shelves, I use that in almost all my bread and doughs.  It feels a little healthier and has a bit of a brown color as you mix it.  For pizza dough- I make 2 pizzas at a time- 2 cups of warm water, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tsp. active dry yeast.  Whisk and let sit 5 minutes so the yeast has a chance to start working.   You can also add a tablespoon of minced garlic or a couple tablespoons of Italian Seasoning and some red pepper flakes to your dough at this point.  Use your imagination!!   You can mix the dough in any big mixing bowl or the mixing bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, if you have one.  Start adding flour, a cup at a time, until you have about 6 cups mixed in.  Stop when the mixture forms a dough- no longer sticking to the bowl and has formed one big ball of dough.    If using the K

Bake your pizza on the grill if you wish!

itchenAid, use the dough hook and “knead” 5 minutes.  If kneading by hand, use a floured wood cutting board and knead 5-10 minutes.  Now move the dough to an oiled (olive oil!) large glass bowl and cover with a clean dishcloth and let rise.  (repeat for every 2 pizzas you plan to make)  Come back and check in 1-2 hours.  The dough should have doubled in size.

Punch down and split into 2 halves.  You can roll out now or zip lock one in a freezer bag, get all the air out and freeze for “next time.”  You can use that same floured board and roll with a rolling pin to almost the size of your pan- a large cookie sheet, a baking stone, a pizza pan- whatever you’ve got.  Now fit the dough to that pan, prick the bottom with a fork to avoid air bubbles and find your toppings. 

I make my pizza sauce by the gallon- almost!  I buy the restaurant size can of tomato puree.  Then a 12 ounce can of tomato paste.  Dice up green peppers, white onion and garlic and saute in the olive oil in  your largest saucepan until translucent.  Add the dried and fresh herbs now.  Saute in until the room smells like the best Italian restaurant ever…..then add your puree, your paste and your beer!  You can also buy premade or make a tiny batch…whatever works for you.

Cook the sauce until it bubbles- then turn off and let cool.  Store in freezer containers or can in mason jars.  Plan another meal using this tasty sauce later in the week.  Ladle on your pizza dough, add your toppings and then your cheese and then bake at 450 degrees about 25 minutes.  For my vegie toppings, I cook them in a saute pan until they start to wilt.  This head start lets me drain off excess liquid to avoid a soggy pizza and makes sure the flavor comes out in the veggies.  Spin your pizza half way through baking to be sure it cooks evenly.   Remove from the oven and let cool.  Slice and serve.  If you are having a pizza party or a large family- make 2-3 or 4 batches of dough and buy the 5 pound bag of shredded mozzarella.  This one will make you famous!

Pizza Dough

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp acive yeast
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • optional garlic, seasonings, red pepper flakes
  • up to 6 cups white or white wheat flour

Sauce

Ready to serve- vegie side/meat lover side
  • tomato puree- 2 12 ounce cans (or one large restaurant can)
  • tomate paste -1 small 4 ounce can( or one large 8 ounce can)
  • olive oil
  • garlic, diced onion, diced green peppers
  • italian seasoning, bay leaves, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt to taste

Toppings

  • pepperoni, sauteed hot sausage, mini cooked meatballs,  BBQ chicken, anchovies, bacon, ham
  • hot peppers, red peppers, green peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, onions, black olives, pineapple, artichokes, fresh basil leaves, pesto
  • mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano

Leave a Reply