Basic Grilled Pizza Dough Recipes

Steps:

• Start charcoal fire or preheat gas grill to medium-high heat.
• Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic but not sticky, about 5 minutes.
• Divide dough into 8 portions. Pat or roll dough on a well-floured counter to about 8-inch circles; they do not need to be perfect.
• Brush both sides of crust with additional oil. Using hands, lift each crust carefully and place on grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until bottom is lightly browned and top looks set. Using long handled tongs, remove crust from grill, grilled side up, to a platter or baking sheet.
• Lightly add sauce and top the grilled side of each pizza crust. Excess sauce or toppings makes the pizza hard to handle. Repeat with remaining pizzas.
• Carefully slide each pizza onto the grill. Cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes until bottom of crust is browned and cheese is melted. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the pizza dough: Place the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and water; once added, continue mixing for 1 minute.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until smooth.
• Divide the dough into 3 even pieces and form into balls. Spray with cooking oil and then place in a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days for best flavor. (See Cook's Note.)
• When ready to bake, transfer each dough ball to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Make the pizza pies: Preheat a gas grill to 500 degrees F or get a charcoal grill as hot as you can. Lightly dust a work surface with all-purpose flour.
• For each pizza: Gently flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand and then roll it into a 10- to 11-inch round, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Don't worry if it's not perfectly or even barely round; just make sure it's of uniform thickness (even if it's the shape of a beaver tail!).
• Sprinkle a pizza peel with semolina flour and transfer the stretched dough to the peel. (If you don't have a peel, use the back of an upturned sheet pan instead.) Slide the dough directly onto the grill. Cook until golden grill marks appear, about 1 minute per side; use tongs to flip.
• For the white pizza: In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta and fontina cheeses along with the thyme, rosemary, honey and some salt and pepper. Brush a grilled crust with olive oil. Spread with the cheese mixture in an even layer. Use the peel to return the pizza to the grill. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and the crust is fully browned. Remove from the grill and top with the prosciutto and arugula.
• For the margherita pizza: Brush a grilled crust with olive oil and spread evenly with the marinara sauce. Top with the torn mozzarella and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Use the peel to transfer the pizza to the grill. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Remove from grill and top with torn basil.

Steps:

• Pour 1 cup warm water into a medium bowl; add sugar and sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5 minutes.
• Whisk oil and 1 teaspoon salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until liquid is incorporated (dough will appear dry). Turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead until dough comes together in an elastic ball, 2 minutes. Transfer to an oiled medium bowl; brush lightly with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; set in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, 45 minutes. Punch down dough and cover; let rise another 30 minutes.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Let rest 15 minutes before using.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the sugar and 3/4 cup warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until it begins to foam.
• In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and salt and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Using a fork, incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, continue to work and then knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly coat a clean bowl with additional olive oil and add the dough, turning once to coat in oil. Cover and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, stretch the dough into a 12-inch circle that will fit on the grill pan. Add the dough to the hot grill pan and cook until stiff and bubbles start to form, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until grill marks form and the dough is completely cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Transfer the crusts to baking sheets and load with desired toppings. Add the loaded pizzas to the oven and cook until the cheese melts (this will vary depending on the type of cheese), about 6 minutes.

Steps:

• In a bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. After 5 minutes, stir in the salt, johnnycake meal, whole-wheat flour and oil. Gradually stir in enough white flour to form a soft but not sticky dough. Knead until smooth. (The dough can also be made in a food processor.)
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, brush the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down.
• Let the dough rise again for 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Punch down. If the dough is sticky, knead in a little more flour.

Steps:

• Pour water into a large bowl. Sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour and 2 teaspoons salt, and stir until smooth. Add another 2 cups flour, and stir until smooth. Continue adding flour (up to 1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring, until dough comes away from sides of bowl but is still sticky.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough with floured hands: Throw it down on surface, pulling it toward you with 1 hand and pushing it away from you withthe other. Fold dough back over itself (use a dough scraper or awide knife to scrape dough from surface), and knead until smooth, elastic, and soft but still a little tacky, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball, and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 3 hours.
• Heat grill to high. Scrape dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured surface, and cut into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Dust with flour, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until dough is almost doubled in volume, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Holding top edge of 1 dough ball in both hands, let bottom edge touch surface (refrigerate remaining balls as you work). Carefully move hands aroundedge to form a circle, as if turning a wheel. Hold dough on back of your hand, letting its weight stretch it into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to a lightly floured pizza peel (or an inverted baking sheet). Press out edges using your fingers. Lightly jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift, and dust more flour underneath.
• Heat grill to high. Grill pizza dough, flipping occasionally, until charred and cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Steps:

• to make the seasoning: In a small ssaucepan combine all the seasoning ingredients. Whisk over low heat just until warm and oil becomes fragrant. Remove from heat and let rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
• The Pizza bread: Lightly flour the back of a 15 x 10 inch baking sheet and one of the pizza dough balls. Stretch out the dough to the size of the baking sheet. Place the stretched dough on the back of the baking sheet.
• Stir the seasoned oil and liberally brush the surface of the dough. Turn the baking sheet (like a big spatula) with the dough directly onto cooking grate. Remove the baking sheet and liberally brush the top side of the dough with the seasoned oil.
• Grill over direct medium heat until the underside of the dough is marked, 1 to 3 minutes. Don't worry if the crust bubbles, it will deflate when turned over.
• Slide the dough onto the baking sheet and flip the ungrilled side onto the grill. Brush the top with more oil and continue to grill for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from grill and cool slightly on a cooling rack. Add toppings, return to grill, close lid and grill to desired doneness (cheese melts etc.) Repeat grilling procedure for 2 remaining balls of dough.

Steps:

• Dough
• Stir yeast, sugar, and 1¼ cups warm (not hot) water in the bowl of a stand mixer until yeast dissolves. Let sit until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add whole wheat flour, salt, and 2 Tbsp. oil to yeast mixture and mix to combine. Fit mixer with dough hook and, with mixer on low speed, gradually add 3 cups (375 g) bread flour, mixing until a shaggy dough forms, about 4 minutes from when you start adding the flour. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl to incorporate any dry bits into dough. Increase mixer speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and shiny, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to bring together. Shape into a ball, place in a large lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover bowl and let dough sit in warm draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1-1½ hours. Make your toppings while your dough is rising.
• Burst Cherry Tomatoes
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until skins start to blister and split, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and toss to coat. Cook, lightly pressing on tomatoes with spoon to release juices without smashing completely, until garlic is softened, about 2 minutes. Mix oregano into sauce; taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
• Do ahead: Sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and stir to combine before using.
• Lemony Swiss Chard
• Cut Swiss chard leaves away from ribs and stems, then cut crosswise into 3"-wide strips. Trim away woody part from stems; discard. Finely chop ribs and stems.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add ribs and stems and season with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they release some liquid, look slightly shriveled, and are a shade or two darker, about 5 minutes. Add leaves and red pepper flakes and toss to coat. Season with more salt and black pepper and reduce heat to medium. Cook, tossing occasionally, until leaves are bright green, wilted, and tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer chard mixture to a medium bowl and let cool slightly.
• Finely grate garlic into bowl with chard mixture, then finely grate in zest from lemon; mix well. Add Parmesan and mix again to combine. Taste and season with more salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if needed.
• Do ahead: Chard mixture can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and stir to combine before using.
• Tomato Passata
• Purée tomatoes in a blender on low speed (or use an immersion blender if you have one) until smooth (try not to aerate it too much). Transfer sauce to a medium bowl and stir in oil and salt.
• Do ahead: Passata can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 6 months.
• Assembly
• Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Clean grate. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 pieces. Working one at a time, gently shape into balls. Transfer to a lightly floured small rimmed baking sheet and cover. Let sit 20-30 minutes.
• Place a ball of dough on a lightly floured surface (keep remaining balls covered) and, using your fingers, press out to an 8" round. Drape dough over the backs of your hands and gently pull and stretch, rotating dough as you go, until about 12" in diameter (it's okay if it's not a perfect circle).
• Brush dough with oil. Place, oiled side down, on grill over direct heat and cook until large bubbles appear across surface, dough stiffens, and underside is dark brown, about 2 minutes. Brush top with oil, turn over, and cook just to lightly dry out second side, about 30 seconds.
• Using tongs and a metal spatula, move dough over to cooler side of grill. Top with a spoonful of passata or burst cherry tomatoes and one quarter of cheese (either alone or in combination). Add pepperoni or salami (if using), then some of the lemony Swiss chard, and/or Rosemary Agrodolce as desired. Carefully slide pizza back over direct heat. Cook until cheese is melted and toppings are heated through, about 2 minutes. If dough is in danger of burning on underside but toppings need more time, return pizza to cooler side, cover grill, and cook another 1-2 minutes.
• Transfer pizza to a cutting board and drizzle with more oil. Top with basil and red pepper flakes if desired.
• Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 3 more pizzas.

Steps:

• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/8-inch thick circle on a lightly floured surface.
• Heat a pan over medium-high heat and brush with oil. Add 1 piece of dough and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes and flip. Spread 1/4 of the sauce over the dough. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese and some sausage, mushrooms, and red onion on top, leaving about 1/2 inch of dough around the outside. Press gently into the middle of the dough with a spatula to make a crease; fold in half.
• Brush crust with a little more olive oil and flip over. Repeat on the other side and continue cooking until both sides of the pizzadilla are as browned and crisp as you like.
• Repeat with remaining pizza dough and toppings. Cut each pizzadilla in half and serve.

Steps:

• Two to three hours before grilling, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into three even pieces. Drizzle a teaspoon of neutral cooking oil into three soup bowls. (Each bowl should be able to hold at least twice the volume of the dough pieces.)
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape each into a ball by stretching it and pinching it into a point at the bottom, forming a sort of "skin" that wraps the whole ball. Lightly dust your hands with flour as necessary to prevent excessive sticking. Transfer the ball to one of the oiled bowls and turn it a few times to completely coat the surface in oil, then let it rest seam side down. Repeat Step 2 with remaining dough pieces, then drape a damp kitchen towel over all three bowls. Let the dough balls rest until roughly doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Transfer the tomatoes to a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl and shake the strainer, allowing the tomatoes to drain thoroughly. Still working in the strainer above the bowl, season well with salt, and, using clean hands, squeeze them through your fingers until a rough purée is formed. (The pieces of tomato should end up ranging from 1/4 inch to roughly 1 inch in size.) Allow any excess liquid to drain (you can save the strainer tomato juice for another use), then transfer the crushed tomatoes to a bowl and set aside.
• Turn out one ball of dough onto a floured work surface and dust thoroughly with more flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10-inch-by-12-to-14-inch oblong. Dust both sides thoroughly with flour, then transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining two dough balls, stacking them on top of the first with a layer of parchment paper between each.
• To cook, ignite a full chimney of charcoal. When the coals are mostly covered in gray ash, spread evenly under half of the grill. (If using a gas grill, set half the burners to high, leaving the remaining burners off. Cover, and allow to heat for 10 minutes.)
• Using your fingers, carefully lift one piece of rolled-out dough from the stack and drape it quickly on the grill grates directly above the fire. Let it cook without moving until the top starts to bubble and the bottom is lightly browned, about 20 to 30 seconds. Continue cooking, using metal tongs and a large spatula or thin metal pizza peel to move and rotate the crust as it cooks, until the bottom is evenly browned all over with a few charred spots, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Flip the crust, and brush the cooked side with a thin layer of olive oil. Continue cooking until the second side is browned, charred and crisp. Flip again (so that the bubblier side faces up), transfer to a clean baking sheet, and brush the second side with olive oil. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 with remaining two pizza skins, stacking the crusts as they finish cooking. (If using coal, the heat may start to dip. Extend cooking time to compensate, or add 15 to 20 fresh coals to the top of the embers and allow them to ignite before continuing.)
• Working one pizza at a time, transfer the crust to the pizza peel. (A cutting board or the back of a baking sheet will also work.) Spread a thin layer of shredded cheese across the surface of the crust (about 1 cup should do it). Using a spoon, add tablespoon-size dollops of crushed tomatoes, spaced an inch or two apart, across the whole surface of the pizza. Add toppings as desired (see Tips). Slide the pizza onto the cooler side of the grill, cover, and cook until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp, 1 to 5 minutes total, rotating the pizza occasionally to encourage even melting and crisping. Transfer to a cutting board, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil or scallions, cut into squares, and serve immediately. Repeat Step 8 with remaining pizza crusts.

Steps:

• Preheat the grill on high for 5-10 minutes.
• Coat the pizza dough with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Using your hands, rub the oil onto the outside of the dough while carefully stretching it into a circle 12-14 inches (30-35 cm) in diameter. Place the oiled pizza dough onto the preheated grill and quickly brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Close the grill and allow pizza dough to cook for 3-4 minutes.
• After 4 minutes, check the pizza. Large bubbles should be forming across the top of the dough. Using a large spatula or set of tongs, flip the dough over. Reduce the heat to low and add the sauce, cheese, and basil to the pizza. Increase the heat back to high and close the grill. Cook the pizza for 5-6 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the crust is lightly charred.
• Cook the pizza for 5-6 minutes more, until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the crust is lightly charred.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Add one packet yeast to one cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F) and stir to dissolve. Add in the sugar and let sit (proof) for 10 minutes or until frothy. Hint - - the water should be pleasantly warm - not hot. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. I proof the yeast in a glass measuring cup.
• Pour the yeast mixture in a large bowl and add salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and flour. Mix together by hand until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5-8 minutes.
• Coat a bowl on bottom and sides with olive oil and place the dough in the well oiled bowl. I give the dough a couple of swirls around the bowl to make sure the entire surface of the dough is coated in oil. Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm place to raise. Let dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down and knead in garlic and fresh basil. Place dough back in oiled bowl and cover, again, with damp cloth. Set aside, again, in warm place and let rise for 1 more hour, or until doubled. (To speed up rising, I have put the dough in an oven-safe glass bowl and placed in a 200 degree oven).
• Once the dough has risen for a second time, punch it down and divide in half. Form each half into an oblong shape 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick.
• I was able to just press out the dough onto a dinner plate and used that for the size of my pizza. It all depends on the workability of your dough. You may be able to just manipulate it with your fingers, or you may want to roll it out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin - the method is really up to you.
• Brush grill grates with olive oil and then preheat grill to high heat. I let the grill heat up for about 10 minutes.
• Carefully place one piece of dough on hot grill. With a spatula, I was able to slide the dough off the plate onto the grill. I have heard that another method is to spray a rimless cookie sheet with cooking spray and the dough will slide off easily onto the grill.
• Once on the hot grill, the dough will probably begin to puff almost immediately. Once the bottom of the crust has lightly browned (anywhere from 2-4 minutes - - you'll know because it becomes stiff and easy to lift with your spatula) turn the dough over.
• Now, here is where time is of the essence. Working quickly, brush the pizza with your desired sauce (I did this wearing an oven mitt to protect my hand from the heat. Just be careful and, if you need to, slide the dough to the edge of the grill to avoid the open flame and move the dough back over the flame once you've added your toppings.) You want to go light with your toppings because you want the top to cook and the cheese to melt without burning the bottom of your crust. I recommend using light sauce and no more than two toppings with the cheese.
• After you've brushed on your sauce, sprinkle the basil over the sauce and top with the mozzarella cheese.
• Close the grill lid and let the cheese melt for 2-4 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure the bottom isn't burning.
• Once the cheese has melted, remove the pizza from the grill and set aside to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the second pizza.