Grilled Pizza

Growing up, we never had take out pizza. My mother always insisted on making it herself and it was always the best treat! It wasn't until a couple years ago where she start making it on the BBQ and now we're all obsessed. No need for a fancy pizza oven to get that delicious crunchy crust! 

My mom and I went on a girls trip to Italy this past summer and we literally had pizza twice a day for 15 days straight. It was the best 5 pounds I've ever gained #noregrets. I learned that there's no wrong way of making it and whether its thin crust or thick crust, it was all delicious. There's always going to be the big debate of what is the "best pizza", but honestly... who cares! EAT WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. 

You might be thinking that this is way too much work, but its so simple and you can make it worth it by making several different pizzas. Get the rest of the family involved and have them create their own pizzas. It's always a fun party idea to lay out a bunch of toppings and have your guest be creative with their pizzas.

The pizza pan I'm using was meant for grilling pizzas, but you don't necessarily need one. You can do this exact same process straight on the grill. I do think its a lot easier using a pan, which you can buy straight off Amazon for super cheap. 

When doing pizzas on the grill, make sure you have all your toppings ready and close to the grill. Once you put the pizza on the grill with the toppings, it's very important that you shut the lid. This acts as a oven and melts the cheese!

INGREDIENTS

(Makes 2 pizzas)

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or bread flour for crispier crust)
• 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil (plus 1 tablespoon for greasing bowl)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (115 degrees)
• Desired Toppings- I made one BBQ chicken pizza with BBQ sauce, mozzarella cheese, red onions, leftover grilled chicken, and cilantro. My other one was a basic Margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. I also added some prosciutto.

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a stand mixer with hook attachment
2. Pour in warm water and olive oil while mixer is on low. Increase to medium speed until dough pulls away from side of bowl. If the mixture is too dry, add in 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time until the dough comes together. If it is too wet, add in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until dough comes together.
3. Grease another bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place dough in that bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 hour)
4. Once the dough has risen, cut the dough in half and roll out both of them to the size of your pizza pan
5. Place your first one onto your bbq pizza pan and place on the grill on low heat with the lid closed for 5 minutes or until golden brown
6. Remove from the heat and flip the pizza over on the pan. While off the heat, place your desired sauce and toppings on the pizza.
7. Put back on the grill and close the lid for another 5 minutes on low heat. It is important not to lift the lid and let the heat out. You want your toppings to heat up and your cheese to melt.
8. Once your toppings are melted, you can crank up the heat to get the crust more crunch. You can even take the pizza off the pan at this point and put it straight onto the grill. Keep a close eye on it because your pizza can burn very fast!
9. Repeat this same process with your second pizza