2 commentsBefore grilling, be sure to read the story Flippin' Good to get all the technique tips, toolkit, and topping suggestions. Be sure to get all of your ingredients prepped and organized near your grill (you can do this in the time it takes for the dough to proof) and you'll be good to go. Cooking one pizza at a time works best.
Makes 4 or 5 medium pizzas, serves 4
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 recipe Simple and Quick Food Processor Pizza Dough, risen
- 1 recipe Garlic Oil
- 4 to 5 ounces coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 8 to 10 ounces grated or crumbled other hard, soft, or fresh cheese
- 1 recipe Quick-Roasted Plum Tomatoes, cut into pieces or puréed in a blender, or 1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought pizza sauce or Pam’s Tomato Pesto (optional)
- 4 cups chopped or sliced fresh vegetables (raw or cooked, such as cherry tomatoes (or Roasted Cherry Tomatoes), fresh corn kernels, baby kale or spinach, sautéed or grilled eggplant or zucchini, sautéed onions, mushrooms or peppers, roasted garlic )
- 6 to 8 ounces cooked bacon, sausage, or ground meat or cured meat, such as prosciutto, salami, or chorizo, cut or crumbled into small pieces (optional) or 6 to 8 ounces fish or shellfish, cooked (optional)
- Kosher or sea salt
- ½ to ¾ cup whole small herb leaves and/or edible flower petals
1. Preheat a gas grill by turning all the burners to medium-high for at least 15 minutes.
2. Before grilling, turn one burner down to low heat.
3. Organize your work area: set up extra surface area and arrange your toppings, salt, olive oil bottle, and your tools (see previous page) near the grill, leaving room next to the grill – I use the flip up extension on mine – for the sheet pan on which you’ll spread your dough.
4. Invert a sheet pan and brush or rub it generously with olive oil. Take one piece of dough, plop it on the sheet pan, and spread it out with your fingers and hands into a thin free-form shape – I like rectangular or oblong – about ¼-inch thick.
5. Using both hands, pick up two corners of the dough (the two corners farthest away from you) like a hanky and gently but quickly drape it over the hotter grates, letting the bottom edges touch down first so that you can lay the rest evenly. The dough will lengthen and stretch out during the time it takes you to get it on the grill – that’s okay; thin is good. The dough will immediately begin to puff. Cover the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Open the grill and use tongs to check the underside of the dough. It should be nicely marked with dark grill marks and be very lightly brown all over. If not, cover the grill again and cook for 1 more minute. (You want to keep the cover down whenever you’re not moving or topping a pizza; it will help heat convect around the pizza.) Move the dough around if one section is more browned – some grills have hot spots – or adjust heat as necessary. Uncover and check again. When it looks good, flip the dough over (don’t forget this flipping step – the browned side should now be up!) and move the crust to the lower-temp part of the grill to add the toppings. The bottom of the crust will heat and brown while the toppings warm up above.
7. Add the toppings: first, brush the top generously with garlic oil or olive oil. Next, sprinkle on some Parmigiano, followed by a scattering of some of each of your other chosen ingredients. Sprinkle with salt.
8. Using tongs, return the pizza to the hotter part of the grill, cover, and cook until the underside is browned and marked and the toppings are warmed through (the cheeses should be somewhat melted), another 2 to 3 minutes. Check frequently – if at any time the bottom of the pizza is getting too brown, move it back over to the part of the grill that’s cooler (set at a lower temp) and cover to let the toppings finish heating.
9. Transfer the cooked pizza to a cutting board. Drizzle with a bit more oil and top with a scattering of fresh herbs. Cut into pieces and serve right away.
10. Repeat with remaining dough balls and toppings.
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