Grilled Pizza

This was take-two of making pizza this weekend. Friday night was close to a minor disaster with the smoke alarms going off. I am happy to report that tonight's dinner did not involve a close call with the Boston Fire Department. I have wanted to try grilling pizza for a while and as I did not want to heat up the oven again, it was the perfect time to try this method. Also, I hate to use the dough that I made on Friday night.

I looked online for some tips on the best manner to grill the dough. I found that one should grill both sides of the dough. We put cooking spray on the grill plates for ease of turning over the dough. Another tip, was to thinly slice the cheese and not put on too much. In addition, one should not put a lot of toppings on the pizza or put on a thick layer of sauce. We also chose to use tomatoes as the topping. If I were to use meat, I think I would cook it before putting it on the pizza.

Pizza Dough
from Cooking Light September 2008
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast (about two packets)
6-7 tablespoons of warm water (divided)
1 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of cornmeal

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Place flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse two times, or until blended. With food processor on, slowly add the yeast mixture through food chute. Add enough of the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms a ball; process 30 seconds Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat the top of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.
   
3. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes.
   
4. Roll dough into a 10 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. I also used cornmeal on the surface.
   

Back to grilling the dough, I grilled it for 5 minutes and then turned it over. After a minute or two, I spread the sauce. For tonight's pizza, I chose to use pesto as the sauce. Due to my basil plant being dunzo for the season, I used commercial pesto. I lightly spread it on the dough. Next I placed the thin slices of fresh mozzarella on the crust. I let this melt before placing the tomatoes that I mixed with a bit of garlic powder. I wasn't keeping track of the amount of time the tomatoes were on the pizza. I kept checking the bottom of the crust to make sure it didn't get burned.

Next time I try this, I will use different toppings. I used too many tomatoes for tonight's dinner and Mike said that they were not chopped finely enough. I think it's a matter of personal preference. I like chunky tomatoes.