Grilled Pizza by America’s Test Kitchen

50 Campfires

This recipe is excerpted from The Outdoor Cook by America’s Test Kitchen. Click here for more information and to purchase the book.

Serves 4 to 6 Total Time hours, plus 24 hours resting

Why This Recipe Works Taking your pizza party outside is a -winning move. The intense heat of a grill is significantly closer to -commercial pizza oven temperatures than what your indoor oven can achieve, producing a golden-brown pizza crust with flavorful grill marks in a matter of minutes. Our pizza dough uses a tiny amount of yeast, a lot of water, and a long, 24-hour proof, which makes for an easy-to-stretch dough that bakes up thin, with small air bubbles. Stretching the dough on a generously oiled baking sheet makes it less sticky and helps it crisp up over the flames. To make sure the toppings cook as quickly as the crust, you’ll prewarm the sauce and use a combo of fast-melting fresh mozzarella and finely grated Parmesan. It’s important to use ice water to prevent the dough from overheating in the food processor. This recipe works best with a high-protein bread flour such as King Arthur.

Ingredients:

Dough

3 cups (161/2 ounces) bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons (11 ounces) ice water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin oil
1½ teaspoons table salt

Sauce

1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
½ teaspoon sugar, plus extra for seasoning
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pizza

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon -extra–virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (11/2 cups)
8 ounces fresh whole-milk -mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces (2 cups)
3 tablespoons shredded fresh basil
Coarse sea salt

Directions:

For the dough rocess flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. With processor running, slowly add ice water and process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.
Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces (about 91/3 ounces each). Shape each piece into tight ball, transfer to well-oiled rimmed baking sheet (alternatively, place dough balls in -individual well-oiled bowls), and coat top of each ball lightly with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (taking care not to compress dough) and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
For the sauce ulse tomatoes in food processor until finely chopped, 12 to 15 pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and stir in reserved juice, oil, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper flakes. Season with extra sugar and salt to taste, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
One hour before cooking pizza, remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature.
For a charcoal grill pen bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into ring around perimeter of grill, leaving 8-inch clearing in center. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
For a gas grill urn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.
While grill is heating, transfer sauce to small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover and keep warm.
For the pizza lean and oil cooking grate. Pour ¼ cup oil onto center of rimmed baking sheet. Transfer 1 dough round to sheet and coat both sides of dough with oil. Using your fingertips and palms, gently press and stretch dough to form rough 12 by 8-inch oval of even thickness. Using both hands, gently grab corners of dough on long side of oval. Using fluid motion, lift dough, allowing it to stretch further into rough 16 by 12-inch oval, and carefully transfer to grill. (Dough oval will droop slightly to form half-moon or snowshoe shape.) Cook (over clearing if using charcoal; covered if using gas) until grill marks form on first side, 1 to 6 minutes. Using tongs and spatula, carefully peel dough from grate, then rotate dough 90 degrees and continue to cook (covered if using gas) until second set of grill marks appears, 1 to 6 minutes. Flip dough and cook (covered if using gas) until second side of dough is lightly charred in spots, 2 to 6 minutes. Using tongs or pizza peel, transfer crust to cutting board so side that was grilled first is facing down. Repeat with remaining 2 dough rounds, adding 1 tablespoon oil to sheet for each round and keeping grill cover closed when not in use to retain heat.
Drizzle top of 1 crust with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle one-third of Parmesan evenly over surface. Arrange one-third of mozzarella pieces, evenly spaced, on surface of pizza. Dollop one-third of sauce in evenly spaced 1-tablespoon mounds over surface of pizza. Using pizza peel or overturned rimmed baking sheet, transfer pizza to grill; cover and cook (over medium-low heat for gas) until bottom is well browned and mozzarella is melted, 3 to 5 minutes, checking bottom and rotating frequently to prevent burning. Transfer pizza to cutting board, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon basil, drizzle lightly with extra oil, and season with salt to taste. Cut into wedges and serve. Repeat with remaining 2 crusts and remaining oil, cheese, sauce, and basil.

Variations

Grilled Pizza with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, Pesto, and Ricotta

Omit tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. While grill is heating, toss 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes with 1 teaspoon oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl. Combine 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon salt in second bowl. After adding Parmesan, dollop one-third of ricotta mixture and 1/4 cup pesto in evenly spaced 1-tablespoon mounds over surface of each pizza. Scatter one-third of prepared tomatoes and ¼ cup fresh corn kernels over each pizza. Continue with step 8, cooking pizza until well browned and toppings are warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Grilled Pizza with Soppressata, Banana Peppers, and Hot Honey

In step 8, after topping each pizza with mozzarella, scatter with 4 thin slices soppressata, cut into quarters, and 2 tablespoons sliced banana pepper rings. Drizzle with hot honey before serving.