Homemade Pizza Grill

Preparation:

Finishing touch:

Ingredients:

Pizza dough

• 6 cups of bread flour + extra for working with the dough
• 2 tsp coarse salt + extra for sprinkling
• 2 and 1/4 cups warm water (40°C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing the bowl, dough, and grill grate
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 packet (7 g) of dry active yeast
• Cornmeal, for dusting

Sauces

• Red sauce, recipe below
• Arugula pesto with pistachios, recipe below
• Ricotta spread, recipe below

Cheeses

• 6 cups mixed cheeses (2 cups each grated mozzarella, Asiago, and fontina)
• 200 g thin slices of fresh mozzarella

Toppings (select 5-6 items)

• 300 g thin slices of deli meats, such as prosciutto, salami, and ham
• 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed with olive oil
• 2 thinly sliced ​​sweet peppers
• 220 g thinly sliced ​​cremini mushrooms
• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups fresh figs, thinly sliced
• 3 ears grilled corn, kernels trimmed
• 1 cup pitted olives
• 0.5 cup pistachios
• 1 fennel root, thinly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini or squash, thinly sliced
• 1 head radicchio, cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed with olive oil

Red sauce

• 1 can (425 g) of tomato sauce
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Arugula pesto with pistachios

• 3 cups fine arugula
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. capers, dried
• 1/4 tbsp. grated parmesan

• Ricotta spread

  
  1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 2 cups ricotta
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  Special equipment: 8 sheets of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet

Preparation:

1. Pizza dough:
   
   Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Combine the water, olive oil, and sugar in another large bowl; add the yeast and let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and knead with your hands until the dough forms a rough ball. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Flour your work surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wash the bowl and lightly oil it. Return the kneaded dough to the bowl, oil it, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Transfer the dough to a work surface and punch it down. Divide the dough into quarters and cut each quarter into quarters, for a total of 16 pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Evenly distribute the dough balls on the work surface, cover, and let them rise slightly, about 30 minutes. If preparing ahead, after cutting the dough into pieces, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.
4. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and brush grates with olive oil.
5. Roll out the dough:
   
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll each dough ball out on a work surface into a 20cm (8in) circle (keep the other balls under a towel). Place 2-3 circles, not overlapping, on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining sheets of parchment paper, cornmeal, and dough.
6. Prepare pizza bases:
   
   Working with several pizzas at a time, brush the surface of each dough circle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill, greased side down, until grill marks appear and the dough begins to bubble, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip the crust and grill the same way. Transfer the crusts to a cooling rack or another baking sheet to cool. They will be unbaked and fragile (the dough will cook through as you cook the pizza). Stack the crusts, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and set aside until ready to use. Pizza crusts can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Or, wrap each crust tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for a few minutes, then top with toppings and grill the pizzas.
7. Prepare the pizzeria:
   Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and brush the grates with olive oil. Place a large cutting board with a pizza cutter next to it. Place a stack of pizza crusts on the counter and arrange any toppings, sauces, and cheeses you'd like to serve alongside.
   
   Grill the pizza:
   Invite guests to build their own pizzas. Place the pizzas on the grill, cover, and cook until lightly charred on the bottom, the cheese is melted, and the toppings are set.
8. Remove the pizza from the grill, cut into slices, and invite your guests to add the finishing touches.
   
   Red Sauce:
   
   Combine the tomato sauce, basil, oil, garlic, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead.
   
   Arugula and Pistachio Pesto:
   
   Combine the arugula, basil, parsley, pistachios, capers, 3 tablespoons water, and 0.5 teaspoon salt in a food processor and process until smooth. The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
   
   Ricotta spread:
   Yield: about 2 tbsp.
   
   Combine the ricotta, Parmesan, oil, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. The spread can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.