Project Description

Friday night is pizza night at our house and we prefer the home made version. Baked on a pizza stone on the barbecue gives you by far the best crust. Included in the recipe are a few tips to help you master this on your barbecue so you can make it your favourite.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. Olive oil (1 tbsp. for each pizza stone)
• 1 package of pre-made pizza dough
• 1/2 cup marinara pizza sauce (depends on the size of your pizza – add more if needed)
• pizza toppings of your choice (some suggestions are listed in the instructions below)
shredded mozzarella cheese

Tip #1: Buy your pizza dough.

Honestly, as a working person who has time to make pizza dough when the grocery stores and deli’s do a fine job of it!

Tip #2: Get a pizza stone.

They are the easiest to spread the dough on and impart a wonderful texture to the crust (crispy and chewy). It takes a few pizzas to season the stone so that it becomes less sticky, but it’s well worth it. When using a stone for the first few times, ensure you oil it well and start to lift the crust shortly after you put it on the grill to avoid it from sticking.

Tip #3: Barbecue your pizza.

The direction of the heat on a barbecue mimics that of a pizza oven, resulting in a crisp crust without over-baking the toppings.

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Lead Time: N/A

Freezer Friendly: No

Leftover Alert: N/A

  1. Prepare your pans. Whether you are using a pizza stone or a metal pan ALWAYS grease your pan with some olive oil. Use a paper towel to spread the olive oil evenly.
  2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and roll the dough out of the plastic bag onto the floured surface. Cut the pizza dough in half and working with one of the mounds of dough, gently work into a ball and press into flat circle.
  3. Flour up a rolling pin and roll out as best possible. Place on the pan and evenly pull out the dough to cover the pan. Pull the dough over the edges and let it rest over the edges as this keeps it from pulling back.
  4. Top the dough with the marinara pizza sauce so that you have a nice thin even layer.
  5. Add your toppings. Some suggestions include:
    – For the kids I keep it simple; pepperoni or cheese pizza, pepperoni and bacon, pepperoni and ham, topped with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a
    layer of shredded mozzarella.
    – For the adults some options include, fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced yellow tomato (yellow tomatoes are sweeter and better on pizza), a little pepperoni or sausage and
    dollops of goat cheese (not too much). For something a little spicier, try sliced tomato, hot pickled peppers, pepperoni and pineapple. Both are topped with a sprinkle of
    freshly grated parmesan cheese and a thin layer of shredded mozzarella.
  6. Barbecue on a medium heat, lifting the crust periodically to ensure it isn’t stuck and to check on the doneness of the crust. You want the crust to be very toasted throughout the bottom.
  7. Remove the pizza from the stone using a wooden paddle and place on a parchment lined large cutting board. Let the pizza rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting. Turn off the barbecue and let the pizza stones cool on the grill.

To allow this to fit into a busy schedule prepare the toppings ahead of time – sauce, basil leaves, sliced tomatoes, pepperoni, bacon, etc. Also, use a food processor to shred up a large block or two of mozzarella cheese and keep a bag of this handy in the refrigerator.

When making this on a weeknight, pick up the dough the night before. Take it out of the refrigerator as soon as you get home – divide it, roll it and get it on the pizza stone. Top it with the sauce then let it rest while you get the rest of the ingredients together and fire up the barbecue.