So, we live in a house that is two working parents and two little girls 2 and 1 years old! We are busy, busy, busy! We are also not alone… I know that most of you out there are in our same shoes. However, right now, I am not working, I am just hanging with the girls. Now, when I say, just hanging with the girls, we all know that means I am still busy, busy, busy!!! This is for all of you, whether you are all working, stay at home or single parents. This is about making what works for you! Pizza is a great weeknight meal and we know that most of the kiddos will eat it and you don’t need to make 3 different meals for 4 people!! You know what I mean!!
Homemade Grilled Pizza
Let’s start with the fresh grilled pizza. I made this for the first time,(which I cannot believe I have not done it before with all of the pizza we make) a few weeks ago and it was awesome and simple! The dough for this pizza is slightly different than the dough you make for “wood oven” pizzas or the pizzas we make on the stones. It is a slightly more dense dough so that it can stand up to the grill. Yet, it was bubbly and crispy and awesome! This is for when you have a little extra time, perfect for right now when we are all stuck at home! Or if/when you are working, if you get off early or for the weekend. Yet, the best part of this dough is that you can make the dough and then cook it the next day or the day after. You can even let the kiddos help you knead the dough for this which is super fun!
So, you can have a wonderful homemade pizza and just do it a little ahead. It still takes little effort, but will take time to rise and then roll out, top and grill. With the weather starting to change, finally, these are perfect for the upcoming warm weather evenings!
Chef’s Tip- Make sure you have time to let it rise enough, keep rotating the crust so that it does not burn. Make sure that you keep your grill around 400-450, otherwise it will burn on the bottom and not cook on the top.
Homemade Grilled pizza dough
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast or 1 packet
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Mix the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Let stand for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt. Mix with a dough hook until a loose, floury dough is formed. Slowly drizzle in the oil and mix until combined.
- Knead the dough on low speed with a dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, or knead by hand on the counter for 6 to 8 minutes. When kneaded, the dough should form a smooth ball, feel smooth to the touch, and spring slowly back when poked.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and then let rise for another 30 minutes.
- At this point the dough can be used immediately, or refrigerated or frozen for later use.
- This dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. After that it should be cooked or frozen.
Grilled Frozen Pizza
The next route you can go and go down without shame is grilled frozen pizza. I also only tried this a few weeks ago,(which is also crazy)! I had been hearing about it for years and now I am wondering if I can ever enjoy a frozen pizza from the oven ever again! This is a busy parent’s best friend! This is a working gals dream dinner! This will make your frozen pizza not taste like a frozen pizza at all and it will be super quick and easy. Let’s face it, a grill heats up faster than an oven any way, right! You and your whole family will love this and you can all hang out outside while you make this and have dinner in less than 20 minutes! This may be the best week night meal I have ever made and thought of! ENJOY!!!
Chef’s Tip- Important that you keep the grill at around 400 degrees for this and try not to open the top too much. The top needs to cook at the same time as the bottom for this and you don’t have to turn it as much since it is starting off frozen, but you will need to turn a few times so that it doesn’t burn.
How to grill your Frozen pizza
This is simpler than you think and it will transform your frozen pizza. Start with a classic 10″ standard frozen pizza. The brand doesn’t matter, you can grill any frozen pizza. Heat your grill to the highest setting for about 10-15 minutes and get your pizza unwrapped and ready to go. Place the pizza in the center of the grill and reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and cover the grill and cook for about 12 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is crisp and slightly charred. Turn 1-2 times throughout the process just to make sure that the bottom doesn’t burn, but quickly so that the grill doesn’t cool too much to not cook the top. Remove from the grill with a large spatula or tongs onto a cutting board, slice and ENJOY!!!
