Pizza may not be the first food that leaps to mind when the heat index is over 100 degrees. But pizza is a great vehicle for tomatoes, and it is tomato season. That’s why you need grilled pizza! In addition to keeping the heat of cooking out of the house, grilling pizza imitates the effects of a wood-fired oven, with hot temperatures that cook the pizza quickly and the addition of smoky flavors.
If you don’t feel like making dough, we sell frozen pizza dough. Let the dough thaw, ideally in the fridge all day. Then let it warm up at room temperature, and then stretch it into a thin, flat circle. You don’t have to twirl the dough over your head like in movies; you can just hold it in your hands and move in a circle around it, stretching it thinner and thinner. Try to achieve an even thickness. If the dough resists stretching, give it a rest and then try again. Also, prep your toppings ahead of time (chop tomatoes, grate cheese, etc.)
Once the grill is hot, brush the grate with olive oil (use a grill brush or a paper towel held safely in tongs). Place the dough on the oiled grill to cook on one side. If the dough is too big to manage by hand, use a pizza peel or the back of a cookie sheet, with cornmeal under the pizza, and slide the dough onto the grill. Close the grill or cover the dough with a metal bowl or pan to help it cook. Cooking will take only a few minutes; check underneath using a metal spatula so the pizza does not burn. If the dough is bubbling up, you can prick the bubbles or place a flat pan atop the dough to keep it flat.
When the bottom has browned, remove the dough with a peel or spatula, and flip the dough onto a cookie sheet. Apply your toppings. Then slide the pizza back onto the grill. Again monitor the bottom to avoid burning. When the pizza is ready, slide it onto a plate and let it cool a minute before cutting.
The photos are from a pizza grilling event we held 15 years ago!