Description

Deliciously charred pizzas, made straight on the barbecue. Perfect for summer entertaining.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Pizza Dough

1 envelope active dried yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cup of warm water (about 100 degrees F)
4 cups of Colavita’s fine Italian flour (also labeled as “00” or bread flour or all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon salt
Colavita’s roasted garlic olive oil for brushing

Prosciutto, Arugula and Red Sauce Pizza (2 8-inch pizzas)

1/2 cup of Colavita’s crushed tomatoes with basil (divided)
2 handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 handfuls of arugula
1 teaspoon of Colavita’s chardonnay vinegar
2 slices of prosciutto ham

White Pesto Pizza (2 8-inch pizzas)

3 tablespoons of Colavita’s jarred pesto (divided)
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese (divided)
2 handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese
Colavita’s white balsamic glace infused with white truffle for drizzling

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Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, stir yeast into 1 cup of warm water until it dissolves. Mix in a ½ cup of flour, cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Add the ½ cup of remaining water and salt. Gradually mix in the rest of the flour until it’s all incorporated. Knead the dough until it’s smooth (alternatively, you can use a food processor or stand mixer with a dough hook). It could take up to 10 minutes.
Slightly dust the dough with flour and place it in a large bowl. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let it rise for an hour or until it’s doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and divide into four equal parts. Form the four parts into smooth balls and let them sit, covered, on a board for about 30 minutes.
Turn on the grill to high and let it reach a temperature of about 550 to 600 degrees (depending on your grill, this could take 10-20 minutes). While the grill is heating up, form the dough into round pizzas (it’s okay if they’re not perfectly round). Stretch the dough by pressing from the inside out in a circular motion, forming an outer raised crust, until it’s about 8 inches across. Don’t make the dough too thin so that it breaks.
Brush each top of dough with the garlic olive oil. Place the pizza rounds over direct heat, oil side down, brush the tops with more oil and quickly close the grill. Cook for about two minutes. Use tongs to lift the side of the pizza to look underneath. When dough feels set but isn’t too charred, flip and top two with the tomato and cheese and two with pesto and ricotta/cheese. Close the lid and let cook for another two minutes until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly. Carefully slide off the grill onto a cutting board, let the pizzas rest for a few minutes and top with either the arugula tossed in chardonnay vinegar and prosciutto or drizzle on the white balsamic glace. Slice each pizza into fourths and serve.

Notes

You can make the dough up to two days ahead and refrigerate it in a sealed container. Let it reach room temperature before you attempt to stretch it into pizza rounds. Colavita makes a roasted garlic olive oil, a chardonnay vinegar and a white balsamic glace infused with white truffles. Any kind of olive oil can be used to brush the dough. If you cannot find chardonnay vinegar feel free to use any kind of wine vinegar to toss the arugula in. The white balsamic glace can be replaced with any kind of balsamic vinegar glaze.

It is helpful to use tongs and a spatula for cooking the pizza on the grill. I prefer to use a gas grill for this recipe because the temperature is easier to control.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 mins
Category: Main
Method: Grilling
Cuisine: Italian-Inspired