Easy Pizza on the Grill

I have made some recipes that I've found online, in magazines, on Pinterest that flopped. I don't like to tell you about them because it's usually not as if they exploded, which would be funny; they were just ho-hum, or a crazy amount of work for something that wasn't that special. So, I admit, I had very low expections when I decided to try a recipe for pizza dough made with Greek yogurt and flour. I'm SO glad I tired it! It came out great, especially if you are a fan of a little thicker, chewier crust. I decided to be brave and tackle not only a new recipe, but a new cooking technique: pizza on the grill. This could have been like that time I decided to try and jump over all the steps to the diving board (and still have the scars on my shins 22 years later to show for it) but it was not a disaster at all! In fact, it was awesome! Oh, and did I mention I had homemade pizza in less than 25 minutes start to finish?

So here's what I did:

Pizza Dough:
Makes one pizza crust about 12 inches in diameter. I wasn't sure it looked like enough, so I doubled it and made a second pizza-we were so full we didn't even finish the first one. The dough is very hearty!
1 cup Greek yogurt (Plain, and I used non-fat) I think you could also use plain traditional yogurt
1 cup flour, plus extra for kneading
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 Tbs. baking soda
Pinch salt

Stir together all ingredients until dough starts to come together and is slightly sticky. Turn out on a floured surface, and have lots of extra flour handy to add in. I added about an extra 1/2 cup altogether. Knead the dough until no longer sticky (tacky is ok). This took maybe 3 minutes, and again, adding extra flour a tablespoon at a time. That's it. No rising, no waiting!

Form pizza dough to desired thickness. I did this by hand, starting by patting it out into a 9 inch disk, then pulling it to get it to about 12 inches. Mine was really oblong and rustic; if you wanted a round pizza, you could probably employ a rolling pin, or pat it into a pizza pan. You can now top the pizza and bake it, or go to Grilling instructions. The recipe I used didn't include baking instructions, but I would go with 400 for 10-15 minutes and see if it looks like pizza yet. Also, the dough is quite moist, so I'd add sauce with caution so you don't get soggy pizza. Maybe a good thick marina, but not a straight up can of tomatoes, which I may have learned the hard way.

To Grill Pizza:
Preheat grill to medium high. Prep your toppings. I did sliced grilled chicken, sliced roma tomatoes (one per pizza), and about 4 oz. of sliced fresh mozzarella, but feel free to go wild! I think Canadian bacon and pinapple would be awesome! Spray one side of the patted out crust with cooking oil spray. Using your hands, place the dough on the grill, oiled side down (over lit burners), being careful to keep it flat-it's hard to adjust once it's on the grill since the dough is soft at first. Close the lid, and grill about 3-5 minutes. The top will begin to puff, and the bottom will get grill marks and brown,and crisp up. Using tongs, check for golden brown bottom. If not yet crisp and golden on the bottom, grill a few minutes more. Once crisp and golden on the bottom, use the tongs (or a large flat metal spatula might work better) to carefully flip the crust. Now you can add toppings, and potentially sauce, and cheese. Once your toppings are in place, close the lid and grill about 7-10 minutes until bottom is crisp and golden and cheese is melted. Remove to a cookie sheet or large platter, and top with fresh torn basil. Enjoy!

The crust is nice and crisp on the outside, and delightfully chewy once you bite in. I think this dough would work great to make naan or flatbread to go along with Indian food too! It has a nice little tang to it, almost like sourdough, but it doesn't overwhelm the pizza. I will definitely be making this my go-to pizza dough.

In other news, my triathlon training is going great! Today I ran 19 total minutes! This is a huge leap for me, especially since one month ago I could only run for 3.5 minutes at a time! I'm amazed that July is almost over, but I'm also not sad that the hot weather is almost over, too, so I can potentially run or bike at some time other than at dawn. It was a little creepy running this morning with no one around. It was one of those moments when you wonder if you missed the rapture :)