Homemade Artisan Grilled Pizza Crust

Author: Leo Spizzirri

Homemade pizza on the grill has never been easier with this simple recipe and step-by-step video. You’ll love the artisan look and taste of the pizza crust with all the bubbles and grill marks.

Homemade Artisan Grilled Pizza Video Tutorial

See printable recipe below.

Making the dough

Add flour to bowl. Create a well in the middle, add water sugar and yeast to bowl. Slowly mix the water mixture so the walls of the well don’t fall down too fast. You just want a little bit of the flour incorporated at this stage, similar to a pancake batter.

Start incorporating more of the flour, whisking a bit more aggressively, eventually creating a very shaggy dough.

Evenly sprinkle salt on the dough and continue to incorporate the remaining flour until you have a thick dough and all the flour is incorporated. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly and mix using your whole hand until the dough ball is semi-smooth and the oil is incorporated.

Knead dough on clean surface until well mixed and smooth. Form into a smooth round ball and place in oiled bowl. Cover bowl and let rest for about 20 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on counter to incorporate the oil. Divide your dough ball into 2 or 3 equal portions, depending on the crust shape you desire, larger rectangular or round crust.

Shape dough into a tight round ball (see pictures and video for tips).

Place each dough ball in clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove dough balls from the refrigerator 1 – 1 ½ hours before using, allowing dough to come to room temperature.

Gently place dough directly on the grill. Close grill lid and cook 1 – 1 ½ minutes. Flip over, let cook for 30 – 45 seconds more (to char the bubbles). Place on cooling rack. Add desired toppings then transfer to pre-heated stone, close lid and cook until hot and desired crust color is achieved, about 6 – 8 minutes.

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Homemade Artisan Grilled Pizza

Homemade pizza on the grill has never been easier with this simple recipe and step-by-step video. You'll love the artisan look and taste of the pizza crust with all the bubbles and grill marks. Finish it off with your favorite toppings for a delicious dinner - or dessert - any time!

Yield: Three 10 or 12-inch or two 9x13-inch pizza crusts

Ingredients

• 450g (3 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
• 260g (1 cup plus 1 ½ Tbsp) cold tap water (50-60˚F)
• 2 g (½ tsp) granulated sugar
• 1 package (2¼ tsp) Platinum Yeast
• 12.5g (1 Tbsp) sea salt
• 12.5 g (1 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Mixing the Dough

1. Step 1. Add flour to large bowl. Form a ‘well’ in the middle that is large enough to hold all the water.
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3. Step 2. Pour water into the well, then add sugar and yeast.
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5. Step 3. Form a ‘claw’ with your hand and use your fingers as a whisk. Slowly move your hand in a circular motion so the walls of the well don't fall down too fast. You just want a little bit of the flour incorporated at this stage, similar to a pancake batter.
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7. Step 4. Start incorporating more of the flour, whisking a bit more aggressively, eventually creating a very shaggy dough.
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9. Step 5. Evenly sprinkle salt on the dough and continue to incorporate the remaining flour until you have a thick dough and all the flour is incorporated.
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11. Step 6. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly and mix using your whole hand until the dough ball is semi-smooth and the oil is incorporated.
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13. Step 7. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and continue kneading until the dough is well mixed and smooth. Form into a smooth round ball.

Resting/Proofing

1. Step 8. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a medium size bowl. Place the dough (top side down) in bowl, coating with oil. Turn the dough over to coat rest of dough ball with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough REST for about 20 minutes at room temperature.
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3. Step 9. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on counter for about 1 – 1 ½ minutes to incorporate the oil. Divide your dough ball into 2 or 3 equal portions, depending on the crust shape you desire, larger oval or round.
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5. Step 10. Gently pull the corners of the dough piece into a square, then bring the diagonal corners to the middle, and repeat with the opposite corners. Continue to bring the points into the center a few more times, then grab, pinch and rotate the seam like you’re closing a change purse, until the dough ball is smooth and tight. Repeat with remaining dough ball(s).
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7. Step 11. Place each dough ball in bowl. Do not coat with oil or flour. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough balls for 24 hours (or at least overnight, 8-12 hours).
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9. Step 12. Remove dough balls from the refrigerator 1 – 1 ½ hours before using, allowing dough to come to room temperature.

Preheat grill (see note)

1. Place pizza stone on one side of gas grill grate to allow air to circulate and also leaving space to grill the crusts. OR grill pizza dough first, and then preheat stone if grill is not big enough, or you are topping pizzas later. (Pizza stone size depends on the size of your dough and grill. We used a 14x14-inch stone in the video.) Preheat gas grill to 450°F.

Shaping

1. Round crust (10-12 inches): Turn dough out onto a clean surface. Flatten and shape dough into a circle using your fingertips. Do not use a rolling pin! Press across the dough with your fingertips once it is shaped to ‘dock’ it. (See video for a no-fail shaping tip)
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3. Oval/rectangular crust (~9x13 inches): First, spread a thin layer of olive oil on a ½ sheet baking pan or large cookie sheet; set aside. Place dough ball on a clean surface. Using your fingertips on both hands, ‘dimple’ across the dough on one side, then flip it over and ‘dimple’ the other side. Repeat. Lay dough onto the center of the baking sheet. Gently pull and dimple the dough out to almost the edges of the pan. With fingertips, press across the dough to ‘dock’ it.

Grilling the crusts

1. Gently place dough directly on the grill (don’t add olive oil). Close grill lid. Cook 1 – 1 ½ minutes (lift with tongs to check for grill marks on the bottom). Flip over. Let cook for 30 – 45 seconds more (to char the bubbles). Place on cooling rack.* Add desired toppings then transfer to pre-heated stone with peel, close lid and cook until hot and desired crust color is achieved, about 6 – 8 minutes.
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Notes

*NOTE: Grilled crusts can be made ahead of time for later use or to freeze. To freeze grilled crusts, place cooled crusts in a freezer bag or wrap with plastic wrap. Prior to use, bring to room temp, top and proceed with cooking steps.

If using a charcoal grill, preheat to 500˚F. Par-bake crusts directly on grill. Place stone over indirect heat until hot. Bake pizza until toppings are done and crust is lightly browned.

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More of Leo’s recipes:

Summer Salad Grilled Pizza

Sausage & Ricotta Grilled Pizza

S’mores Grilled Pizza

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Leo Spizzirri is an American artisan pizza and bread maker who’s expertise in dough rheology has led him to the forefront of dough & pizza innovations throughout North America.  A Maestro Istruttore with Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli in Italy, he’s the co-founder of the North American Pizza & Culinary Academy in Chicago.

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