Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe: Char Grilled Crust

The perfect pizza dough recipe if you enjoy thin crust pizza, perfect for fresh tomato and basil pizza (pizza margarita) or your favorite pizza toppings.

My wife started cooking homemade pizza about three or four years ago, about a year ago we really hit a home run when we started to “grill” the par baked crust on our indoor grill. That step can be eliminated if you can not get to a grill by simply lengthening the time in the oven (ala the video).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups four
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 cup very hot water
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Method:

A kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook attachment really makes this job a snap. Star by adding the flour, salt, sugar and the yeast. Mix on low for a few seconds.

Slowly add in the very hot water and let the mixer continue to mix, next add in the olive oil. Let the pizza dough kneaded for ten minutes.

After mixing let the dough rise for a period of 45 minutes – find a warm area in your kitchen with no cool drafts. After the dough has risen punch the down down and let rise for an additional ten minutes. While the dough is rising prepare a half sheet pan with a non stick spray such as pam to use as a base for the dough.

Divide the dough into thirds, for this recipe you will use two pieces of the dough on the half cookie sheet. Press the dough into the shape you want but do not pull or stretch, this maintains air bubbles which keeps the crusts light and crispy.

Par bake the crusts in a pre heated oven:

5 minutes at 350 to 375 (if you plan of finishing the crust off on the grill)
10 minutes at 350 to 375 (if your NOT going to grill the crust)

Finish your pizza crust on a hot grill, make sure your grill is clean before you place the crusts over the grill.

Grill for about 45 seconds on each side (this will vary greatly depending on your grill) or until grill makes appear (ala video).

Lastly:

When you use this crust for your thin crust pizza make sure you don’t put it on a cookie sheet or sheet pan. We want hot air coming in contact with the crust, not a sheet pan.

Enjoy,
Chef Brian

Posted in Pizza Recipes