Pizza Dough

Nothing is more fun that pizza on the barbeque!  Two pizza stones or a baking steel is ideal. The sky’s the limit as far as ingredients go so use your imagination (or print the menu from your favourite pizza place for inspiration).

To make homemade pizza you really should invest in a pizza peel (a long handled gigantic spatula) for putting the pizza onto the baking stone. Getting cooked pizza off the stone is easy - it will literally slide off onto a cutting board... getting a raw pizza onto the stone is another matter. You really need to ensure you have cornmeal (or semolina) under the dough as it acts like ball bearings and helps the pizza slide off onto the baking surface. It takes a couple of tries to get good at it but you basically line the far edge of the peel up with the far edge of the baking surface and slide the pizza off with a quick "jerk".

This recipe makes two large or three smaller personal sized pizzas. On the BBQ I like smaller pizzas as they are a bit easier to get on the baking stone.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 3 ½ flour
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 ½ c warm water
  • 1 ½ tsp yeast (instant or traditional)
  • 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Cornmeal for baking (for under the dough)

Icing

SAUCE

toppings

dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and then add the yeast.
  2. Once the yeast mixtures bubbles and is frothy, it is ready to use.
  3. Add the oil and mix it into the water, then add the flour with the salt mixed into it.
  4. Mix until a shaggy dough forms then knead 5 to 7 minutes. I start in the bowl then finish on the counter - OR I use my stand mixer.
  5. Divide the dough into two or three pieces and put them in separate containers (or next to one another in one container) and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.
  6. Rest over night (and up to 3 days) in the fridge.
  7. Let it rest out of the fridge for about two hours before using.

USING THE DOUGH

  1. Gently turn the dough out of the container onto a lightly floured counter and stretch it by hand into the desired size and shape.
  2. Put a generous amount of cornmeal on your pizza peel before placing the crust onto it.
  3. Top the dough with your favourite ingredients but best not to use too may topping as it becomes difficult to slide off the peel if it's too heavy.
  4. Slide the pizza on to the pizza stone and bake @ 500+ degree until done.
  5. How long you ask - you know what a cooked pizza looks like...

TIPS & HINTS

Place your pizza stones or a pizza steel in the oven/BBQ when it's still cold and let them heat up with the oven/BBQ.

Do not overload your pizzas - less is more!

Once you place your dough on top of the cornmeal on the peel, give it a little jiggle to make sure it moves (remember you need this to slide off in a few minutes). If it doesn't move, lift the edges and add more cornmeal.

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