Grilled Pizza Margherita using Ciabatta Dough

I’ve been on a grilling kick so I decided to continue the trend with this Pizza Margherita.  I was supposed to make Focaccia con Formaggio with the rest of the Ciabatta dough (like the other Mellow Bakers did), but I didn’t have any Ricotta Cheese.  Not to mention the fact that my 30+ tomato plants and basil plants have been calling for me to make something with them besides salsa and marinara. So I decided to make use of them and the dough in this pizza.

This is what I made with the remaining two dough balls from the Grilled Herb Focaccia.  Ciabatta dough makes a delightful pizza especially when you grill it and top it with fresh tomatoes and basil.

Grilled Pizza Marguerite using Ciabatta Dough

Makes: 2 pizzas

Dough:

• 2 dough balls (1 pound each) from pizza dough of your choice. I used the rest of the Ciabatta dough from the Grilled Herb Focaccia.
• Extra-virgin olive oil (to spread on the dough before grilling)

 

Toppings:

• Sliced fresh tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes from my garden)
• Fresh basil
• Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Crushed tomatoes
• Dried thyme and oregano (or your choice of herbs)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Take the dough balls out of the refrigerator and let them warm up to room temperature.  I spread the dough balls out on parchment paper, covered them with plastic wrap and let them rest on the counter while I prepared the grill.

I placed a pizza stone on the grates and turned the outside burners of my gas grill to high.  The I closed the lid to let it preheat to at least 450 degrees.

I transferred the dough to the grate using a pizza peel. Then I par baked the dough for 5 minutes or so before adding the toppings.  I left the parchment paper on for the first few minutes but then I removed it so the bottom would finish baking.

I forgot to make slits in the dough so it puffed up like a balloon.  It was pretty funny.  I had to carefully make slits with a fork to deflate the dough.

I removed the pizza from the grill and added the toppings.  First, I spread it with crushed tomatoes and sprinkled it with thyme and oregano and salt and pepper.  Then I added the sliced mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil.

 

Then I carefully returned the pizza to the grill using a pizza peel and grilled it just until the toppings were cooked and the cheese was melted.  We waited until it cooled just a bit before slicing and eating. We tried to be patient, but it’s really hard when a pizza is just sitting there waiting to be devoured.

 

This grilled pizza was really good.  I forgot to drizzle the dough with the olive oil. I think it would’ve helped the flavor and texture of the dough if I had done that before grilling it; however, my BF said it was great – awesome actually!

I liked the process and how easy it was to grill it.  It tasted good, particularly the tomatoes and the fresh basil. It’s fun to eat fresh from your garden.

 

Mellow Bakers was hosted by Paul at Yumarama. We baked breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Happy Baking!
Cathy