Pizza Dough

Nothing is more fun that pizza on the barbeque!  Two pizza stones 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".

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INGREDIENTS

  • 4 c flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 c cold water
  • ½ c warm water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2¼ tsp yeast
  • Cornmeal (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 yeast to a bowl with the cold water, mix and add the flour (with the salt mixed into it well).
  4. Knead the dough until the the flour is very well incorporated (I start in the bowl then finish on the counter).
  5. Wash the bowl and then put a bit of oil in it.
  6. Place the dough back in the bowl, and flip it around so it coats with a bit of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel.
  7. Let rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled. Form into 4 balls – let rest 30 more mins.
  8. Press each ball in the middle with fist then work dough into circle – holding up and letting the weight of the dough stretch the crust (I've tried using a rolling pin but I think I press too much air out of the dough so I don't recommend it).  
  9. Sprinkle the pizza peel generously with cornmeal, place the dough on top of the cornmeal then top with your favourite ingredients
  10. Slide the pizza on to the pizza stone and bake @ 500+ degree until done
  11. 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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