Pizza Dough & Grilled Hawaiian Pizza

Making pizza is one of my favorite ways to get creative in the kitchen.  The possibilities are endless, from the toppings you add to the way you cook it.

For the pizza dough:  you can buy pre-made crusts like Boboli or rolled dough in a can like Pillsbury, which are definitely great for a super quick, super simple meal.  Trader Joe's sell pizza dough or you can even ask your local pizzeria if you can buy a ball or two of dough.  Or, if you have a bit of extra time, you can make your own dough.  It may sound a bit more involved than what you're looking for, but believe me nothing could be simpler.

Some tips:

• Freeze extra extra dough for later use by placing a ball of dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in the freezer for 45 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a freezer Ziploc bag and store fr up to 6 months.
• Let dough come to room temperature before using.  If dough is too elastic and keeps shrinking back when you try to roll it out, let it sit out for 15 minutes and try again. 

Here is the pizza dough recipe I use:

Pizza Dough (makes 2 balls for about two 12-inch pizzas)

• 1 cup hot tap water
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Pour water into medium-large bowl.  Whisk in sugar and sprinkle yeast on the surface of the water.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk oil and salt into yeast mixture.  Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated.  The dough will appear a bit dry. 

Turn out to a floured work surface (a large wooden cutting board or your counter works best).  Knead for a couple of minutes, until until dough comes together in an elastic ball.

Transfer to an oiled medium-sized bowl.  Brush top with additional oil and cover with a dampened cloth.  Place in a warm, draft-free area to let rise.  After 45 minutes, punch dough down, recover, and let rise an additional 30 minutes. 

Divide dough in half to create 2 balls.  Freeze or refrigerate unused portion, if not using.

One way I LOVE to use my pizza dough is to grill it.  I roll my dough out on a wooden cutting board that is well floured so the dough will just slide right off onto the hot grill.  It only takes a few minutes to cook a pizza this way, and the flavor is out of this world!

Grilled Hawaiian Pizza

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4" slices
• 1/2 cup diced cooked ham (I freeze a few thick slices when I bake a ham for things just like this!)
• 1/2 cup diced pineapple
• Extra virgin olive oil

Heat grill to medium-high.

Roll out pizza dough to a 12" round circle (it doesn't have to be perfect!) on a floured cutting board.  Slide dough onto hot grill and cook for 1-2 minutes, until light grill marks appear on underside. 

With a large spatula, carefully flip dough to other side.  Brush olive oil on the top side.  Top with cheese slices, ham and pineapple.  Close the grill and cook just until cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes longer.

Slice, serve, and enjoy!