Pizza Dough Recipe for the Grilled Pizza Stone

[RedSkyGrilling]

Pizza Dough Recipe for the Grilled Pizza Stone

A terrific pizza starts with terrific dough. You can make your own at
home, either by hand, in your bread machine or in an electric mixer. Many
local markets offer a variety of dough for convenience ranging from fresh
to pre-baked crusts.

This recipe yields about 4 medium thin pizza crusts or 2lbs of dough. It’s
easy to freeze unused dough. See the instructions below.

2 Teaspoons Dry yeast, rapid-rise or bread machine type
1 ½ Cups Warm water
4 ¼ Cups all-purpose flour
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the water, about 8 – 10 minutes. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and
slowly work half of the yeast/water mixture in with your fingers. Add the olive oil and work in remaining yeast/water mixture. Add a little water if
the dough is too sticky to make the dough soft and smooth. Place dough onto a flat surface and knead vigorously for about 10 minutes – use a little
flour if it sticks. (First, push the dough away from you, then fold it back towards you, and repeat) Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and has a
dull sheen. Alternatively, you can use the dough hook on your electric stand mixer for 7 – 8 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, and place it in a large,
clean bowl greased with olive oil. Turn dough to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth; let the dough rise in a warm place until
doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Freezing Dough: If you have extra dough, simply shape it into a ball, seal it a plastic bag and freeze. Let it thaw completely to room temperature
before rolling it out.

Bread Machines make great dough for pizza. Use the ingredients above and follow your manufacturer’s directions.
Preparing your Dough for Toppings

I like to start with a ball of dough that’s just a little bigger than a baseball but smaller than a softball. Two or three of this size dough
ball rolled out will fit on the Grilled Pizza Stone simultaneously. Or you can use a slightly larger than softball sized dough ball that
will yield one large pizza.

Grab these items before you begin rolling out your dough:
Pizza peel or cookie sheets
Rolling pin
Cornmeal
¼ Cup Flour
3 – 4 Tablespoons Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Sprinkle some flour on a clean, dry surface. Use your hands to flatten and shape the dough until you have a circle about 6-8 inches
wide. Pick up the dough, and use your fingers to gently stretch and pull the dough into a thinner, larger disc. Try to avoid poking
your fingers through it. Finish by rolling the dough out to about 1/4” thick. Take this opportunity to fix any holes or thin spots in the
dough.

Take your pizza peel or cookie sheet, and sprinkle a liberal amount of corn meal on it. The corn meal will prevent the pizza from
sticking to the surface as you slide the pizza onto the Grilled Pizza Stone.

Place your pizza dough on the prepared surface. Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper. Be sure to spread the olive oil to the edges.
Finally, prick the dough with a fork to help prevent excessive blistering.