Pizza now: Don't sweat it, grill it

During the winter, I love to warm up the kitchen by preheating my pizza stone in a 500-degree oven. In the summer, not so much. That doesn't mean I go without homemade pizza for months at a time. When it is too hot to bake indoors, my gas grill becomes my pizza oven, and I cook my pizza alfresco.

Here are some things I've learned in my backyard about enjoying a no-hassle outdoor pizza-fest:

The easiest pizza dough comes from the freezer section of the supermarket. Just defrost, divide, stretch, and grill as directed. But if I have all of the ingredients (flour, salt, yeast) in my pantry, I make the dough in the food processor. It's quicker than driving to the store.

When I make pizza in the oven, I bake it for 15 to 20 minutes, long enough for thinly sliced raw vegetables to cook through and for excess moisture to evaporate. Grilled pizza, in contrast, cooks in less than five minutes, so I precook my toppings (for the most grilled flavor, I like to cook my toppings right on the grill, just before grilling the pizzas). And I go light. A sprinkling of chopped grilled tomatoes and cheese will heat through and melt as the dough grills, while a ton of chopped tomatoes and cheese won't get hot, and may make the top of the dough soggy.

Before I start grilling, I make sure I have everything I need (tongs to flip the pizzas, toppings ready to go) right next to the grill, because the pizzas will cook very quickly. Then I heat the grill to high before cleaning the grids. After going over the grids vigorously with a wire brush, I turn the heat down to medium, because pizza cooked on high will quickly incinerate. (You can use a charcoal grill - just build a two-level fire and cook your pizzas on the cooler part of the grill.)

It's easier to transfer two small, sticky pizzas onto a grill than it is to transfer one larger one. As for the actual transfer, this is the technique I like: After stretching the dough on a lightly floured countertop, I transfer it to an oiled baking sheet and carry it outside. To get it onto the grill, I grasp one end of the dough with the fingertips of both hands, quickly lifting it and draping it over the grill grids, gently stretching it as I lower it.

Once I've transferred the dough to the grill, I put the cover down, but not for long. After a minute or so, I take a peek at the undersides of the dough to make sure it is not burning. If it looks too dark after this short time, I turn the heat down to medium-low. Then I check it every 30 seconds to a minute, until it is time to flip. I quickly arrange toppings on top of the firmed-up tops, and lower the grill cover again. After two minutes, I start checking again. As soon as the undersides are golden with nice grill marks and the cheese is melted, I use a large spatula to slide the pizzas onto a cutting board.

Makes two 10-inch pizzas or 2 to 4 servings

EndTextStartText

1 cup water, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon instant yeast

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices

4 plum tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

6 ounces shredded smoked mozzarella

EndTextStartText

1. Make dough: Combine water, yeast, flour, and salt in work bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until a rough dough forms. Let stand in bowl for 10 minutes and then process until the dough is a smooth ball, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until tripled or quadrupled in volume, 3 to 4 hours.

2. Preheat a gas grill to high. Brush onions and tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill until onions are softened with dark grill marks (turn them once) and skin of tomatoes is blistered and blackened (turn them 3 or 4 times), 4 to 6 minutes. Set aside to cool. Core tomatoes and coarsely chop. Reserve meaty chopped parts, discarding liquid released during chopping.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a rough round, then press and stretch into a 20-inch circle. Brush a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer rounds to oiled baking sheet and brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4. Turn heat down to medium. Carefully lift each dough circle by one end with your fingertips and place on grill, stretching it gently while letting it fall onto hot grids. Cook uncovered until bottoms are golden with black grid marks, 2 to 3 minutes, checking frequently and turning down heat to prevent burning, if necessary. Use tongs to flip dough over. Top with onions, chopped tomatoes, and mozzarella. Cover grill and cook until cheese is melted and bottoms are well browned, 2 to 5 minutes longer. Slide pizzas onto a cutting board, slice and serve. Makes two 10-inch round pizzas.

Per serving (based on 4): 542 calories, 20 grams protein, 64 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams sugar, 23 grams fat, 23 milligrams cholesterol, 826 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.EndText