Speedy Grilled Pizzas

One of the nice things about living in South Texas is that we can still (comfortably) grill periodically during winter. One dish that is to rarely grilled, in my opinion, is pizza. Everyone thinks of grilling steaks and burgers and chicken skewers, and maybe corn on the cob, but we rarely remember pizza! And it’s so good when it’s grilled, too. This recipe is from our friends Rob and Jen; I modified it to make it lactose-free by using extra-sharp cheddar instead of mozzarella, though you could use another lactose-free cheese or even vegan cheese (and there is lactose-free mozzarella in Quebec, though it’s not fresh). Note that the sauce is more of a traditional chopped tomato sauce than a tomato paste sauce, which I really like with a thin crust. This is a vegetarian pizza, almost like a margherita (depending on what kind of cheese you use), but you can adapt the toppings to suit your taste. The fantastic thing here is the dough, which comes together quickly and does beautifully on the grill. This recipe makes 4 servings.

For the sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained well
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. EVOO
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. salt

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

For the dough
1 cup water, heated to 118 °F
1 Tbsp. EVOO, plus additional for brushing dough
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) rapid-rise or instant yeast
2 ¾ cups flour, plus additional flour as needed
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt

Additional topping
2 ½ cups shredded lactose-free cheese (such as extra-sharp cheddar)

Whisk water, 1 Tbsp. oil, sugar, and yeast in a large liquid measuring cup. Let sit 5 minutes. Pulse flour, parmesan, and salt in food processor until combined. With machine running, slowly pour in water mixture and process until dough pulls away from sides and forms shaggy ball, about 1 minute. If dough seems too sticky, add up to 2 Tbsp. more flour. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times until cohesive.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, press dough into small circle. Using rolling pin, roll and stretch dough to form 9” circle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and dust dough with flour. Repeat with remaining dough.

Meanwhile, heat all grill burners on high, covered, for 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-low. Scrape and oil cooking grate.

Brush tops of 2 dough rounds lightly with oil. Peel rounds off parchment and place, oiled side down, on cool side of grill. Grill, covered, until undersides are spotty brown and tops are covered with bubbles, poking large bubbles with tongs, 3-5 minutes. Brush each lightly with oil and flip. Top each round with ¼ of the sauce and ¼ of the cheese. Grill, covered, until undersides are spotty brown and cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes. Move to hot side of grill to crisp, 1 minute. Repeat with remaining rounds.