Bagel Dough Revisited...Grilled Pizza!

Bagel Dough Revisted...Grilled Pizza. I love grilled pizza. It has become one of my favorites summer meals. I've been meaning to share this with you for some time now. I think it's wonderful to be able to make your own pizza at home ...and grilling the pizza is a great alternative to using the oven. The grill is a great tool to use, especially when you want to keep the heat out of the kitchen during the hot summer months. You also get this " wood-fired" cripsy pizza crust that is quite different from an oven baked pizza. I have tried many pizza dough recipes. Many were good. But it was the bagel dough recipe that was a winner for me....at least so far:). I never intended to use the bagel dough to make grilled pizzas, but one day, when I was making bagels, I decided to keep some dough to make a quick lunch. I immediately thought of making a grilled pizza using a bit of the bagel dough. I did...and we loved it.

I remember when I first started making grilled pizzas. I was scared of having my pizza dough fall through the cracks or stick to the grill. I was hesitant at first to even attempt it. But one day, I decided to make it. I think I might have used a pita bread dough recipe to make the grilled pizzas. Since then, I have gained a bit of confidence and have tried making different kinds of pizza doughs....just to vary it up a bit. The bagel dough recipe really has become a favorite as it is a wonderful dough to work with....and tastes great. You can easily add some Italian dried herbs to the dough, if you like.

When making the grilled pizza, it is good to keep in mind that both sides of the dough need to be oiled well. This ensures that your pizza won't stick and that it gets a nice crispy texture. It is equally important to pre-heat your grill on med/high before placing the dough on the grill. I like to stretch out the dough pretty thin. This way the crust cooks quicker. Once the dough forms surface bubbles, you can then flip it over on the second side and lower the heat. It is only then that you add the sauce/seasoned oil/pesto/etc. and the toppings. I ended up using some veggies and some cheese on this one, but you can easily be creative with sauces and toppings. Just make sure you do not overload the pizzas with too many toppings. This is just a basic recipe for the pizza dough ...so be creative with toppings. Hope you enjoy....

Tip: You will need to have all the toppings ready and in close proximity.. grilling the dough and topping the pizza requires you to work quickly. You can take the pizza dough off the grill to add the toppings and then place it back on the grill. This will help your dough not to burn. If need be, always adjust heat.

The dough can be refrigerated overnight for even better flavor.

You will need: Bagel Dough ~ You can use the bagel recipe to make 12 bagels and 2 pizzas(8-10inch) or use the whole dough to make pizzas. If I would make the whole batch, I would freeze some dough for use on another day.

6 2/3 -7 cups bread flour

1 TBS table salt

1 TBS instant yeast

2 TBS sugar

1 TBS oil

2 1/4 cups warm water(110˚-115˚)

Directions:

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a mixer bowl. Add sugar and oil to the water and pour over the dry ingredients. Knead well for about 7-8 minutes using the kneading attachment on your mixer. You should use the med/low speed. The dough should cling only to the bottom of the mixer bowl and not the sides. Form into a ball and put into an oiled bowl turning once to coat dough. Cover with plastic and let rise one hour or until doubled.

At this point, you can proceed to do some bagels and reserve some dough for the pizza..like I did. Or, you can divide dough in pizza size pieces and wrap well and freeze for later use(which I've done before). If you want to freeze the dough, you will need to thoroughly defrost and bring to room temperature before making pizzas. Allow enough time to defrost and get to room temp.

Making Pizzas:

Preheat grill to MED/HIGH.

After the dough has doubled in size, take a grapefruit size piece( or whatever size you like) and roll it out(on oiled surface) to about 10 inches....or stretch it out with your hands. Drizzle oil on top of dough as well. Make sure the bottom and the top of the dough are oiled...this ensures that the dough does not stick on the grill.(I haven't had a problem with my pizzas sticking...)

Oil the grill and place pizza dough on hot grill. Cook for 1 minute or so ...or until you see grill marks when you peek under the dough. You should see the top of the dough puffing and making bubbles. Lower heat to medium and flip the pizza dough on second side. Brush with seasoned olive oil(add some minced garlic to the oil along with some Italian spices),or brush with olive oil and sprinkle some smoked paprika and your favorite herbs. You can also use some pesto, chopped sundried tomatoes, pasta sauce, etc. Add toppings and cheese.

Lower heat, if needed so that you do not burn the underside. Sprinkle with fresh basil/arugula and/or chile flakes and/or parmesan...