I can honestly say from the moment I took my first baking class in culinary school, I had a fear of flour. Don’t get me wrong, I am completely comfortable with a teaspoon or tablespoon of flour; however, when a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour or more, I immediately yell, HELP PLEASE!
It's not that I cannot cook with flour, I truly think once you bring out a measuring cup full of flour, you stop cooking and start to bake. Cook, grill - yes - it’s my passion, thus I became the Executive Chef of this fantastic grill company…baking, no thank you. I always thought it was because I was not a fan of sweet treats, now I know it has nothing to do with sweets and everything to do with the “science” behind baking.
Making pizza dough is a science that requires a great deal of exact measuring and temperatures. It’s not really baking but it definitely requires the scientific qualities of baking. Lucky for me, I have a wonderful friend who is an amazing Chef and she loves to bake. Let me introduce you to my first guest Chef on my blog, Patty Ruiz-Morrell. When I decided to develop a simple and savory grilled pizza recipes, Chef Patty came to my rescue.
She has been teaching cooking techniques for over 25 years, not only as a High School teacher and home cook for her children and grandchildren, but for the past few years, she is the Chef/Owner of The Mad Table. Her company includes cooking classes, private catered meals and weekly recipe posts on social media.
I was so pleased when I called for help, Chef Patty, without hesitation came to my house and spent the afternoon with me making her famous pizza dough (the history of pizza and flavored pizza dough recipes will be coming soon). It takes a little while to make this homemade dough, but the results are rewarding.
I always love cooking with fellow chefs because you can learn so much from each other. There is so many time-saving tricks and exciting ways to build flavors. We decided to welcome Fall and make a savory Grilled Butternut Squash, Arugula, Prosciutto and Ricotta Pizza with Balsamic Glaze. Then to keep with a traditional simple but delicious pizza, we decided to create a Margherita Pizza made with Pesto or tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, grilled blistered tomatoes, fresh basil, and of course, the best pizza dough you've ever tasted!
While Chef Patty turned my kitchen into her science lab, I preheated my ElectriChef Grill. Most people think the soft pizza dough will fall through the grill grates, this does not happen if you properly preheat your grill. The ElectriChef Grill allows you to grill pizza very close to the technique used in a pizza oven because of the ability to set an exact temperature while still developing the smokey flavor as if you were using a wood-burning oven. I was able to grill the tomatoes for the Margherita Pizza and then the butternut squash for the savory pizza while the grill was preheating.
This was the first time I ever grilled homemade pizza dough on my ElectriChef Grill. I have used store-bought dough from the local bakery and it works very well; but, if you have a nice day to cook on your grill this fall, keep the heat out of the kitchen and use Chef Patty’s pizza dough recipe below and you will love the results.
Crispy, crunchy and delicious pizza right on your own patio! Repeat the recipe and make extra dough you can store in the freezer for another pizza day. Since 1987, October has been officially designated National Pizza Month in the United States. Without question, Chef Patty’s best pizza dough recipe will help you celebrate in style! Thanks Patty for a delicious and fun day!!
Makes: 2 - 10 inch pizza doughs
Number of ingredients: 7
Recipe by: Guest Chef Patty Morrell-RuizChef Paulette Bilsky
NOTE: Depending on size of ElectriChef grill you can grill one or both pizza doughs at a time.
Recipe by: Chef Paulette Bilsky & Chef Patty Morrell-Ruiz
Recipe by: Chef Paulette Bilsky & Chef Patty Morrell-Ruiz
NOTE: Please use caution when basting grilled pizza dough with olive oil, dripping oil on coils can cause flare-ups and over char the dough.
Recipe by: Chef Paulette Bilsky
PRO TIP: The less you blend the chunkier the sauce will be. You can also place all vegetables in a bowl and use an immersion blender.
NOTE: You can use the sauce right away or place in a freezer safe container and use another day.
Pizza toppings are a personal choice, there are endless possibilities when creating flavorful pizza. Enjoy!