Grilled Margherita Pizza
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
A food-processor dough rests a full day in the fridge before being stretched thin and cooked straight on a hot grate, giving it a smoky char an oven can't produce. Mozzarella, a chunky tomato sauce, parmesan and basil go on after the crust is already grilled, so the toppings barely need more than a few minutes to melt through.
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Method
- 1
Mix and knead the dough. Pulse the bread flour, sugar and yeast in a food processor to combine. With the machine running, pour in the ice water and process until the dough just comes together with no dry flour left, about 10 seconds; let it stand for 10 minutes. Add the vegetable oil and fine salt and process again until the dough is a smooth, sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 30-60 seconds.
- 2
Shape and chill. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled counter and knead briefly until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide it into 3 equal balls (about 260 g each), coat each one lightly with oil, and set on an oiled baking sheet. Cover tightly without pressing the dough down and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 3 days.
- 3
Make the sauce. Pulse the drained tomatoes in the food processor until finely chopped. Stir in the reserved tomato juice, olive oil, oregano, sugar, fine salt and red pepper flakes. Taste and add a little more sugar or salt if you like, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
- 4
Bring everything to temperature. An hour before grilling, take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Light the grill and let it burn until very hot - about 15 minutes for a gas grill on high, or until a charcoal fire is partially covered in grey ash - then clean and oil the grate.
- 5
Stretch and grill the crust. Pour a little olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet, set one dough ball on it, and coat both sides with oil. Press and stretch the dough with your fingertips toward the edges of the sheet into a rough 40 x 30 cm oval. Lift it with both hands onto the grill (it will droop into a half-moon shape as you carry it) and cook over direct heat until grill marks form, 2-3 minutes. Peel it up, rotate 90 degrees and cook until a second set of marks appears, 2-3 minutes more, then flip and cook until the second side is lightly charred in spots, 2-3 minutes. Move the crust to a board, charred side down.
- 6
Top and finish on the grill. Scatter a third of the mozzarella over the crust, dollop a third of the sauce over it in evenly spaced spoonfuls, drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with a third of the parmesan. Slide the pizza back onto the grill, cover, and cook until the bottom is well browned and the mozzarella has melted, 3-5 minutes, checking underneath often so it doesn't burn.
- 7
Serve. Move the pizza to a board, scatter with a third of the basil, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with coarse sea salt. Slice into wedges and serve while the remaining two dough balls are grilled and topped the same way.
Storage
Best eaten fresh from the grill. Refrigerate leftover slices in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat in a hot pan or oven until the cheese is melted through again. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3.1 g protein per 100 kcal, about 12% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low sugars: 2.7 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 160 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
2.3 g per serving
4.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 9.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- food processor
- rimmed baking sheet
- plastic wrap
- charcoal or gas grill
- chimney starter (for charcoal)
- grill brush
- tongs
- metal spatula or pizza peel
- small saucepan
- chef's knife
- cutting board
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 719 kcal |
| Protein | 22.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 64.5 g |
| of which sugars | 4.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.3 g |
| Fat | 41.3 g |
| of which saturates | 11.5 g |
| Fibre | 3.4 g |
| Salt | 3.47 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
