This year for our 9 year wedding anniversary, John asked me for. Kamado Akorn Chargriller. I was not sure why we “needed” this grilling machine within our front patio since we already have both a grill and smoker for tasty meat treats. Alas, he told me that we needed it in order to make our own fresh pizzas! The Chargriller comes with a pizza stone making it an ideal environment for cooking pizzas at high temperature.
It’s important to cook pizzas at high temperatures – around 500°C (932°F) – because the dough is so thin.
I also use a special tool called a peel, which looks like a long wooden board with a handle on one end and a flat surface on the other. The pizza is placed on this surface and then slid onto the hot pizza stone once it is up to temperature. This allows the pizza to slide off easily and helps with the cooking process.
What’s fun about making your own pizza is that you can literally use ingredients for toppings. I started off with a simple cheese pizza and have now worked up to a BBQ chicken pizza which is just delicious. When we have our friends or guests over, this is such a fun way to treat them to making their own pie. Crack open a bottle of wine and try it!
Do I need to make pizza dough from scratch?
You do not need to make a pizza dough from scratch. In fact, most grocery stores have fresh and prepackaged dough and crust available. I prefer to use the pre-made fresh pizza dough for making pizzas. The dough for this recipe is typically found in your grocery store in the freezer or deli section. Not sure where it’s located? Just ask a customer service representative at your grocery store.
What is the best type of sauce for a homemade pizza?
If you are making a sauce from scratch, the best tomato sauce for making pizzas is a simple one. It’s just tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. If you are unsure of how to make a pizza sauce or prefer using a pre-made one, you will find several options at the grocery store in the pasta sauce aisle. Pizza sauce has a different consistency than marinara so be sure to check the label. For this recipe, I use pre-made tomato sauce.
The Cheese pizza, a history , a bright future
The history of the cheese pizza is a bit murky, but it’s clear that in the early 1900s, Italians began to experiment with adding mozzarella and other cheeses to their pizzas. The first known recipe for this combination was published in 1919 by an Italian chef named Giuseppe Cappiello, who called his creation “pizza alla napoletana.”
In the end, it was a pizza that made history.
The first pizza to be served in space was delivered by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the International Space Station on March 6, 2015. The pizza was part of an experiment designed to test how food tastes when eaten in microgravity.
NASA’s Food Science Laboratory (FSL) is a research facility that studies how foods behave and taste in space. The FSL uses human subjects to conduct experiments that simulate what happens to food during long-duration missions such as those planned for future Mars expeditions. In this case, the pizza was made with ingredients similar to those used in pizzeria restaurants on Earth just for testing in space- WOW!
Ingredients
Pre-made pizza dough
1 jar of pre-made pizza sauce
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded 4 cheese blend cheese
1/4 cup of BBQ sauce
1 chicken breast chopped
1/2 cup of yellow pickled banana peppers
1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
Flour for dusting and dough
Pizza peel
Recipe
For the Cheese pizza, start by taking half of the dough and with floured hands, start to stretch into an 8-10 inch pie circle. Dust the pizza peel with flour and lay the dough down to put on the toppings. Take 1/2 cup tomato sauce and spread evenly. Be sure to leave a 1/2 inch of dough around the outside for your crust. Sprinkle over the 2 cups of mozzerella cheese and 4 blend cheese. Place on the pizza stone at 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes. When cooked through, remove from the pizza stone and top with fresh basil.
For the BBQ chicken pizza, start by taking half of the dough and with floured hands, start to stretch into an 8-10 inch pie circle. Dust the pizza peel with flour and lay the dough down to put on the toppings. Take the 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and spread evenly. Be sure to leave a 1/2 inch of dough around the outside for your crust.Then take 2 tablespoons tomato sauce and spread on top. Sprinkle over the 2 cups of mozzerella cheese, yellow pickled banana peppers, red onion and chicken pieces. Place on the pizza stone at 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Remove once cooked through and enjoy!
How long do I cook my pizza?
Most pizzas that are baked in a traditional pizza oven or Chargriller pizza stone will require at least 5-8 minutes of cooking time at 500 degrees. This time recommendation will vary depending on the size of your pizza, amount of sauce and toppings and how crispy you like your crust. Start with a test cheese pizza and set a timer for 5 minutes, at the 5 minute mark, check for doneness and then keep an eye on it as it cooks.
Join the community of pizza makers and discover your own favorite way to make a delicious pie. Not sure where to get started or looking for more inspiration? Check out these other recipes:
- BBQ Chicken Pizza in 10 Minutes – This BBQ Chicken Pizza really comes together in 10 minutes. It’s loaded with all the goodness of bbq chicken pizza. The Pita Bread makes a perfect pizza crust. (sixsistersstuff.com)
- BBQ Recipe Chicken Crispy Thin Crust Pizza | Official CPK FROZEN – Authentic BBQ Flavor that will knock your ten-gallon hat off. Grilled white-meat chicken, red onions, mozzarella & gouda cheeses, & our famous sweet & tangy BBQ sauce. (goodnes.com)
- 5 Homemade Cheese Recipes That Are Super Easy to Make Yourself – Outdoor Happens – If you want to level-up your make-it-from-scratch game, why not try homemade cheese? Making things from scratch can be fun and rewarding, and making your own cheese is no exception. Plus, you get delicious cheese (outdoorhappens.com)
Make your own pizzas? I would love to hear about it- comment below!
