Quick Pizza Dough

Go beyond the basics and place fruit, vegetables and even pizza on the grate

Summertime, and the grilling is easy - maybe too easy.

We routinely toss our favorite burgers, steaks or chicken breasts on the fire. Or we slap a fillet of fish on a piece of foil, close the grill's lid and call it a meal.

It's time to put spark in your repertoire. If you love pizza indoors, you'll find the outdoor version easy, quick and just as tasty. You even can grill your toppings next to the crust.

The smoke of the grill enhances the natural sugars of vegetables. Grilled lettuce, anyone?

If cooking a whole chicken, butterfly it for even, quick cooking. It's a perfect option for feeding a crowd because you can put several on the grill at once.

Fish is great on the grill, and it's a snap to cook the fillets without the foil.

Top off the meal with fruit kissed by flames.

Why: A whole bird cooks evenly and quickly when butterflied, and it's a good way to feed a crowd. Several grill as easily as one.

The basics: Remove the giblets. On a cutting board, place the chicken breast-side down. Using heavy-duty kitchen shears, cut along each side of the backbone and remove.

Flip the chicken over so it's almost flat. Press down firmly to crack the breastbone and so the whole chicken lies flat.

Recipe for success: You can marinate the chicken any way you like, or try brining it. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup kosher salt in 12 to 16 cups water, depending on the size of the chicken. Place the chicken in the brine for about three hours.

Rinse the chicken well after removing it from the brine. To cook, heat the grill to medium-high. Place the chicken bone-side down on the grates, cover the grill and grill about 45 minutes or until thoroughly cooked through.

If desired, brush with a favorite barbecue sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling. Remove from the grill and let rest about 15 minutes before slicing.

Why: Direct heat draws out and caramelizes the natural sugars. Serve grilled fruits on their own as a dessert, or pair them with a main dish or savory foods such as tangy cheeses or fresh herbs.

Pineapples, papayas, avocados, peaches, plums and nectarines are great for this. Apples and pears also hold up well.

To grill bananas, cut them in half with the peel still on. Avoid overly ripe fruit because it will become too soft.

The basics: Heat or prepare the grill for medium heat. Clean and oil the grates. Cut the fruit in half and remove seeds or pits.

Quick Beer Pizza Crust | Bluebonnets & Brownies

If you love to bake, I hope you know who King Arthur Flour is. I’ve waxed poetic on why their flour is some of the best in the business, and they’re the only flour I use in my kitchen. Did you know King Arthur Flour has a blog too? The talented bakers at King Arthur Flour take to WordPress and post some pretty awesome recipes each week.

When PJ Hamel’s Quick Beer Pizza Crust came through my RSS feed, I knew I had to make it. I’ve had years of pizza experience – worked for some famous chains and some family owned pizza restaurants all through high school. But it’d been a long time since I felt the pillow-y softness of perfectly proofed dough in my hands.

Kneading dough can be a fantastically cathartic experience. Making this pizza crust brought back all those friend-filled after-school-job days, the days when I first realized I simply loved making food for people.

The addition of beer in pizza crust is both inspired and insane. Insanity in that James and I could NOT stop eating it.

You can use any pizza toppings you’d like, but I highly recommend our choices: marinara sauce , leftover grilled curry chicken, diced small (we used a pre-marinated package from Trader Joe’s), mushrooms, fresh basil, and lots of cheese.

Knead the dough either with your hands or a mixer with dough hook. In the mixer, it should take about 7 minutes to knead. By hand is longer, but more satisfying. Knead the dough until you have a soft, smooth dough – it should hardly stick to the mixing bowl or your hands.

Form the dough into a round ball and allow it to rise for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Flatten the dough on a flat surface to de-gas, then separate into 2 dough balls or leave whole if making a large pizza.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

If you have a pizza stone, this is the place to use it. If you don’t, use a large round or rectangular metal pan. Cover with a little olive oil.

King Arthur does this a bit differently, but I went back to my old school ways from that after school job. I set the dough in a little corn meal – this allows it to come off the stone or pan a bit easier. Then, I fold one hand over the other until they form sort of a triangle. Press your hands into the edge of the dough, about 1/2″ inside the circle. Press into the dough lightly, forming the crust edge. You should be able to turn the dough as you press, making your way around the entire pie.

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