Wood-Fired Pizza Recipe

Best Wood Fired Pizza

A favorite food of many, making pizza at home is the ultimate treat. But oven-baked pizza just lacks pizzazz. Get a delicious wood-fired pizza at home using your kettle and Slow ‘N Sear. You don’t need a fancy pizza oven. This new family favorite is available any time right in your back yard!

    Pizza Prep

    How to Make Your Own Pizza Dough 

    Ingredients

    • 3 1/2 cups Bread Flour
    • 1 1/2 cups 105-110 degree water
    • 1 teaspoon of Salt
    • 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
    • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
    • 1 packet of dry active yeast (about 7 grams)

    Water Temperature

    Measure out the warm water and make sure it is in the range of 105-110 degrees. Too cold won’t activate the yeast, and having it too hot could kill it. When it’s at the right temp, add the yeast and sugar and let that bloom for 5 minutes.

    Mixing Ingredients

    In a big bowl add the salt to the flour and stir it well. Yeast doesn’t like salt so mixing it in the flour helps to hide it. Add the yeast and water mixture and with your hands or a wooden spoon, mix it all together until it comes together in a ball.

    How to Knead Dough

    Then flour your work space and roll the dough out on to the board and begin to knead the dough, folding it on to itself then rolling it forward with the palm of your hand. Keep kneading and adding flour until the dough is smooth and stops sticking to your hands. Put it in a large bowl to account for rising, and let it sit in a warm spot for 5 hours.

    After 5 hours, flour your work space again, roll the dough out, create a big uniform squared-off piece so that you can accurately measure portions. This amount of dough will make about 4 personal pizzas. Divide the big piece in half, and then cut each half down the middle again and you’ll get 4 portions.

    Knead the dough out a bit more then start to fold the edges into itself and the pinch off the bottom of the dough to seal it.  Put it on a board with friction, and with the sides of your hands form it into a ball again, using your hands to pinch in the bottom while rotating the dough ball. Add a touch of olive oil to your hands then continue the same motion, lightly dabbing the dough with oil. Place in a smaller bowl tightly covered. At this point you can let is sit out for another couple of hours for the final proof and make pizza the same day, or you can put it in the fridge overnight. If you don’t plan on using right away, you can wrap the balls individually and freeze.

    How to Make Homemade Tomato Sauce

    Tomato Sauce Ingredients

    • 1 Can of Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes, pureed
    • Large pinch of salt

    To make the sauce, simply puree a can of whole peeled tomatoes in a food mill. If you don’t have a food mill you can use a blender on the lowest, least powerful setting. Then add a big pinch of salt.

    How to Cook Wood Fired Pizza

    Weber Kettle Grill Temperature

    Preheat the Weber Kettle with a chimney about 90% filled with coals. Once the majority of those coals are white hot, add it to the Slow ‘N Sear, along with the Drip ‘N Griddle Pan, the stainless steel 22″ EasySpin Grate and some pecan wood on top of the coals (other woods work great too – have fun experimenting!). Place a digital thermometer on the indirect side and pre-heat the pizza stone really well and get the grill as hot as you can get it.  At least above 500 degrees. We are also using the cracked lid technique to get more air flow circulating and to get the flames to cascade over the top of the pizza.

    Shaping Pizza Dough

    Make the pizza by using your fingertips to shape the dough starting from the edges of the dough and working your way towards the center.

    Best Pizza Toppings

    When it’s the shape you want, add a ring of olive oil, not too much, then one spoonful of tomato sauce spread out evenly in a circular motion, a handful of grated Parmesan, a pinch of salt, 4-5 slices of mozzarella, again not too much, and then a few leaves of basil.

    How Long to Grill Pizza

    When the pizza stone is hot and the kettle is at your desired temp, use your pizza peel or some parchment paper to transfer the pizza to the pizza stone and cover with the cracked lid. Cook covered for about 1 minute, then rotate the pizza a 1/4 turn. Repeat every minute. The pizza should take no more than 3-5 minutes to be perfect.

    Slice and serve.  And get ready to make this your new family favorite!

    Summary

    • Plan ahead – make homemade dough the night before
    • Less is more – use toppings sparingly
    • Use the “cracked lid” method to maintain 500+° F in your kettle 
    • Cook 3-5 minutes – perfection comes quickly!