How to Get Wood-Fired Oven Pizza Without the Wood-Fired Oven

September 17, 2015
Food,Recipes

Today’s post isn’t so much a recipe as it is a technique for cooking pizza that, in my opinion, gets you the closest thing to a wood-fired oven pizza but without the wood-fired oven. I’m in the process of a house remodel right now and my dream has always been to get a wood-fired oven. But, the reality of our budget has settled in long ago and, of course, out went that outdoor pizza oven. Having made many pizzas before, I can tell you that you’ll never get that crisp and slightly blistered pizza crust in an oven. The oven temperature just doesn’t get hot enough. Invest in a pizza stone (they’re pretty cheap, about $30-$50, and you’ll find other uses for it) and take your pizza out to the grill. The key is to wait (longer than you think) for your grill to get as hot as it possibly can. The pizza only needs about 5 minutes to get crispy bubbly hot!

Grill pizza | HonestlyYUM

Grill pizza | HonestlyYUM

Margherita pizza | HonestlyYUM

Pizza Stone


Pizza stone

Cilantro, mushroom sesame oil pizza | HonestlyYUM

 

WOOD-FIRED OVEN LIKE PIZZA

Ingredients:

  • Pizza dough
  • Tomato sauce
  • Toppings for the mushroom pizza shown above
    • Shredded mozzarella
    • Sliced shiitake mushrooms
    • Frozen spinach, squeeze out excess water
    • Chopped garlic (optional)
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Drizzle of sesame oil
  • Extra flour or cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

  • Turn your grill on the highest setting possible and close the lid. Allow the grill to heat up for at least 15 minutes (I let mine almost hit 700 degrees).
  • Meanwhile assemble your pizza, stretching out the dough, spreading a small ladle of tomato sauce over the dough and placing the toppings on top. Make sure to assemble on a pizza peel or a flat baking sheet without a lip so that you can slide it off onto the stone. Dust the pizza peel or baking sheet with flour or cornmeal so the pizza doesn’t stick to the peel.
  • When you’re ready to cook the pizza, acting quickly open the grill lid and carefully slide the pizza onto the pizza stone by lining up the opposite edge of the pizza crust with the opposite edge of the pizza stone so that ideally you can pull the pizza peel towards you and the pizza will slide onto the stone. If you can’t pull this off seamlessly without losing a few toppings or forcing the pizza off, you’re not alone– it takes time to master the pizza moves!
  • Close the lid and avoid opening the lid to peek. How will you tell it’s done? Well, it depends on your grill and of course, I said no peeking. I would slightly open the lid and peek after 5 minutes. The pizza should be browned and just starting to char on the outside. Cook longer if needed.

Conversation

I’m so excited to try this method to get wood fired tasting pizza. Pizza is one of my favorite foods and I love the taste of wood fired taste of the crust. I’m definitely going to share this article with my friends!

Thank you for sharing this technique for getting the wood-fired flavor! I don’t have the right oven to make wood-fired pizza, but I love that “crisp and slightly blistered pizza crust” so I’ll have to try this technique. The toppings in the first picture look really yummy! Could I do the same thing with kale instead of spinach?

Oh I LOVE pizza. And now I’m craving it. Ha! I agree, a pizza oven would be awesome to have. We are in the process of moving and I’ve been planning my dream kitchen… and yes, all of my “wants” are exceeding the budget we are working with. This is a great alternative! (and a space saver.) Thanks for the tip! xo

Love the idea of using the grill too achieve a wood-fired pizza taste! Something I still need to try! 🙂

pizza my heart? can I say that or is it too cheesy? oh well, you know I love good pizza tips

Great tips, grilled pizzas are the best! I love the baking steel and they are pretty indestructible!

….ok i need an outdoor grill ASAP because we are obsessed with homemade pizza.

This is such a helpful post! I’ve been trying to achieve this ever since I first started making pizza so thank you so much for sharing! Love this post!

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