Making pizza at home can sometimes be intimidating. The dough. The oven. How much toppings do I add? How long do I cook it for? There are plenty of shortcuts out there for those who are looking for them — pre-made dough or crusts, pizza sauce for those who want it. But I think I have found a way to take the guess work out of homemade pizza.

Eric and I like to make homemade pizza on a regular basis. We’ve used pre-made dough from Trader Joe’s and Pillsbury before to semi-decent success, but never have we made a pizza that got anywhere near that of a restaurant.

Enter this recipe. I have bread flour and yeast left over from when I made challah, so I figured why not go ahead and make my own dough? And I think that is the key. The crust tasted fresh and added a layer of flavor missing from our previous attempts. Cooking it on the grill is also important, if you have one. The flames mimic those of a pizza oven, cooking the dough quickly and perfectly (well, minus a little burning on the edges in our case. But we still totally ate it).

Roasted tomatoes and goat cheese is our go to topping combination, but feel free to use whatever you feel like.

Grilled Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

For the dough (taken from here)
1 1/2 cup warm water (I put mine in the microwave for about 45 seconds)
1 package of dry active yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour (you can also use all purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix the water and the yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or bowl). Let sit for five minutes. Once the yeast has dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients together. If using a mixer, put on the bread hook attachment and knead on low for about 10 minutes. If you are using your hands, mix the dough together and knead for about five minutes until the dough is smooth and everything is incorporated. Put dough in a bowl coated in olive oil and let rise for an hour or more. This recipe makes enough for two medium size pizzas. I cut the dough in half and froze the part we didn’t use for later use.

Roasted Tomatoes
4 to 6 roma tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper

Preheat over to 375 degrees. On a baking sheet, lay out the halved tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, add the spices and toss until they are coated. Place in oven and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops of the tomatoes look a little caramelized, but not burned. Allow the tomatoes to cool before chopping them up.

For the pizza
1/2 cup pizza sauce (either store bought or homemade)
1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese (We actually used a six cheese mix from Sargento)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Roasted tomatoes
Garlic powder

1) Turn on the grill and heat it to about 450 degrees (medium high). While the grill is heating up, take a ball of dough on a floured cookie sheet or pizza peel and form it out in to a circle (or square). Let the dough sit for a few minutes and push it out again before putting it on the grill.

2) Oil the grates of the grill, either with cooking spray (be careful when you do this over an open flame) or an oiled paper towel. This is a key part of the process to keep the dough from sticking. Slowly slide the dough on to the grill and close the top. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on it — some grills cook quicker than others.

3) After a few minutes, check the bottom of the pizza. It should be browning nicely (not too dark, but slightly golden). Flip the dough over and cook for about 1 minute on the other side. Take the dough off the grill and lower the head to about medium.

4) Add the toppings. Sauce first, then mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and goat cheese. For a final step, sprinkle the top with garlic powder, crust as well. This gives the finished pizza a bit more depth of flavor.

5) Carefully place the pizza back on the grill. Close the top. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the toppings are heated through. Remove from grill and let sit for a few minutes (I find this gives the toppings time to meld together). Cut and enjoy.

Note: Depending on the size of your grilled, it might be easier to break the dough ball in to two smaller pieces. We had a bit of a mishap and ended up with a triangle shaped pizza. But it was still delicious.