Thin-Crust Grilled Pizza with Fontina, Pecorino, and Scallions
By Matthew FairmanPublished on April 28, 2025
Time
2½ hours, plus 1½ hours proofing
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Dough
3 cups (16½ ounces/468 grams) bread flour 1 tablespoon sugar ¼ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 ¼ cups, plus 2 tablespoons ice water 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided1½ teaspoons table saltPizza
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 scallions, sliced thin on bias6 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1½ cups)6 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded (2 cups)1⅓ cups jarred marinara sauceBefore You Begin
You can substitute 2 pounds of store-bought pizza dough for the dough in this recipe (and skip steps 1 and 2); the dough balls in step 3 will weigh about 8 ounces each, and the finished pizzas may be slightly thicker than those made with homemade dough. Grilled pizza cooks quickly, so it’s important to have all your ingredients and tools ready ahead of time. A two-zone charcoal setup facilitates even cooking by enabling you to slide the pizzas over to the cooler side if they are browning too fast. Two pairs of grill-safe tongs make moving the dough on and off the grill easier.
Instructions
- Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add ice water; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces (about 7 ounces each). Shape each piece into tight ball and transfer to lightly oiled baking sheet. Lightly brush or spray tops of dough balls with oil. Cover sheet tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until dough balls have relaxed and spread to 4 inches in diameter, about 1½ hours. (Alternatively, unrested dough balls can be refrigerated—on sheet wrapped with plastic—for up to 3 days; let sit at room temperature until relaxed and spread to 4 inches in diameter, about 2 hours, before using.)
- Pour remaining 2 tablespoons oil over dough balls. Coat both sides of 1 ball in oil and transfer to 12 by 16-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter. Using your fingertips and palms, gently press and stretch dough to form rough 13 by 9-inch oval of even thickness; transfer parchment with dough round onto second baking sheet. Repeat stretching dough on parchment with remaining 3 dough balls; stack stretched rounds between parchment on sheet. Press large sheet of plastic directly onto surface of top dough round and let sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour while heating grill.
- Combine oil and garlic in bowl. Combine basil, parsley, and scallions in second bowl. Combine fontina and Pecorino in third bowl. Set bowls aside.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Grasp 1 long side of 1 dough round and parchment with both hands (gently holding dough and parchment together between your thumbs and fingers) and carefully flip onto grill, dough side down (over hotter side if using charcoal). Gently peel parchment away from dough with tongs, using second pair of tongs or spatula to secure dough in place on grill. Cook (covered if using gas) until bottom is well browned and spottily charred, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating dough once during cooking. Invert dough onto cutting board, grilled side up.
- Brush top of pizza with one-quarter of garlic oil (2 heaping teaspoons). Sprinkle one-quarter of cheese mixture (about ¾ cup) evenly over pizza. Drizzle one-quarter of sauce (⅓ cup) evenly over pizza. Using your hands or 2 sets of tongs, transfer pizza back to grill (over hotter side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas), rotating pizza often, until bottom is well browned and spottily charred and cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. (If cooking over charcoal, middle of pizza will brown faster; to ensure even cooking, check bottom frequently and rotate and reposition pizza as needed to ensure even browning from middle to edges.)
- Using 2 sets of tongs, transfer pizza to cutting board (if using gas, keep grill covered to conserve heat); sprinkle with one-quarter of herb mixture (about 2 tablespoons).
- Repeat with remaining dough and toppings, adjusting heat on gas grill as needed to ensure crust reaches visual cues in given time ranges for each pizza. Slice and serve pizzas immediately after removing from grill.
for the dough
for the pizza
Time
2½ hours, plus 1½ hours proofingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Dough
Pizza
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Dough
Pizza
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Dough
Pizza
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Grilled pizza—popularized in the 1980s at Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island—has a thin, light, crisp crust. The live fire gives it intensely flavorful smokiness and char, and the exceedingly hot temperatures enable the pizza to cook very quickly, making for a tender crust that’s never dry or rubbery. We wanted a simplified method for restaurant-quality results. The food processor made quick work of our homemade pizza dough, but we engineered our method to ensure that it also worked with store bought doughs. Coating the dough balls with olive oil made it easy to press them into thin ovals by hand, while shaping the ovals on parchment paper enabled us to stack them neatly on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transport outside to the grill. The parchment also provided a no-stress vehicle for lifting and transferring the dough to the grill with no awkward sagging or stretching of the dough. A two-zone charcoal setup facilitated even cooking by enabling us to slide all or part of the pizzas over to the cooler side to account for hot spots. Topping our grilled pizzas first with garlic oil and a balanced combo of relatively mild, creamy fontina and sharp, salty Pecorino Romano created a delicious barrier that kept pizza sauce from making the dough soggy. A final sprinkling of parsley, basil, and scallion added color and freshness, completing the classic Al Forno profile.
Before You Begin
You can substitute 2 pounds of store-bought pizza dough for the dough in this recipe (and skip steps 1 and 2); the dough balls in step 3 will weigh about 8 ounces each, and the finished pizzas may be slightly thicker than those made with homemade dough. Grilled pizza cooks quickly, so it’s important to have all your ingredients and tools ready ahead of time. A two-zone charcoal setup facilitates even cooking by enabling you to slide the pizzas over to the cooler side if they are browning too fast. Two pairs of grill-safe tongs make moving the dough on and off the grill easier.
Instructions
- Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add ice water; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces (about 7 ounces each). Shape each piece into tight ball and transfer to lightly oiled baking sheet. Lightly brush or spray tops of dough balls with oil. Cover sheet tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until dough balls have relaxed and spread to 4 inches in diameter, about 1½ hours. (Alternatively, unrested dough balls can be refrigerated—on sheet wrapped with plastic—for up to 3 days; let sit at room temperature until relaxed and spread to 4 inches in diameter, about 2 hours, before using.)
- Pour remaining 2 tablespoons oil over dough balls. Coat both sides of 1 ball in oil and transfer to 12 by 16-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter. Using your fingertips and palms, gently press and stretch dough to form rough 13 by 9-inch oval of even thickness; transfer parchment with dough round onto second baking sheet. Repeat stretching dough on parchment with remaining 3 dough balls; stack stretched rounds between parchment on sheet. Press large sheet of plastic directly onto surface of top dough round and let sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour while heating grill.
- Combine oil and garlic in bowl. Combine basil, parsley, and scallions in second bowl. Combine fontina and Pecorino in third bowl. Set bowls aside.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Grasp 1 long side of 1 dough round and parchment with both hands (gently holding dough and parchment together between your thumbs and fingers) and carefully flip onto grill, dough side down (over hotter side if using charcoal). Gently peel parchment away from dough with tongs, using second pair of tongs or spatula to secure dough in place on grill. Cook (covered if using gas) until bottom is well browned and spottily charred, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating dough once during cooking. Invert dough onto cutting board, grilled side up.
- Brush top of pizza with one-quarter of garlic oil (2 heaping teaspoons). Sprinkle one-quarter of cheese mixture (about ¾ cup) evenly over pizza. Drizzle one-quarter of sauce (⅓ cup) evenly over pizza. Using your hands or 2 sets of tongs, transfer pizza back to grill (over hotter side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas), rotating pizza often, until bottom is well browned and spottily charred and cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. (If cooking over charcoal, middle of pizza will brown faster; to ensure even cooking, check bottom frequently and rotate and reposition pizza as needed to ensure even browning from middle to edges.)
- Using 2 sets of tongs, transfer pizza to cutting board (if using gas, keep grill covered to conserve heat); sprinkle with one-quarter of herb mixture (about 2 tablespoons).
- Repeat with remaining dough and toppings, adjusting heat on gas grill as needed to ensure crust reaches visual cues in given time ranges for each pizza. Slice and serve pizzas immediately after removing from grill.
for the dough
for the pizza
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