when i was working on my book last year and developing the recipe for this pizza dough, i thought waaaay in the back of my head that perhaps it would hold up as grilled pizza dough, but was too afraid to give it a whirl without my grilling-husband to help me out. late last summer i finally convinced him that we should try grilling our weekly friday night pizza. frank was all, what if it doesn't work!? then what will we eat? to which i replied something like, i don't know we'll figure it out! so with a little research and a lot of coals we grilled our first (gluten-free) pizza! we knew we needed a really hot grill, so we threw a few too many coals in - by the time it was preheated it was basically an inferno. nevertheless, we threw the dough on the hot baking stone and let it par-bake. by the time we checked on it a few minutes later the bottom had scorched. frank tried lowering the coals and moving the stone to the other side, but the grill was too hot, and our crust was basically ruined. we continued with our toppings but ended up with a black-bottomed (possibly carcinogenic) pizza crust that we tried to eat around.

since then, i'm happy to report that we've become much more capable in the grilled pizza department and it's something we do every friday night. we love it so much, that i wanted to share our little journey and this recipe here with you here today :)

as i've mentioned before, our garden is producing crazy amounts of kale and arugula that i planted back in april, and if you follow me over on snapchat (handle: dollyoatmeal), then you've seen a couple snaps of what's going on back there. so, summer garden pesto is always a go-to when summer rolls around because honestly, i can't really keep up with all the growth! i've been throwing together a kale, basil, shiso,, and arugula pesto and really loving the flavor of all of them combined, so that's what makes up the base of this pizza. the caramelized balsamic shallots are another thing i pulled from my book. in it, i make balsamic onions in a chickpea flour spaetzle which is still one of my favorite recipes. and lastly, roasted tomatoes! because it's summer and they're just too good this time of year. they're roasted with a few sprigs of thyme just for that extra summer flavor :) this is one of our household staples, so i hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

love & all the pizza! xo

grilled summer pizza w/ garden pesto & caramelized balsamic shallots | gf

we topped our pizza with a bit of fresh mozzarella, arugula, a few drizzles of olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt, just because we were wanting a heavier pizza (and this babe really wanted some cheese!). but the pizza topped with pesto, roasted tomatoes, and balsamic shallots is just as good - and totally vegan ;)

dough (v)

| makes 2 pizza doughs |

1 1/4 cup filtered warm water (105°-115°F)
1 teaspoon cane sugar
1 packet instant yeast (approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

pesto (V)

1 bunch basil (about 2 cups)
5-7 kale leaves (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup shiso (or basil)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
handful of arugula
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

tomatoes

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt & fresh pepper

caramelized balsamic shallots

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2-3 shallots, sliced thin
fine sea salt
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

additional toppings

cheese of choice
handful of greens
olive oil drizzles
flaky sea salt

method

make the dough. in a bowl, whisk together the water and sugar until it is dissolved. sprinkle in the yeast and let it proof until the surface it foamy, about 10 minutes.
in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except the oil. use a wooden spoon to make a well in the center of the flour, then add the yeast mixture and olive oil. stir until dough is mixed. cover the bowl loosely with cling wrap and allow to dough to rise in a warm place (i preheat my oven to warm - about 150°F - and shut it off about 10 minutes before placing the dough inside) until the dough doubles in size, about 30-45 minutes.
line a cookie sheet with parchment, set aside. divide the dough in half and wrap one half in cling wrap, place in the freezer for another time. place the other half of dough onto the prepared baking sheet and dust with more brown rice flour. use your fingers to press the dough out, using more flour if needed to prevent sticking, until you have an 11-12-inch round. cut any parchment hanging over (this helps later on when grilling the pizza.) cover the dough with a clean dishcloth to puff up slightly, about 15-20 minutes.
make the pesto. while the dough is resting, place all the pesto ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal "s" blade, blend until broken down. taste and adjust, adding more salt or lemon juice if need be. place in a lidded container and refrigerate until ready to use.
make the tomatoes. preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. toss the tomatoes with the thyme, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. bake for 10-12 minutes until soft and slightly burst. set aside.
make the caramelized balsamic shallots. heat a sauté pan over medium heat. once the pan is hot, add the oil, shallots, and a good pinch of salt. stir every few minutes until the shallots are soft, about 7-9 minutes. turn the heat down to medium-low and add the balsamic. stir and let it all cook down for another 5 minutes. remove frorm heat and set aside.

assemble the pizza

place a pizza stone on the grates of your grill, and preheat to 500°F. brush the surface of the dough with a bit of olive oil. once the grill has come to temperature, slide the dough onto the baking stone. cook until large bubbles have formed on the surface, about 1-2 minutes. using a pizza peel (or, if you threw your pizza peel in the garbage because you became gluten-free and never thought you would make pizza again, you can easily use a cookie sheet like i do) carefully remove the pizza crust from the stone - at this point throw away the parchment paper that was below the dough. top the pizza with the pesto, cheese (if using), then the shallots, and roasted tomatoes.
carefully place the pizza back onto the stone and cook for another 7-8 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden and any toppings are melted. top with greens, olive oil, and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

enjoy!