COOKING

Kids in the Kitchen: Grilling Pizzas

Kids in the Kitchen: Grilling Pizzas

Who doesn’t love pizza? One of the first things my husband, Brandon, and I bonded over in the early stages of dating was pizza. In fact, that is what we munched on during our first date!

When you think of summer, I bet grilling and bonfires come to mind. Once the sunshine hits, my father-in-law is always looking for something yummy to grill up or cook over the fire for the family. Of course, hotdogs, hamburgers and chicken and potatoes are staples, but have you ever tried grilling pizza?pizza on grill

Homemade pizza is a household favorite for my husband and me, and now that our daughter is getting more involved in the kitchen, this is a perfect recipe to help her create her own meal and give her that sense of satisfaction as she takes pride in enjoying the meal she made herself!

So, we kicked off the warm weather by combining the love of sunshine, grilling and of course…pizza!

The dough recipe included below is super simple and you can make it ahead of time so when you’re ready to make your pizza the dough has already risen.

Once you’ve made your dough, the creative pizza making can commence. Our daughter loved watching us all stretch and roll out their dough, so she could figure out how to do it too (with a little help from Gammy). Skills like using a rolling pin, kneading the dough and creating a circle make this a fun activity and also an educational one.rolling out pizza dough

Let me preface the sauce portion of this activity by saying if you want to give your kiddos full creative power, consider dressing them in some clothing you don’t mind getting a sweet imprint of pizza sauce on. They’ll love the joy of spreading the sauce, but you won’t love the sauce spreading to their Sunday best.

We used a recipe out of the Lehman’s Sapphire Cookbook for pizza sauce. Check it out below!

A great Gammy tip for spreading the sauce is to give the kiddos a “Paint brush” by that we mean a basting brush.

Next up is the toppings. I think Lottie ate an entire pizza before even baking anything, but you know what? She was just following the “one for the pizza, two for me” rule, and I guess that’s teaching sharing.sampling pizza

The best part of homemade personal pizzas is that everyone can create the pizza they like. It’s also great when you have a variety of eating restrictions. Vegans can do no meat and non-dairy cheese while meat lovers can load it up with bacon, pepperoni and sausage. Gluten free? Easily substitute with a cauliflower crust. And you can get creative!

Brandon is a fan of pineapple on their pizza while me…not so much.

I tried something different by making a Greek pizza with red onions (super easy to make yourself if you can’t find them at your store – see recipe below!), kalamata olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil from my mother-in-law’s basil plants. Gammy and Papaw went with their favorite toppings one veggie, one meat, and Lottie had a classic pepperoni with some black olives and tomatoes.

pickled onions in jars
Pickled Onions
fresh basil plants
Fresh basil plants

Once the pizzas are topped, you can throw them on the grill…well Papaw and Daddy can while Mom, Gammy and Lottie enjoyed the beautiful sunshine.Grandma pulling granddaughter in a wagon

taking a walk outside in the sunshine

We had planned to use the Petromax fire bowl from Lehman’s (which Brandon was excited to get as an early Father’s day gift), but the air was too dry and it was too windy to start a fire…so maybe next time we try this out!Finished grilled pizzas

Last step and Lottie’s personal favorite…eating your delicious creation!eating grilled pizza

Here are the highlights from our day.

And here are the printable recipes for your convenience – enjoy!

Recipes from this article

Pizza Dough

Lehman’s
Servings

Makes 2

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

  • 3 cup Flour
  • 1 packet Fast Rise Yeast any yeast should work
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Warm Water

Instructions

  1. Put flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
  2. Add yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and water. Stir until combined.
  3. Lightly oil a bowl. Set aside.
  4. Lightly flour work surface.
  5. Turn out dough and knead for 10 minutes or until a smooth ball forms.
  6. Place dough ball into prepared bowl.
  7. Cover with plastic wrap or clean cloth.
  8. Set in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in volume.
  9. Turn dough out on a floured surface and punch the dough to remove excess air, knead lightly.
  10. Divide dough into 2 (or four if making smaller sizes). Makes enough dough for 2 12″ thin pizzas. You can divide into more if doing small personal pizzas
  11. When ready to make pizza, stretch dough into desired size and thickness.
  12. Brush crust with a little olive oil.
  13. Cover with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.
  14. Bake about 10 minutes, until crust is browned a cheese is melted and lightly browned. Be sure not to over cook try switching the pizzas on the grill so that the bottom on some don’t get burnt.
Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

0 Comments

Melissa Smail

Melissa Smail

Melissa Smail is the Retail Marketing Specialist at Lehman’s. Growing up as a military daughter, she learned to love exploring new places and learning new skills which is very helpful in her role at Lehman’s. Now living back near extended family with her husband and daughter, she is unapologetically enthusiastic about all things family, friends and photography, making memories and capturing them.

View All Posts From This Author

Also By This Author

People Also Enjoyed Reading

Inside Out Chili

Inside Out Chili

P3 Media
Vary the heat by adding or subtracting the amount and/or variety of hot peppers.
Pinto Beans

Pinto Beans

P3 Media
This recipe can be used for all varieties of dry beans.