Equipment
Ingredients
pizza dough
- 300 g bread flour
- 195 ml water, lukewarm at 38°C (100°F)
- 3 g instant dry yeast
- 6 g fine sea salt
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
toppings and grilling
- 2 red onion, whole unpeeled
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ml balsamic vinegar
- 150 g low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 120 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
- 5 g fresh oregano leaves, freshly picked
- 1 g crushed red pepper flakes
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 591 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 66 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Zinc
- 3.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 129 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Water
- 154 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Measure bread flour, instant dry yeast, fine sea salt, lukewarm water, and 15 ml olive oil into a large mixing bowl using a kitchen scale.
Transfer the mixture onto a cutting board and knead vigorously by hand until the dough forms a smooth, supple, and elastic ball.
Return the dough to the large mixing bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and allow it to proof at room temperature, around 24°C (75°F), until doubled in bulk.
Trim the stem ends and peel the dry papery skin from the 2 red onions on a cutting board, then slice them horizontally with a chef knife into 1.5 cm thick intact slab rounds.
Preheat the outdoor grill with lid on high to establish two zones, directing burners on one side to high heat at 245°C (475°F) while leaving the opposite side unlit for indirect heat.
Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of the thick red onion rounds with 10 ml olive oil and season evenly with 2 g fine sea salt and 1 g ground black pepper.
Place seasoned onion rounds directly over direct high heat on the outdoor grill with lid, grilling for 3 minutes per side using long-handled grill tongs until distinct dark char lines appear and rings turn tender.
Move grilled onions to a cutting board, roughly chop into bite-sized pieces with a chef knife, place them in a small bowl, and toss thoroughly with 15 ml balsamic vinegar.
Lightly oil a rimless baking sheet with 5 ml olive oil, divide the proofed dough into two equal 250 g portions, and gently stretch each ball into a thin 25 cm rustic oval round.
Brush the top surface of the first shaped dough round with 5 ml olive oil, lift it gently from the rimless baking sheet, lay it flat onto direct high heat grates on the outdoor grill with lid, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
Use long-handled grill tongs to flip the crust over onto the indirect cooler zone of the grill, then immediately scatter half of the shredded mozzarella, half of the balsamic-glazed charred red onions, and half of the crumbled feta evenly across the grilled hot surface.
Close the lid of the outdoor grill with lid and bake over indirect heat at 230°C (450°F) for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom crust is crisp and the mozzarella is completely melted and bubbly.
Slide the cooked pizza using long-handled grill tongs onto the rimless baking sheet, transfer to a clean cutting board, and scatter fresh oregano leaves and crushed red pepper flakes evenly over the top.
Use a pizza cutter to divide each pizza into four triangular wedges and serve hot.
Chef's Notes
- A dependable two-zone grill setup is essential for grilled pizza: direct high heat provides the rapid thermal shock needed for blistered crust char, while indirect convection heat melts the cheese under a closed lid without burning the bottom.
- Feta does not fully liquefy like mozzarella because of its high acid-to-calcium ratio; combining it with low-moisture mozzarella gives you the ideal combination of molten stretch and sharp, salty pockets.
- Do not use dry bench flour when stretching grilled pizza dough. Excess flour falls onto the hot grill grates, scorches immediately, and imparts a bitter flavor. Instead, stretch the dough on an olive oil coated baking sheet.
- Tossing the charred onions in balsamic vinegar while they are steaming hot draws the sweet acidity deep into the caramelized allium layers.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cool promptly and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking.
Freezer: 1 month — Wrap individual cooled slices tightly in parchment paper and aluminum foil.
Reheating: Reheat leftover slices on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 190°C (375°F) until the cheese bubbles and internal temperature reaches at least 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
Raw dough sags through or sticks firmly to the grill grates
Cause: The grill grates were insufficiently cleaned, cold, or not oiled before laying the dough down.
Fix: Let the dough cook untouched for another 30 seconds until a seared crust forms naturally, releasing itself from the metal before attempting to pry it with tongs.
Prevention: Ensure the grill is blazing hot, scrub the grates with a wire brush, and wipe grates with an oiled cloth right before adding dough.
The bottom crust scorches and turns black before the mozzarella melts
Cause: Pizza was left directly over high flame instead of being moved to the cooler indirect zone after flipping.
Fix: Immediately slide the pizza off direct heat to the indirect zone, shut the lid, and let residual ambient convection heat finish melting the cheese.
Prevention: Strictly establish a two-zone fire and move flipped dough over the unlit burner or cool side prior to topping.
Charred onion rings break apart and fall through the grates during grilling
Cause: Onions were sliced too thinly or root cores were trimmed away completely.
Fix: Gather any rescued onion segments on a perforated grill basket or foil sheet to finish charring.
Prevention: Slice onions into generous 1.5 cm slabs and leave root ends partially attached to anchor the rings.
Cultural Context
Grilled pizza was pioneered in 1980 by chefs Johanne Killeen and George Germon at Al Forno restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. By laying thin yeast dough directly across hardwood charcoal embers, they turned traditional Neapolitan pizza-making into an American backyard grill staple. This recipe marries that smoky Rhode Island technique with traditional Eastern Mediterranean flavors, pairing caramelized sweet red onions with sharp, briny sheep's milk feta.
