If you've never tried to make pizza on the Blackstone you are missing out on one of the wonders of the world! Here are some tips to enhance the flavor and satisfy your pizza craving!
1. Choosing your dough
You can either use fresh pizza dough or flatbread. If you use fresh dough, make sure you take a fork and poke holes in the top and bottom after your roll it out to keep it from bubbling when you cook it. You’ll also need to put oil down on the griddle first (don't use oil when using flatbread). In both cases, don’t preheat the griddle – you’ll want to put the dough down first then turn the griddle on medium-low. Beware! The pizza can burn if you're not careful!
If you want to make your own dough you can try one of these Blackstone recipes:
- New York Style Pizza Dough Cold Rise
- New York Style Pizza Dough Fast Rise
2. Hand-made tomato sauce
If you want easy - go out and buy some pizza sauce from the store, but if you want something special we recommend you make it by hand. Here’s how: get a high-quality can of crushed tomatoes (like San Marzano Tomatoes). Then using your hands, crush tomatoes slightly. Mix in oil, torn basil, oregano, garlic, and salt to taste (see recipe below for instructions). You're now ready to go!
3. Cheese on first
After the bread has had a chance to cook a little – put the cheese on first. This will keep the sauce from making the bread soggy later on while giving you the same great flavor!
4. Cook the pepperoni
Because pizza on the Blackstone cooks fast, it doesn't give the pizza enough time to heat the pepperoni if you just place it on top. Solution? Cook the pepperoni on the Blackstone first and then it on after you spread the sauce over the cheese.
5. Warming Rack/Split Heating
If you find that the dough is cooking too fast – try placing it on a warming rack or a pizza stone. You can also turn on half your griddle and place the pizza in the center so only half of it is being cooked by direct heat. Just make sure you remember to rotate it often!
6. Using a dome
If you have a basting dome large enough you can place it over the pizza to help melt the cheese and cook the bread a little faster. You can also add some water around it to create some steam, but be careful – too much will make the bread soggy.
