One of the best ways to celebrate the fall garden harvest is pizza from scratch.  Fresh toppings, fresh sauce, and fresh dough all make for a pizza that blows any delivery place’s pies out the water.

We’ve found the key ingredient to the best pizza – the bbq.  With the help of a pizza stone, a small electric fan, and plenty of hardwood charcoal, the hot hot temperatures needed for a wonderfully crispy, slightly smoky crust can be achieved.  Cooking outdoors certainly adds to the excitement of it.

Pizza Dough:

Yields 3 single serving pizzas
Make the dough the night before and store in the fridge.  The extra time offers the yeast a chance to further ferment and the flour to autolyse which develops more complex flavor and texture.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups cool water

Process

1. Mix into a smooth dough
2. Allow to rise for 45 minutes
3. Refrigerate for 4-36 hours (this when the subtle flavors are developed)
4. Remove from fridge and allow to rise for 30 minutes
5. Divide into thirds and roll each piece as thin as possible without making holes
6. Add a thin layer of sauce and toppings and bake at 500F for about 8 minutes

Sauce

Don’t buy jarred sauce.  Really, don’t.  It is horrible stuff.  Corn syrup does not belong in tomato sauce.  Besides, it is extremely easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion
• 3 lbs fresh tomatoes
• salt
• Do NOT add dried herbs.  They just ruin it.

Process

1. Finely dice the onion and saute in a pot until soft
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes and throw in the pot with the salt once the onion is soft and beginning to brown
3. Cook on medium for 10 minutes occasionally stirring the tomatoes
4. Turn off the heat and use a stick blender or food processor to liquefy the tomatoes