Restaurant quality pizza in your backyard? Why yes. Here's how to impress the neighbors and make some of the tastiest pizza you've ever eaten.

At first blush pizza seems like an unlikely candidate for the backyard grill. The dough alone is enough to scare of some of the heartiest grillmasters. But if you're a fan of those plate-sized wood-fired pizzas with the cracker like crusts, short of building yourself a backyard oven, this is about as good as it gets.

I had my first wood-fired pizza back in 1996 when Punch Pizza opened in St. Paul, MN. It was all part of the culinary awakening I went through when I moved from Duluth to the Twin Cities in 1992. These small, individual pizzas, with their sparse toppings, but huge flavors changed the way I thought about pizza. This technique cannot fully replicate the taste, texture and deliciousness of Punch's creations, which take only an astounding 90 seconds to cook, but with the right ingredients and some practice you will be able to make some of the best pizza you've ever eaten at home.

A Bit of History
The Neapolitan style pizza and, more specifically, the corruption of it around the world, actually forced the Italians to create an official standard for the pizza. Italian National Law actually dictates the ingredients, size and origins of the ingredients to be considered authentic. To wit:

Under them, the pizza must be round, no more than 35 centimeters (13.8 inches) in diameter. The crust cannot be too high. The dough must be kneaded by hand. Only certain flour, salt and yeast can be used. Extra virgin olive oil is a must, as are tomatoes from the Mount Vesuvius region and bufala mozzarella. For cooking the classic pizza Margherita, only mozzarella from the southern Apennine Mountains is allowed.

The recipes and ingredients described below are not to this standard and the grilling technique includes a few tweaks compensate the difference between cooking in a 1000 degree wood fired oven, versus your backyard grill. Like anything once you master the technique, the options are virtually endless. In no time you'll be experimenting with toppings, grilling flat bread appetizers and if you are anything like me, perhaps striving to replicate the best pizza you've ever eaten (see much farther below in this article). It should also be noted, because this is a recurring theme, that you can do these pizzas on a stove top using a grill pan, and then finish them by melting the cheese in a 400 degree oven.

The Important Stuff
The successful execution of this recipe relies on several factors but drier and more potent ingredients produce the best tasting and crispiest crust. Fontina and parmesean cheese will prevent the pizza from being an oozing mess. The tomatoes will be salted and drained and brushing the crust with a very tasty spicy garlic oil is going to put the whole creation over the top.

Cooking pizza on the grill is largely an exercise in timing and coordination. While not quite 90 seconds, the pizzas do cook fast so it's very important to be organized and to stage the ingredients and tools. If you plan on trying this for guests, I strongly suggest you do a trial run to work out the kinks.

Here's a summary of the tools you'll need close at hand:
1. A pizza peel or rimless baking sheet
2. A pair of tongs for handling the crust
3. A sharp pairing knife (for popping dough bubbles)
4. A large cutting board, preferably wooden
5. A pastry brush
6. Pizza Cutter
7. Parchment paper

Ingredients
1. All the ingredients should be close by and in small dishes.

The Fire
1. Medium hot fire with coals arranged across 3/4 of the lower grate. You need to have a cool zone in case the fire is too hot and to avoid burning the crusts.
2. Also, make sure your grates are very clean - you should also oil the grates up before placing the crusts on the grates by using a tongs and a rag or paper towel soaked in olive oil.

A Word About Dough
As someone who tries to routinely bake bread every week, the dough has always been no big deal to me. But I also work from home, like to stay up late and we also only have one child so I can generally find a few minutes to mix up a batch. If you find you don't have the time or patience, there are options, and I won't even tell the neighbors if you want to cheat. I have a very good friend in LA who is a much more skilled grill cook than me, and he's brokered a deal with the neighborhood pizza place. He strolls in after work and buys a couple of crusts (Around $3.00), goes home, opens a beer and starts the process. He'll also use the fresh dough from Trader Joe's --which I have tried. It's a very capable stand by. I think my own dough tastes better, but as long as the dough is fresh, the difference might be small enough to you to skip making your own dough.

The Process
Because timing is so critical when making the dough and assembling the ingredients, I very rarely start my fire until after I am completely dialed in. If you are cooking on a gas grill, you might have a bit more flexibility in this regard. After I make the dough, I usually go to work on the tomatoes, coring them, seeding them and setting them aside in a colander mixed with 3/4 tsp. of salt. This is going to pull all the excess moisture from the tomatoes. This will take about 1/2 hour.

While this is happening, I make the Spicy Garlic Oil - which can be made ahead of time and is so delicious, you may actually want to make some for other dishes. Using 4 or more medium to large cloves of garlic, either mince it fine for use a garlic press. Combine the garlic and 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes and 1/3 cup of olive oil in a small saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic starts to sizzle. Transfer to a small bowl. Once this is done, chop or tear the basil and mix the cheese into a small bowl.

Working with the Dough
Once the dough has doubled in size, deflate and cut it with a sharp knife into to four equal-sized balls. Place on a well-floured surface, flatten with your palm and cover loosely with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

After that resting time, gently stretch dough rounds into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Working one piece at a time while the rest of the dough is covered, roll out each disk to 1/8-inch thickness, 9 to 10 inches in diameter, on well-floured sheet of parchment paper, dusting with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. If the dough is not friendly enough (not relaxed and keeps shrinking when you try to roll it) cover and set aside for another 15 minutes. Patience is the key. Try not to stretch the dough too thin or the really thin spots will burn. Stack the finished crusts on parchment paper on top of each other and place on your peel or large, rimless baking sheet. Set aside until the grill is ready. The grill is ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 4 seconds.

My Controversial Technique
The standard operating procedure once the fire is ready is to invert the dough round onto a floured peel and slide onto the grill, all the while trying to keep the round from turning into a sloppy mess. I don't own a peel and more than once, I've mangled the dough trying to get it on or off the rimless baking sheet. I have found that parchment can withstand heat up to about 500 degrees before it goes up in flames and that simply placing the entire parchment onto the grate with the dough allows the dough to stiffen just a bit to slide off with your tongs. This only takes about 10-15 seconds. I cook two crusts at a time 1-2 minutes each, The tops of the crusts will start to bubble. Pierce those bubbles with a knife. Your objective is to get the bottoms charred slightly in spots, with grill marks. Check the undersides by grabbing the crust with your tongs and if they are cooking too fast remove to your cool zone on the grill. Transfer to cutting board, browned sides up and repeat with the last two crusts.

The Finishing Touches
Once the crusts are on the cutting board, brush the tops generously with the spicy oil, then divide the tomatoes and cheese among the four rounds and return to the grill for 2-4 minutes. Check the bottoms frequently to make sure they don't burn. Trasfer pizza back to the cutting board, sprinkle with the chopped basic and sprinkle with course salt. Cut and serve. This plus a salad makes a nice dinner, or it can also be served as an appetizer for a slightly larger crowd.

Basic Pizza Dough
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 cups (about 14 ounces) all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 to 1 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

Combine the yeast, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt in the container of a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. (In the unlikely event that the mixture is too sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time.) Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free area until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. You can cut this rising time short if you are in a hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up to 6 or 8 hours. Proceed with the pizza recipe below, or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. Defrost in a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

To make this dough by hand: Combine half the flour with the salt and yeast and stir to blend. Add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons olive oil; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour a bit at a time; when the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, begin kneading, adding as little flour as possible[md]just enough to keep the dough from being a sticky mess. Knead until smooth but still quite moist, about 10 minutes. Proceed as above.

Topping
1 1/2 pounds medium plum tomatoes (5 to 6), cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3/4 teaspoon table salt
6 ounces fontina cheese , shredded (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese , finely grated (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Coarse salt

Spicy Garlic Oil
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (4 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Cook all ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to sizzle, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.

Bonus Content
Lately I have become semi- obsessed with a pizza which features arrugula and prosciutto and sometimes tomatoes. This variation comes via my California friend Mark and it quite tasty. His version omits the spicy oil and greatly simplifies the process.

Step one- after cooking side one of the dough, brush extra virgin olive oil on the uncooked side before flipping Flip to side two and when on the grill load on the ingredients. Add the arugula and tomatoes (he cuts the tomatoes in slices and put on a paper towel to drain off excess moisture) Lay down the arugula and make sure it is spread to all areas. Then add your cheeses; Fontina and Paragon Regiano. Not too much and save some for the end Add the tomatoes, then grind some sea salt and pepper, then add prosciutto right at the end before removing.

Here's a slideshow with some images, including a version I did in the oven this winter.