This Traeger pepperoni pan pizza made on a baking tray with olive oil results in a crispy browned crust and a light & airy middle without heating up the house! Drizzle with hot honey and fresh basil and you have the perfect summer pizza.
Since it’s summer time and our daily temps regularly go over 30°C (86°F), we hate cooking indoors! Even though we have air conditioning, it feels counter-intuitive to heat up the house from cooking while we are paying money to cool it. Sometimes you can’t avoid it, but whenever I can – I use our Traeger or pizza oven (occasionally our plug-in induction burner).
Why Use a Traeger/Pellet Grill?
- Subtle smoky flavour in everything!
- It’s basically an outdoor oven.
- Dry heat for those crispy crusts.
- No gas or propane needed!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Subtle smoky flavoured pizza from utilizing the Traeger/pellet grill. When the temperatures are higher than 350°F, the smoke flavour is diminished and only imparts a touch of flavour. Your pizza will not be smoky.
- Crispy, light, and airy. This pizza has a deliciously crisp browned crust and with no top heat – you don’t have to worry about your toppings burning before the crust is cooked through.
- No oven needed! Outdoor cooking is my favourite part of summer – plus it saves us a bunch on our electricity bill when we’re not cooling the house down with A/C after dumping heat into the house with the oven.
- Did I mention outdoor cooking? It’s the best.
Tips for Success:
- Be generous with the olive oil when coating the pan. This pizza should not stick AT ALL and will have a wonderfully crispy browned crust.
- When reshaping the dough before topping, lift the edges to make sure they’re not sticking and rub a bit of extra olive oil from around the pan (it tends to migrate) under that section.
- Use olive oil on your hands when shaping – it will keep it from sticking to you.
- Cheese down before the sauce is important to keep the dough light & airy and not soggy. This means you don’t need to par-bake the crust.
- Rotate multiple times – yes, this is why it takes so long to cook but since the heat in the Traeger doesn’t circulate like an oven does, it’s easier to burn spots. I rotated 180 degrees, then 90, 180, then another 90 and 180. Please see my extremely artistic diagram below.
Yes, I’m an artist.
If you have a MASSIVE traeger, you likely don’t have the same hot spots and won’t need to rotate as much – so reduce the time as necessary (~5 min).
How to Make Traeger Pan Pizza
Make the Pizza Dough
Step 1: In a large bowl, add 1 ½ cups warm water, 2 tsp active dry yeast, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 2 tsp liquid honey. Whisk to combine and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
Step 2: Once the yeast has activated/proofed, add in 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 ½ tsp salt.
Step 3: Stir with a spatula or fork until the dough comes together into a mass. Cover and set aside to rest.
Step 4: Once 30 minutes has elapsed, perform a few sets of stretch and folds or coil folds until a smooth dough ball remains. Place in a clean, oiled bowl and cover.
Step 5: Let the dough rise for 1 – 1 ½ hrs until double in size.
Shape the Dough for Pizza
Step 1: Set out a baking tray and coat generously with olive oil. Dump the dough onto the baking tray. Using oiled or wet hands, gently lift the edges of the dough and stretch towards the edges of the pan. Dimple the dough to flatten, and let it rest for another hour. During this time, start the pizza sauce.
Step 2: Once the dough has rested and risen a bit and appears puffy, use oiled or wet hands to once again coax the dough towards the edges.
Step 3: Lift gently and make sure there’s oil under each bit of the dough. Dimple again and make sure the dough fills the pan.
Make the Pizza Sauce
Step 1: Preheat a small saucepan or pot over medium-low. Once warm, add the olive oil and let it heat up before adding in the garlic. Cook gently, swirling occasionally until deeply fragrant and lightly golden. Do not burn.
Step 2: Add in the tomato paste and stir well with the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute until the paste darkens in colour.
Step 3: Stir in the crushed tomatotes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes until it’s thickened. *While this simmers – preheat the Traeger to 425°F*
Dress the Pizza
Step 1: Once the pizza dough completes its second rise and you have shaped it edge to edge, cover the entire surface in shredded mozzarella.
Step 2: Either in dollops or in diagonal strips, add the pizza sauce. Top with the spicy peppers, red onion, and any other toppings you desire before you add the pepperoni.
Step 3: Ready to bake!
Bake the Pizza
Step 1: Add the pizza tray with your prepared pizza to the preheated Traeger at 425°F. Close the lid and bake, undisturbed, for 7-8 minutes. Rotate the pizza 180° and bake for another 7-8 minutes.
Step 2: After 15 minutes total bake time, rotate the pizza 90° and bake another 5 minutes, then rotate 180° again and bake another 5 minutes. Always close the lid promptly after rotating.
Step 3: Finally, rotate the pizza back to its original position for the last 5 minutes. The dough should be baked at this time, but I prefer to let the cheese brown just a bit more (another 5 minutes). You may take it off at any time.
TIP: For the last 5 minutes – check the crust of your pizza to make sure it’s not getting too dark and burning. Depending on your grill, the last 5 minutes could make the difference between a dark brown crust and a burnt one.
Looking for more Summer Recipes?
- Try my Kale Caesar Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs as a side dish or Broccoli Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- For more summer Traeger goodness, try The Best Traeger Mac and Cheese, Maple Dijon Soy Chicken Thighs, or Saffron Chicken Skewers with Herb Yogurt Sauce.
Traeger Pepperoni Pan Pizza
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Activate the Yeast: In a large bowl, add the warm water, active dry yeast, olive oil, and honey. Whisk to combine and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. If using instant yeast, you may skip this step.
- Make the Dough: Once the yeast has activated/proofed, add in the flour and salt. Stir with a spatula or fork until the dough comes together into a mass. Cover and set aside to rest. Once 30 minutes has elapsed, perform a few sets of stretch and folds or coil folds until a smooth dough ball remains. Place in a clean, oiled bowl and cover. Let it rise for 1 – 1 ½ hrs.
- Bulk Rise: Place the dough in a clean bowl coated with olive oil. Cover, and set aside for 1 hour at room temperature to rise and double in size.
- Second Rise: Set out a baking tray and coat generously with olive oil. Dump the dough onto the baking tray. Using oiled or wet hands, gently lift the edges of the dough and stretch towards the edges of the pan. Dimple the dough to flatten, and let it rest for another hour. During this time, start the pizza sauce.
- Ready to Add Toppings: Once the dough has rested and risen a bit and appears puffy, use oiled or wet hands to once again coax the dough towards the edges. Lift gently and make sure there's oil under each bit of the dough. Dimple again and make sure the dough fills the pan.
- Preheat a small saucepan or pot over medium-low. Once warm, add the olive oil and let it heat up before adding in the garlic. Cook gently, swirling occasionally until deeply fragrant and lightly golden. Do not burn.
- Add in the tomato paste and stir well with the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute until the paste darkens in colour.
- Stir in the crushed tomatotes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes until it's thickened. *While this simmers – preheat the Traeger to 425°F*
- Once the pizza dough completes its second rise and you have shaped it edge to edge, cover the entire surface in shredded mozzarella.
- Either in dollops or in diagonal strips, add the pizza sauce. Top with the spicy peppers, red onion, and any other toppings you desire before you add the pepperoni.
- Add the pizza tray with your prepared pizza to the Traeger. Close the lid and bake, undisturbed, for 7-8 minutes. Rotate the pizza 180° and bake for another 7-8 minutes.
- After 15 minutes total bake time, rotate the pizza 90° and bake another 5 minutes, then rotate 180° and bake another 5 minutes. Always close the lid promptly after rotating.
- Finally, rotate the pizza back to its original position for the last 5 minutes. The dough should be baked at this time, but I prefer to let the cheese brown just a bit more (another 5 minutes). You may take it off at any time.
- Remove from the grill and drizzle with hot honey. Let it cool 5 minutes before adding shredded/torn basil and then slice and serve. Enjoy!
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