The average American eats 40 pizzas a year! That’s three billion pizzas a year. To do our part, campers may need to get a handle on making campground pizza. I love pizza so much that I spent one whole summer cooking pizza at the campground every weekend in order to figure out how to get the best crispy and doughy crust, brown and bubbly cheese and the perfect topping combinations.
Methods
Campfire, charcoal or portable pizza ovens are all options for campground pizzas. My preferred method is to use charcoal as my heat source. With charcoal, I can control the heat and not burn through loads of wood. If you opt for an open fire, you need to start early and get a good coal bed going. You want to cook the pizza on hot coals, not an open flame, so you will go through some wood before you get the floor of your fire pit stacked with smoldering embers. If using a propane-powered pizza oven, the pizza will cook on the stone surface heated to a temperature of 900 degrees. The advantage is that the pizza oven is ready to go in 15 minutes and the pies cook quickly, so feeding a crowd is easy.
Cast Iron Forever
Cast iron is the only way to go for crispy crusts and melted cheese. I use a well-seasoned frying pan with an equally well-seasoned cast iron pizza pan. Cook the pizza in the frying pan and use the pizza skillet to cover the pan after the cheese has been added. I place hot coals on top of the cover to send heat to the top of the pie, melting and browning the cheese.
Crust
When it comes to the crust, you can go simple with store bought, make your own or get some pre-made from your local pizzeria. My favorite pizzeria makes a sourdough crust that is unbeatable. They charge me three dollars per ball which yields two or three campground pizzas. I buy three at a time and freeze them in zip lock bags so I can grab one anytime.
Prime Ingredients
San Marzano tomatoes are what the most-loved pizza parlors use for their best pies. I buy whole organic San Marzano tomatoes and dump them in a bowl, squeezing each one through my hand to break it down. I add fresh chopped garlic, oregano, salt and a little olive oil. You can take that straight to the dough or cook and cool it before using it, which makes the flavors all meld together ahead of time. For cheese, fresh is best when it comes to meltability. Mozzarella, ricotta, cheddar or a mix of your favorites. Finally, classic pizza herbs are oregano, basil and garlic, but you can add whatever you like on your custom pies.
Instructions
Start by lighting your charcol in a chimney and watch for them to begin to turn white.

Add the coals to a metal feeding pan that is at least 3.5 gallons and place the cast iron pan on top of the single layer of coals to heat up.

Set the hot pan aside and create a hole in the center of the coals and add a small half brick to place the fry pan on. Push the remaining coals to the center around the brick.

Place the hot pan back on top and lay in your preformed crust. Leave alone for a few minutes and then turn the crust over before adding your pizza toppings.

Place the round cast iron pizza pan – also preheated – on top of the fry pan and add a layer of hot charcoal to the top.

When the cheese is brown and bubbly, remove it to a cutting board and let it rest a minute before cutting and serving. Bon Appétit!

Tips
- Campground pizza starts with room temperature dough. If the dough is too cold, it won’t stretch and form a good circle.
- Add a small amount of olive oil to your cast iron pan before putting your crust in it.
- Less is more with campground pizza. Go light on the toppings and cheese so it cooks quickly and evenly.
- Get a big spatula for flipping the crust and removing the pie when it is done.
- Make sure you preheat the pan directly on the coals for at least 10 minutes to get a pan surface temperature of at least 500 degrees.
Inspired Pizza Flavor Combos
- Classic margherita with red sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil.
- Artichokes, Kalamata olives and goat cheese with a red sauce.
- Figs and caramelized onions. Top with arugula once cooked.
- Meat lovers pie with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and ham.
- White pizza: Use seasoned ricotta as the sauce and add spinach, garlic and drizzle of olive oil.
- Seafood pizza: Add pre cooked mussels, clams and shrimp to your favorite sauce and cheese.
- Four cheese pizza: Mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and blue cheese.
This article by Janine Pettit was originally published in Girl Camper Magazine.

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