Grilled Pizza
Source: Lidia Bastianich lidiasitaly.com/recipes/grilled-pizza/
For the Sauce:
1-1/2 cups drained canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand or through a food mill
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian on the branch
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
For the topping
Kosher salt
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Freshly grated Grana Padano
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
About an hour before you are ready to make the pizza, stir together the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl, and let the flavors blend at room temperature. Preheat one side of your grill to high (if your grill has a thermometer, have it between 500 and 600 degrees) and the other side to the lowest heat possible.
Punch the dough down, divide it into four pieces, and let it rest on the counter and come to room temperature. Stretch the dough into four rounds (or
ovals) of about 8 inches in diameter. Brush two sheet pans with olive oil, and lay the rounds on the pans, flipping once so they are lightly oiled on both sides.
Fish the garlic from the sauce, and discard.
Depending on the size of your grill, you can make two or four pizzas at a time. Season the rounds lightly with salt.
Slide the dough rounds from the sheet pans onto the hot side of the grill; it will stretch a little more as you transfer it, and that’s okay. Cook
until the top blisters and bubbles and the bottom is cooked and charred in places, about 1 to 2 minutes, moving the dough occasionally if it seems to be cooking unevenly. Flip over to the cooler side of the grill with the bubbly side down. (A combination of tongs and a wide metal spatula are the best tools for this job.)
Quickly cover the pizza with sauce, then a thin layer of mozzarella. Add a few torn basil leaves, a dusting of grated Grana Padano, and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the grill until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute. Lift the grill cover slightly to check on it, and lower the temperature if the dough is getting too charred.
Open the grill, slide the pizza to the hot side, and cook until the underside is nicely charred, about 30 seconds to a minute more, moving the pizza around the grill as necessary to avoid burning. Using tongs, slide the pizza onto a cutting board, and serve.
Note: The dough for grilled pizza needs to be a little sturdier to transfer to the grill, so this recipe uses less water.
Pizza Dough for grilled pizza
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl
1 cup warm water
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
In a spouted measuring cup, mix the yeast, sugar, and olive oil into 1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees, or just warm to the touch), and let sit until bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Put 3 cups flour in a mixer fitted with the dough hook, and add the salt. Pour in the yeast mixture, and mix at medium speed until a rough, sticky ball of dough comes together, about 1 minute, adding a little more flour or water as necessary.
Let rest 5 minutes in the mixer, then mix on low until the dough is no longer sticky, about 1 minute.
Oil your hands, transfer the dough to the counter, and knead until very smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to an oiled bowl, and cover the surface of the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Slowly leavened dough is tastier. Before making the pizza bring the dough to room temperature.