Grilled Pizza

This, by far, is one of the best party tricks I know of. A grilled pizza takes about 4 minutes to cook and you can even ask guests to bring their own toppings (thanks Kel). Fresh mozzerella is much lower in fat and sodium than the aged variety and makes eating pizza a good choice for any night of the week.

One of my favorite things about this trick is that even with all of the cookbooks I read and cooking shows I watch, I learned this from a tattoo artist in New Jersey.~

INGREDIENTS:

Bread flour*, appox 1.5 lbs (I prefer King Arthur's)

2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast (not rapid or active dry)
1 1/2 tsp. flaked kosher salt
2 C. Water
1 TBSP Olive Oil

(*You may also substitue 1/2 the flour for whole wheat with great results--the bread flour, as opposed to AP flour, is essential for the right amount of protien in the dough.)


STEP 1: Make a Biga Yeast Starter

1 - Combine 2 tsp instant (not active dry) Yeast with about two cups warm (not hot) water in mixer bowl (to be used later for kneading--hand kneading is also OK). I mix my biga by hand to break up all clumps.

2 - Add in about 1 cup bread flour. It should have a thick wallpaper paste consistency.

3 - Allow to sit out in warm, non-drafty area for at least 45 minutes or as much as 5 hours.


STEP 2: Make the Dough

1 - Mix salt into bread flour and slowly add flour mixture into the mixing bowl. The dough should remain somewhat sticky and not too dense.

2 - Knead for 5-8 minutes in a mixer fitted with bread hook. If you don't have a mixer, knead on counter (adding flour as needed) for 10-15 minutes. This is a great time to employ the labor of children (or your neighbor's children).

3 - Dough is finished kneading when you can pull off a small piece and work into a baker's window pane (a translucent peice that is smooth and lets light in).

4 - Cut dough into two pieces (four for smaller, more manageable pieces) and shape into neat balls.

5 - Option 1: Place each ball in an olive oil coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise on counter for 2 1/2 hours. Option 2: Or, place each ball in oil coated bags and place in refrigerator overnight or for up to six days (the dough gets better with time). Option 3: Or you can place ball in oil coated bag and freeze immediately. Pull out of freezer 24 hours before you wish to use. Allow to rise on counter or pack into cooler--great for camping!


STEP 3: Make the Pizza
1 - If dough has been chilled, allow to come to room temperature on counter.

2 - Heat grill. If you are using gas, heat to highest temperature. For wood or charcoal, make hot fire (you will need to move heat source off to the side just before cooking to avoid burnt crust).

3 - Using hands, gently shape dough into rounds--you shouldn't have to use rolling pin but be careful because overworking will make dough tough.

4 - Place dough on pizza peel (if you don't have one, a large cutting board will work OK, but peels are really inexpensive at most commercial kitchen stores. It's that big paddle thing you see in pizza shops.

5 - Get toppings ready. They will go on pizza AFTER it is on the grill. Personally, I use crushed roma tomatoes strait out of can (or whole San Marzano tomatos run through food mill for really amazing pizza) and a mixture of fresh mozzerella, shredded mexican cheese blend, fresh basil, garlic and whatever else I want to throw on top.

6 - Slide pizza dough onto grill. Close lid to cook side A. Cook for about two minutes, open up grill, and slide peel between pizza and grill. You may need to play with the oven/ grill temperature because they are all different. The most important part is letting the the grills get really hot before cooking the pizzas.

7 - Working quickly, flip over, toss toppings on, and close lid. Cook for an additional 2-4 minutes, until bottom is crisp and slightly charred (but not burnt) and toppings are bubbly.

8 - Using peel, remove pizza from grill. Let cool at least a minute before cutting.