Rediscovering Grilled Pizza
America's favorite food has long been the pizza cooked in a traditional oven but
that is about to change. While most Americans have probably never indulged in a
grilled pizza, the origins of pizza are making a big comeback. There is no
denying that we love our traditional backyard barbeque but rarely, if ever has
the barbeque included grilling a pizza. Despite the seemingly odd combination of
grill and pizza, the grill is the ideal tool for cooking pizza and in fact is
deep in the origin of pizza making. The high, dry heat is ideal for a nice crisp
crust and the flavor provided from your grill will on a whole new world of
backyard grilling.
Greeks and Romans used wood-fired brick ovens to prepare the original version of
pizza and flatbread. In ancient times each diner was given a piece of flat bread
along with a piece of meat on the bread. This food was eaten with the fingers
with an occasional knife to cut the meat. Little did they know that this would
eventually spark the creation one of the America's favorite foods.
Grilled Pizza Techniques:
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 tablespoon soy oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 F)
1 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon soy flour
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Combine yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup very warm water in bowl, let sit for five
minutes. Combine flour and salt in bowl. Mix yeast mixture with bowl containing
dry ingredients. Add a little extra flour if dough is sticky. Knead for a good
10 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise for 60 minutes until it doubles
in size. Turn out onto a floured surface then knead lightly until smooth. Roll
out into a 1/4" thick, 12" diameter circle. The thinner you roll the dough, the
better.
Before placing your crust on the grill, be sure that your grill is both clean
and well oiled. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the grill. You
will need something large enough to transport your dough to the grill. A pizza
spatula is highly recommended for this task. Brush an even coat of extra virgin
olive oil on the side that will be facing down first. The oil will introduce
flavor and help to keep the dough from sticking to the grill as well as giving
the crust a nice crisp finish. Before placing your pizza on the grill, you may
want to remove the top rack of your grill to make it easier to flip your pizza.
Cook the first side from 1-3 minutes before flipping depending on the heat of
your grill.
During this time you will need to brush olive oil on the side that is facing up.
While cooking the first side, peek under the edge of the crust to monitor its
finish. Cook until you are satisfied with the finish and then flip your crust
over. After flipping, immediately apply any topping that you would like. It's
highly recommended that you keep the toppings very light, as they will not have
a chance to cook on the grill without burning the crust. You may consider
precooking certain ingredients such as meats and thick vegetables. Be sure to
lower the lid as soon as possible to trap the heat in and finish cooking the
toppings.
Cook the pizza for an additional 2-3 minutes or until you are satisfied with the
crust's finish.
You are now ready to experience one great grilled pizza with deep
tradition. Cut your pizza into triangle shaped slices or try cutting them into
1inch wide strips. This shape is great for a party snacks!