| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 18 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr 40 min |
| Cook: | 8 min |
| Yield: | 1 (10-inch) pizza |
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Pizza Dough, recipe follows
- 1/4 cup virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup loosely packed shredded fontina
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano
- 6 tablespoons chopped canned tomatoes, in heavy puree
- 8 basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 6 cups high-gluten flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare a hot charcoal fire, setting the grill rack 3 to 4 inches above the coals.
- On a large, oiled, inverted baking sheet, spread and flatten the pizza dough with your hands into a 10 to 12-inch free-form circle, 1/8-inch thick. Do not make a lip. You may end up with a rectangle rather than a circle; the shape is unimportant, but do take care to maintain an even thickness.
- When the fire is hot (when you can hold your hand over the coals for 3 to 4 seconds at a distance of 5 inches), use your fingertips to lift the dough gently by the 2 corners closest to you, and drape in onto the grill. Catch the loose edge on the grill first and slide the remaining dough into place over the fire. Within a minute the dough will puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks will appear.
- Using tongs, immediately flip the crust over, onto the coolest part of the grill. Quickly brush the grilled surface with olive oil. Scatter the garlic and cheeses over the dough, and spoon dollops of tomato over the cheese. Do not cover the entire surface of the pizza with tomatoes. Finally, drizzle the pizza with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Slide the pizza back toward the hot coals, but not directly over them. Using tongs, rotate the pizza frequently so that different sections receive high heat; check the underside often to see that it is not burning. The pizza is done when the top is bubbly and the cheese melted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Serve at once, topped with the basil leaves and additional olive oil, if desired.
- Sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup warm (105 to 110 degrees F) water and allow it to dissolve and activate, about 5 minutes.
- Combine the flour and salt and mound it onto a cool work surface creating a high walled well in the center. Combine the yeast mixture with 1 1/2 cups of cool water and pour into the well. Slowly begin to mix the water and flour, a little at a time, moving your fingers in short, counter clockwise circles around the border of the water. When the dough is firm enough to hold it’s shape, scrape the remaining flour over it and knead until the mass is smooth and shiny, approximately 7 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been brushed with olive oil. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil to prevent a skin from forming, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place away from drafts until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead once more. Let the dough rise again for about 40 minutes, punch down again and form dough into 4 balls.
Reviews
This was so delicious! I recommend making the dough thinner than 10 inch though. I also tried this with pepperoni, but my BF liked the margarita better. Oh, I also add salt, pepper, oregano, and balsamic vinegar (reduced).
Delicious! I made 3 versions of the basic recipe by varying the cheeses used and I used my oven with a pizza stone instead of the grill. I operated the oven at 450 degF and it took longer by a few minutes than the recipe stated as a result.
My favorite of the 3 variations was the one that used the fontina and pecorino romano cheeses as specified in the base recipe. The flavorful fontina and sharpness of the pecorino romano cheeses played nicely off each other. My second favorite involved substitution of fontina with fresh mozzarella that I shredded. The higher moisture content wet the crust more than I like, but the flavor was also very good. My least favorite was substituting fontina with off-the-shelf pre-shredded mozzarella and eliminating the pecorino romano. The tomato and garlic stood out too prominently in this last version. The sharpness of the pecorino romano is definitely needed with the mild flavors of mozzarella. I’ll be sticking to the base recipe next time.
I just made this pizza tonight. The dough is delicious. This is the first time that I have made grilled pizzas, and I am a convert. Definitely get all of your ingredients together near the grill, because the pizza cooks very quickly and you need to move fast.
This is the best pizza dough I’ve ever had. I didn’t grill this dough, but had my family make individual pizzas that we baked in the oven. Use a large bowl to mix the dough. I tried to mix it on a large board and had a major leak that streamed down the cupboards and down to the floor!
I had this pizza at Al Forno in Providence and thought it was great. With the help of the cookbook by the Al Forno chefs I made the pizza. It takes a little practice, but the result is the most interesting pizza…the crust is just a good, if not better, then the toppings in melted cheese.
I just wanted to try and make a pizza on the grill. My dough wasn’t that good. Otherwise, fun.
I made this last night to my husband’s challenge to make a pizza on the grill. I was very intimidated throwing raw dough on the grill thinking it would burn or fall into the coals, but it was wonderful!!! The crust was thin and crispy, make sure you keep an eye on them closely so they don’t burn. I also added some bricks on the “cool” side of the grill to radiate some more heat. The trick is to make sure your dough is well oiled on both sides and have all your toppings ready. I used my own sauce and the dough was great and made about 8 nice size individual thin pizzas. I will definitely do this again – it was a big hit. Try it, it was fun!!!
i love the recipe i think people should try the pizza one it is really great