Pizza Conquered! (Sort of)

I'm not sure grilled pizza counts towards true pizza success.  It is more pizza-like flat bread.  But this has at least kept me from giving up on the en devour all together.  (If it had failed, you would be reading a post title "Wife Announces She's Retiring from Pizza.")  So I'll take that as a success.  And it was so so easy to grill.  The first time I felt the effort of making pizza dough actually paid off.  I don't recommend topping grilled pizza with large fresh tomatoes as we did here, however.  As it sat, the dough got soggy from the tomato seeds.  And next time I will be using a shredded cheese.  But a definite start to good eats to come!

I also love the side dish we made to complete this summer meal.  Just cut a cantaloupe in half and slice into wedges.  Wrap each wedge with prosciutto (about 1/2 a slice).  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with mint.


How to Make Grilled Pizza:

Makes: 2 14-16" pizzas, serves 4

For dough:
2 T. sugar
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. olive oil
3/4 c. warm water
2 c. bread flour
1 t. instant yeast
2 t. olive oil
more oil and flour for dusting and brushing

1.  Place sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 c. flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour in bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment.  Starting on low, mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball.  Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray.  Attach the hook and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

2.  Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc.  Stretch the dough thin.  Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed.  If the dough tears before it forms, knead for an additional 5-10 minutes. 

3.  Roll the dough into a smooth ball on countertop.  Place in stainless steel or glass bowl.  Add 2 t. of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

4.  Preheat grill to high and make sure the grill grates are clean and clear of all debris.

5.  Split the dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or dough scraper.  Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball. 

6.  Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface.  Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens.  Cover dough with tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.

7.  Generously flour pizza peel and place dough onto peel.  Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza.  Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch.  Shake the peel to make sure it will slide off.  Set dough on plate or cutting board and repeat with second dough ball.

8.  Oil the grill grates and reduce heat  to medium.  Brush the dough with olive oil and flip onto hot grill.  Close the lid and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown.  Brush the top side with oil.  Then, slide the peel under the dough and flip dough over.  Top as desired, working as quickly as possible.  Close lid and cook until bottom of crust is golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.  Using peel, remove pizza to cooling board and rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown, "Pizza Pizza Pizza" and "Flat is Beautiful V" from Good Eats.