July 9, 2015 – Grilling Pizzas & Flatbreads

“Freshly Grilled Pizza & Flatbreads”

INTRO TEXT   

It’s the middle of grilling season, you’ve mastered the burger and steak, and perhaps some slow-smoked ribs. Now it’s time to expand your outdoor cooking skills with grill-baking techniques that produce the best pizzas and flatbreads!

IN THIS ISSUE, we’re taking advantage of the outdoor grill’s hotter temperatures and making a delicious flatbread, Basic Grilled Rosemary Focaccia with Kalamata Olive Paste, and two grilled pizzas, Mozzarella and Chive-Basil Pesto Pizza, and Spinach Artichoke Pizza with Wood Smoke. Your patio just became the best pizzeria in the neighborhood!

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“Molto Buono”

MAIN BODY:

Mastering Grill-Baking
Summer usually means that the kitchen’s oven becomes dormant in an effort to keep the house cool. But, that doesn’t mean baked foods, like bread and pizza are off limits. You may know your grill as a stovetop replacement, but it’s also a great oven! In particular, the grill is ideal for baking flatbread and the high temperatures mimic the wood-fired ovens of your favorite pizzeria.

How-to Grill-Bake:
1. Prepare the grill’s heat according to the recipe. Generally, the grill’s temperature will be in the 350-400° range for thicker flatbreads like the focaccia below. For pizza crusts, naan, or thin breads, a hot grill, 500 – 600°F is grill is desirable.

2. With prepared dough rolled and ready, place on the grill and close the lid. Leave the lid closed to minimize heat loss and to maintain temperature consistency in the early stages of baking.

3. Check progress and flip the bread once grill marks have formed and the top has become bubbly.

4. Add any toppings and finish baking with the lid closed. Ideally, the bottom crust and toppings bake and begin browning at the same time. Avoid overloading pizza crusts with too many toppings so that the bottom crust becomes overdone before the top warms and cheese melts.

Tip #1: Use a high-temperature tolerant ceramic baking stone to distribute heat evenly and to hold heat efficiently. This assists in quick temperature recovery after lifting the lid for checking and turning.

Tip #2: Place a couple of bricks on the grill as a platform for grill-baking. The bricks elevate the baking surface from the heat source and assist in holding heat and moderating temperature loss.

Tip #3: Use a broad surfaced pizza peel to manage flatbreads on the grill or to wrangle baking pans from the grill. Keep grill mitts and grill tongs handy for maneuvering the transfers. 
Basic Grilled Rosemary Focaccia with Kalamata Olive Paste  This may be the best focaccia we’ve ever made! We’ll go one step further – it’s the best foccacia we’ve ever had. So often, it’s a dried out, tasteless, floury crust that’s served to noone’s delight. Instead, this offering was light in texture, moist, and slightly chewy. The sprinkling of rosemary on the top was just the right herbal accent without being dominating. The random crunch of sea salt on the crust was the perfect accent. A light smear of the olive paste lent a nice briny, lemony flavor to each bite. This was too easy and too good not to repeat again and again this season!

Reprinted with permission from Patio Pizzeria, Artisan Pizza & Flatbreads by Karen Adler & Judith Fertig. Copyright 2014. Published by Running Press, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved.

The Dough – This recipe features a base dough that our featured authors call “Stir-Together Dough.” Aptly named, the dough is a yeast dough that is simply stirred together in a bowl. The dough rests in the same bowl, leaving only a stirring spoon and measuring spoons to wash. It’s a simple dough of flour, water, salt, and instant yeast. A little honey gives the yeast some ready food, and the olive oil adds a little richness. The dough is ready to bake in an hour, or within 3 days. It’s a great base dough that’s the start to many delicious baked bread variations.

Mozzarella and Chive-Basil Pesto Pizza  Pesto, one of the best summer pleasures, is meant to be enjoyed often and in many different ways, including freshly grilled pizza. As we saw the purple blossoms on our chive plants burst open, we knew we were destined to make this pesto variation featuring equal parts chives and basil. And, instead of the traditional choice of pine nuts, walnuts are featured. It’s a delcious pesto that’s perfect on grilled pizza dough. The strong pesto flavors complement the mild fresh mozzarella cheese nicely. You’ll enjoy the sharing this pizza as an appetizer with friends, or as an easy weeknight meal with family.

Reprinted with permission from Patio Pizzeria, Artisan Pizza & Flatbreads by Karen Adler & Judith Fertig. Copyright 2014. Published by Running Press, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved.

The Dough – this Classic Pizza Dough is the perfect dough for a beginner. The ingredients are simple and the process straightforward. Stir the dough by hand and knead it together to a firm, yet resilient, dough ball. It may be used after the first rise, about 1 hour, or refrigerated for up to 3 days. 

For Mastering Grill-Baking:

PIZZA STONE
A good stone gathers heat and disburses it evenly on the grill or in the oven. It’s a great surface for grilling flatbreads.

EMILE HENRY PIZZA STONE
A beautiful, high-temperature tolerant stone that is both functional on the grill and/or a beautiful table presentation.

PIZZA PEEL
Stretch and form pizza dough directly on the peel, then use the peel to transfer the dough onto the grill or into the oven.

BENCH SCRAPER
Here’s a doughmaker’s secret: a good bench scraper. It cuts dough into portions, and cleans the counter quickly.

SILICONE BRISTLED GRILL BRUSH
Brush olive oil on the grates or onto pizza crust with a long-handled brush featuring heat-tolerant silicone bristles.

CUISINART FOOD PROCESSOR
We couldn’t cook without our food processor! It’s the key to making good pesto, and may be used for doughmaking, too!

MICROPLANE ORIGINAL GRATER
This all-purpose tool is an essential in our kitchen! Grate citrus zest, garlic, ginger, or hard cheeses.

Mastering Doughmaking Somewhere along the way, someone placed the fear of making bread dough into people’s minds – perhaps the frozen dough marketers. We’re about to debunk the myths about doughmaking, and launch your skills into a delicious direction. We predict that you’ll be a pro by your second batch!

Myth 1: It takes too long – Fact: Mixes in 5 minutes
With a minimal number of ingredients, it’s quick to assemble and mix. Remember a basic baking rule, mix all dry ingredients together, then all liquids, then add together and stir. The time involved in bread baking is mostly hands off while the dough is rising.

Myth 2: It’s hard to work with yeast – Fact: Just remember “warm,” not hot, not cold.
Yeast is a magical ingredient whose fermentation creates delicious flavor. To be successful with yeast bread doughs, just remember that it likes warm temperatures, not hot, not cold. The warm water added to dry yeast should be comfortable to the inside of the wrist. Instant yeasts do not require dissolving in water, but can be added as one of the dry ingredients. 

Myth 3: It’s hard to mix – Fact: Easy to Stir, Easy to Knead
Many doughs stir together with a larger spoon. Alternatively, use a stand mixer to mix and knead. For smaller quantities, a food processor with the dough blade works wonders!

Myth 4: It’s too messy – Fact: Get Comfortable with Flour
Floury messes are no problem when you’re set up for success. Use a clean counter top, or a pastry mat. A bench scraper gets rid of most of the doughy mess, then wipe with a wet cloth. Consider measuring flour by weight instead of with a measuring cup – saves on bowls, is super-accurate and quick.

Myth 5: It’s hard to roll out dough – Fact: Use Flour or Olive Oil; Let it Rest
Rolling the dough into a pizza crust is intimidating only the first time. Keep your hands lightly dusted with flour and stretch the dough. Alternatively, lightly oiled hands will keep the dough from sticking. If the dough rebounds and doesn’t stretch nicely, let it rest a couple of minutes; the dough will relax and be more amenable to stretching once again.

Myth 6: It won’t taste good – Fact: Fresh Bread is the Best
Freshly mixed dough is free of stabilizers and preservatives. Do use salt in your dough and allow the flavor-maker, time, to work it’s magic. As the yeast grows and ferments in the bread dough, wonderful flavor compounds develop and enrich the dough.

Myth 7: It’s hard to think ahead – Fact: Bread Dough is Very Flexible
Busy lives may seem counter to mastering doughmaking, but yeast doughs are really quite flexible. After the first rise (usually about an hour) is done, dough can sit in the refrigerator until ready to use in the next 2 to 3 days. This flexibility also makes doughmaking a great do-ahead step.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza with Wood Smoke  Who doesn’t love the classic, Spinach and Artichoke Dip? Now this favorite has been amended and applied to a freshly grilled pizza crust and infused with a smoky flavor. The result is over-the-top deliciousness! The spinach and artichokes are balanced with two cheeses, aged mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Under the high heat, the topping melts and browns slightly while the thin, chewy crust completes its grill-baking. Cut into squares for serving as a small plate offering, or in wedges for an entrée presentation. There will be no leftovers!

The Dough – With this dough, the Slow-Rise Pizza Dough, opening a pizzeria at home couldn’t be easier! The dough is stirred together, then allowed to ferment for 24–48 hours on the countertop, no kneading required. We stretched the dough into shape on a pizza peel for easy transfer to the hot, hot grill. You’ll find this dough easy to work with and delicious to eat.

Reprinted with permission from Patio Pizzeria, Artisan Pizza & Flatbreads by Karen Adler & Judith Fertig. Copyright 2014. Published by Running Press, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved.

COOKBOOK REVIEW:
Patio Pizzeria, Artisan Pizza & Flatbreads
by Karen Adler & Judith Fertig. Copyright 2014. Published by Running Press, Philadelphia, PA.

If you’re looking to expand your grilling skills into the arena of grill-baking, this book is a great primer filled with techniques and inspiration. Motivated by authentic pizzerias, and wood-fired eateries, the authors have assembled a great collection of recipes for specialty pizzas and other flatbread-based meals for the home grillmaster. The results will rival your favorite café versions! The cookbook begins with some basics on grill-baking and pizza doughs, then delves into Bruschetta, Sandwiches and Paninis, Flatbreads and Focaccia, Pockets, Rolls, Piadine, and Calzones. The remainder of the book is all about Pizza – those baked directly on the grill grates, others intended for a pizza stone, and varieties for brick-oven style pizza-making. In the tradition of their many other cookbooks, Adler and Fertig make good grilling results easy to accomplish, and reliably delicious!

Closing:

Add homemade, grilled pizzas and flatbreads to your patio grilling pleasures!