Grilled pizza - house beautiful

4 pizzas

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2½ teaspoon Active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1 cup Warm water
2¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ cup Johnnycake meal or fine
1 Recipe pizza dough, recipe follows ground white cornmeal
3 tablespoons Whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon Virgin olive oil
2½ cup To 3 1/2 C unbleached white flour
2 cups Extra-virgin olive oil
Desired toppings

Directions

FOR DOUGH

ASSEMBLY

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the warm water. After 5 minutes, stir in the salt, johnnycake meal, whole- wheat flour, and oil. Gradually add the white flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough has formed.

Place the dough on a floured board and knead it for several minutes, adding only enough additional flour to keep the dough from sticking.

When the dough is .;niooth and shiny, transfer it to a bowl that has been brushed with oil. To prevent a skin from forming, brush the top of the dough with additional oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until it has doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough and knead once more. Let the dough rise again for about 40 minutes.

Punch down the dough again. If it is sticky, knead in a bit more flour. Dough may be wrapped and refrigerated overnight, but must be brought to room temperature before grilling. Do not freeze dough.

Makes about 24 oz of dough, enough for 4 main-course pizzas or 8 to 12 appetizer pizzas.

Assembly: Prepare a hot charcoal fire, setting the clean grill rack 3 to 4 inches above the coals.

On a large oiled, inverted baking sheet, spread and flatten desired amount of dough with your hands into a free-form circle, ⅛-inch thick. Do not make a lip. You may end up with a rectangle rather than a circle; the shape is not as important as maintaining an even thickness.

When the fire is hot (when you can hold your hand over the coals for only 3 to 4 seconds at a distance of 5 inches), use your fingertips to lift the dough gently by the two corners closest to you, and drape it onto the grill. Catch the loose edge on the grill first and guide 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 surface with olive oil. Scatter desired toppings over the dough, and drizzle with 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, checking the underside often to see that it is not burning.

The pizza is done when the top is bubbly or the cheese is melted, about 6 to 8 minutes. More time on the grill will only dry out and toughen the pizza. Serve at once, either whole or cut into wedges or thin strips.

House Beautiful/July/94 Scanned & fixed by Di and Gary

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