July, one of the best months in the Northwest for casual outdoor entertaining. Try the recipe below for an easy and fun way to get your friends and family involved in the cooking. Lay out an assortment of toppings and have your guests create their own signature pizzas. Goat cheese, BBQ Chicken slices, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, fresh herbs, garden fresh vegetables—the possibilities are endless! Add a simple green salad with an assortment of dressings on the side and dinner is served!
Grilled Pizza
Dough:
½ cup warm water, about 105 degrees
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Vegetable oil or spray for oiling bowl
Measure warm water into 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add room-temperature water and oil; stir to combine.
Pulse flour and salt in work bowl of large food processor fitted with steel blade to combine. Continue pulsing while pouring liquid ingredients (holding back a few tablespoons) through feed tube. If dough does not readily form into ball, add remaining liquid, and continue to pulse until ball forms. Process until dough is smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds longer.
Dough will be a bit tacky, so use rubber spatula to turn out dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand with a few strokes to form smooth, round ball. Put dough into deep oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch dough down with your fist and turn out onto lightly floured work surface. Divide and shape for thin-crust or grilled pizza.
Garlic-Herb Pizza Dough
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in small skillet. Add 4 medium minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary. Sauté until garlic is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool mixture and use in place of oil in pizza dough recipe.
Preparation:
Prepare dough as directed above. Light grill. Turn punched-down dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Use chef’s knife or dough scraper to cut dough into eighths. Form each piece into ball and cover with damp cloth. Let dough relax at least 5 minutes but not more than 30 minutes.
Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping others covered, flatten ball into disk using palm of hand, starting at center and working outward, use finger tips to press dough to about ½ inch thick. Use one hand to hold dough in place and other hand to stretch dough outward; rotate dough quarter turn and stretch again. Repeat turning and stretching until dough will not stretch any further. Let dough relax 5 minutes, then continue stretching until it has reached diameter of 7 or 8 inches. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick, use palm to flatten edge of dough. Transfer dough round to baking sheets or metal peels that have been lightly dusted with flour.
Check to make sure grill is medium-hot. (You should be able to hold your hand 5 inches the above grill surface for not more than 3 or 4 seconds.) Brush oil evenly over each stretched dough round and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Slide your hand under each dough round and gently flip the dough onto the grill, oiled side down. Grill until dark brown grill marks appear, 1-2 minutes. Prick any bubbles that develop on top surface with fork. Brush tops with more oil, then flip with long-handled tongs onto clean baking sheet or peel, grilled side up.
Brush grilled dough surface with oil and add toppings, leaving ½ inch border around edges uncovered. Slide pizzas back onto grill. Cover and grill until pizza bottoms are crisp and browned, toppings are hot, and cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes; serve immediately and repeat with remaining rounds.
