Homemade dough adds flavor to fire-grilled pizzas
Pizza is one of those foods that is almost omnipresent. There
are at least 10 restaurants devoted to pizza in Gilroy, where I
live, and that doesn’t include other restaurants that have a few
pies on the menu. There is take and bake, gourmet and budget pizza,
like the $9.99 pie sold at Costco, as well as local favorite
Pinocchio’s.
Homemade dough adds flavor to fire-grilled pizzas
Pizza is one of those foods that is almost omnipresent. There are at least 10 restaurants devoted to pizza in Gilroy, where I live, and that doesn’t include other restaurants that have a few pies on the menu. There is take and bake, gourmet and budget pizza, like the $9.99 pie sold at Costco, as well as local favorite Pinocchio’s.
So with so many options, many people might never think about making their own pizza at home. I’ve done it in the past, but always with already made dough from the grocery store that we just popped in the oven. This time around, I thought I’d try to grill it outdoors and offer a variety of toppings for my family to choose from.
I found a recipe for homemade pizza dough. I’ve never cooked anything that required the use of active dry yeast, so I bought some already made dough at the store as backup. The recipe turned out to be quite simple and we gave a little extra flavor to the dough by using garlic infused olive oil. In the future, we will likely add some fresh rosemary and other herbs to the dough.
The one thing to keep in mind when making the dough is that it needs to rise for at least an hour so plan ahead. Also, the dough cooks best over low heat so spread the charcoal to the sides of the barbecue pit and don’t put the pizza crusts on until the charcoal has turned gray.
The cool thing about making pizza is that everyone can build their own based on their preferred sauce and toppings. In our house, my sister is a fan of pepperoni, while I prefer basil, tomatoes and kalamata olives. My mom is all about the onions, while my dad doesn’t even like pizza. To entice him we opted for some ingredients with a Mexican flair, including chorizo, green chiles and avocado. Instead of pizza sauce, his pizza used salsa.
The grilled pizza was well worth the time, and the homemade dough beat out the store bought one hands down, and the recipe was simple to follow.
Below are some ingredients to keep in mind that can be found at most grocery stores, as well as a couple recipes.
Toppings:
A variety of shredded cheeses – whatever your family prefers
Black and kalamata olives
Pepperoni
Roma tomatoes
Sun dried tomatoes
Basil
Diced onions
Mushrooms
Diced bell peppers
Grilled chicken, diced
Sauce options:
Tomato-based sauce
Salsa
Olive oil
Barbecue sauce
Pizza dough
Recipes courtesy of Raley’s
2/3 c. warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
3 tbsp. olive oil, plus an additional 2 tbsp. (use garlic infused for more flavor)
2 c. flour, plus additional for kneading
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Combine water and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand for about 5 min. Stir in 3 tbsp. olive oil, then add remaining ingredients. Stir until dough forms a ball, then transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead for about 2 min. or until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour a little at a time to keep it from sticking. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour or until it doubles in size.
Punch dough down and divide into 3 pieces. Roll each into a 7-inch circle on a lightly floured board. Brush each side with oil and cook on a covered grill over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes each side.
Dough can also be baked at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Chile, chorizo and avocado pizza
1 link chorizo sausage, casing removed
¾ c. salsa
1 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
2 tbsp. chopped poblano or diced green chiles
1/3 c. green onions
2 burrito size flour tortillas
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
¼ c. fresh cilantro leaves
Crumble chorizo into a small skillet and cook for 5 to 10 min. until cooked through. Remove and drain well, blotting between paper towels. Chop into small pieces.
Spread equal amounts of salsa, cheese, chorizo, chiles and green onions onto tortillas. Grill over indirect heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pizzas occasionally with tongs to keep from burning.
Remove from grill and top with avocado and cilantro.
