GRILLED PIZZA

IF YOU THINK GRILLED PIZZA SOUNDS LIKE ONE OF those silly chef-inspired creations, think again. Grilling flatbreads over coals has a long history in Italy. As is our custom in this country, we have made this dish our own by adding distinctly American toppings.

There are a couple points to keep in mind when grilling pizza. Toppings have only a few minutes to heat through (any longer and the bottom crust will burn), so they must be kept fairly light. Therefore, we like to get as much flavor from the crust as possible and recommend the Garlic-Herb Pizza Dough. This dough is so flavorful, we often just brush it with olive oil and serve it as an accompaniment to summer meals. Plain dough will also work fine on the grill.

In our testing, we found that larger crusts are hard to flip, so we recommend small pizzas only for the grill. This necessitates working in batches, so consider grilling pizzas for an informal meal when everyone is gathered in the backyard. As each pizza comes off the grill, serve it immediately. An extra pair of hands to top crusts while you tend the grill is helpful.

If you prefer not to be grilling pizzas to order, the crusts can be grilled until nicely browned on both sides and then slid onto a baking sheet, cooled, covered, and kept at room temperature for several hours. When you are ready to serve the pizzas, brush the top of the grilled pizza rounds with a little oil, add the toppings, and slide the crusts under a preheated broiler for several minutes. While the smoky grill flavor is not quite as intense, this do-ahead method is much easier.

The recipes in this chapter will serve four as a light summer meal (two small pizzas per person) or eight as a first course. Keep the following tips in mind when making grilled pizza.

FLOUR ALL SURFACES. Because grilled pizzas are flipped (the bottom of the dough round eventually becomes the top of the pizza), we do not dust peels (use metal only; wooden peels should not go near the grill) or baking sheets with sandy semolina or cornmeal. Flour will keep the dough from sticking yet will not make the crust gritty.

KEEP TOPPINGS LIGHT AND DRY. Heavy toppings or liquidy sauces will make grilled pizza soggy and should thus be avoided. Raw ingredients that need only be heated through (fresh tomatoes, cheese, sliced shrimp) or cooked ingredients that are fairly dry (sautéed onions, grilled mushrooms or eggplant) are best for grilled pizzas.

BRUSH DOUGH WITH OIL. Oil will help keep grilled pizza dough moist, prevent sticking to the grill, and promote even browning. Keep a brush and small bowl of olive oil nearby when grilling pizzas.

USE LONG-HANDLED TONGS TO FLIP DOUGH. Although we prefer to top grilled pizzas on a baking sheet and not on the grill, your hands will still spend a fair amount of time near the fire. To keep them comfortable, use tongs with long, heat-resistant handles to maneuver the dough.

COVER PIZZA TO HEAT TOPPINGS THROUGH. Use either the grill cover or small disposable pie pans to concentrate heat and get the toppings hot by the time the bottom crust is nicely browned. If the toppings are not ready and the bottom crust is done, you can slide the pizzas onto a baking sheet and run them under the broiler.