The best kind of pizza is the kind cooked in a brick oven. Can I get an amen? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about building my very own brick oven in the backyard to give all of my homemade pizzas a charred flavor, but then I snap out of my daydream and remember I’m not a bricklayer.
Now, don’t worry, my dreams haven’t been crushed because I’ve found a very comparable alternative – cooking pizza on the grill! Cooking za on the grill gives the dough that crispy bite I enjoy from a brick oven pizza. It’s not exactly the same, but it beats cooking a homemade or frozen pizza in the oven.
Yesterday, we decided to make a homemade grilled white truffle oil pizza with mushrooms, sausage and Gruyere cheese. It was inspired by a pizza I had when we lived in the city at a restaurant called Stella Barra. By the way, truffle oil on pizza is everything and I will be adding it to every grilled pizza I make from now on.
The pizza dough is adapted from Aida Mollenkamp’s Keys to the Kitchen cookbook. Her recipe is perfect for cooking on the grill. To cook our pizza on the grill, we use this grill pizza pan from World Market – it’s the best. Quick tip: we usually put parchment paper underneath the dough to avoid burning the pizza.
I adore the flavors of this pizza and I hope you do too. If you end up making it, don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats! Also, if you like a little kick on your za, sprinkle some red pepper flakes on this one… you won’t regret it.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
Pizza dough (or you can buy dough already made)
- 1/2 cup of warm water (heated to 100-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 3/4 teaspoon of sugar
- Half of a packet of dry yeast (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, plus additional for coating bowl
Toppings
- 4 cloves of roasted garlic (see directions on how to roast below)
- 1/2 cup of truffle oil, plus one tablespoon (divided)
- 2 mild Italian sausages, cooked and sliced thinly
- 1 cup of portobello mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup of shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of shredded Gruyere cheese
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh oregano
Directions
To make the dough, put the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and sprinkle the yeast on top; let rest until the mixture bubbles, about 5 minutes. Side note, it’s really important that the water is warm, not hot because if it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast. Next, whisk together the flour and salt to aerate and break up any lumps. Drizzle a large bowl with olive oil and set aside.
When the yeast is ready, add the flour mixture and olive oil and mix on the lowest speed until the dough just comes together but looks shredded, about two minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and very elastic, about six minutes. If the mixture seems too watered down, add more flour. To test if the dough is ready, grab a piece of dough between your thumb and forefinger and draw your fingers apart to pull the dough. If the dough stretches without breaking, it’s ready. If not, keep mixing.
Sprinkle flour on to a clean surface. Turn out the dough and shape it into a ball. Place it into the oiled bowl. Coat the dough in the oil and cover it with a clean, damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until it doubles I volume, 30 to 45 minutes.
While the dough is rising, begin to roast the garlic. Heat 1/2 cup of truffle oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add four peeled cloves of garlic and heat for about 10 minutes until the oil begins to simmer. Continue cooking the garlic until it’s browned and softened, about 20 more minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage and mushrooms. In a large frying pan, cook sausages on medium-high heat until cooked through. After the sausages are cooked, remove and cut into very thin slice. To the same pan, add the mushrooms, tablespoon of truffle oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are caramelized. Set aside.
When the dough is ready, set the grill to medium-high. Knead the dough a few times on a clean surface covered in flour and shape it as desired. If you’re using a pan to put on the grill, cover it with parchment paper.
Lightly brush the truffle oil and roasted garlic on the pizza dough (you likely won’t need all of the truffle oil, please don’t go overboard with the oil). When the grill is preheated, add the pizza (without toppings) to cook the crust until it bubbles and is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Take the pizza off the grill and add the sausage, mushrooms, cheese and fresh oregano, and place back on the grill. Cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Top with additional fresh oregano and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Marina Makes 