A couple of years ago, Dave and I got to travel to Maine and Vermont and spend time with our dear friend we met in college, Karin (pronounced kuh-RIN), and her amazing family. My favorite way to explore a place is through the perspective of a local, and the very best is getting to stay in people’s homes. (I felt validated in this practice when I heard Kelly Corrigan and Kate Bowler talk about this in one of my favorite podcast episodes. They talk about the ecosystem that you get to experience when you are in someone’s home -this little section is only a few minutes starting at minute 30 ish, though I highly recommend the whole episode).
After a few days of living life with Karin and her family I had lots of notes, recipes, encouragement and things to ponder. I call these my “show notes” after rich time spent together with someone.
One of the very best things we learned from our immersion at the Hernandez house was grilled pizza. Years ago I wrote about making homemade pizza, but this technique of grilling pizza takes it to another level. It’s honestly one of the best things we learned from our trip. It is a weekly tradition in their home. Karin made the dough before heading out for the day, as is her Friday morning practice. That evening we rolled out the crusts, prepped the toppings, fired up the grill, and the magic happened.
2 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1ish tsp. coarse salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
A big long squirt of honey
5ish cups of All Purpose Flour
Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook until it comes together, but not too dry- approximately 6 minutes.
Scoop dough into your hands, put olive oil in the bowl. Dump dough back into the oiled bowl. Toss around in oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Leave 8-10 hours.
45 minutes before grilling the pizzas: Flour your hands and scoop dough out of bowl. Dump onto a floured surface. Divide into 4 balls. Place balls on cookie sheet or cutting board. Cover with a clean dish towel. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prep toppings: Meats (pepperoni, chicken, sausage, etc.); Veggies (thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn –a Hernandez family favorite); cheeses (goat, mozzarella, parmesan, feta, fontina, ricotta); Sauces (tomato, pesto, BBQ, olive oil, etc.); extras (fresh or dried herbs, fresh garlic, etc.)
Pat out into flat crusts. Turn gas grill on high temperature. Oil the grill grates right before putting crusts on. Turn grill down to medium/high heat.
Place flattened dough onto grill. Cook for 5 minutes.
Flip with long tongs.
Add toppings of your choice.
Lower heat and close lid for 5ish minutes.
Watch top and bottom of crust to ensure they aren’t burning.
* Disclaimer: Karin made this look easy and chill. In our experience, it has been more intense and a little stressful in the moment of grilling and topping and having everything ready for go-time. This takes some practice.
** Dave says he thinks the stress is that we are doing too many pizzas with too many toppings all at once and that is tricky. So, maybe save half the dough for another day or simplify your topping situation.
***Tools that are helpful: a few cookie sheets or cutting boards for pre and post grilling, long tongs for flipping, silicone basting brush for coating the grates with oil.
Here’s to great friends who host you in their homes and teach you wonderful traditions! XO, Hernandez family!
Community Table 