Today the world celebrates
Pizza
Day .
An authentic
Argentine gastronomic obsession that can be combined with another great fetish: the grill.
Although they may sound like two different culinary plans, the reality is that this preparation of flour and water covered with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella found a different cooking that stands out on the irons heated by the embers.
Although the ingredients are the same as the baked version, the dough
requires less use of yeast and less moisture.
Of course, to be fully cooked, grilled pizzas are extremely thin, therefore ultra crispy.
It is impossible to achieve a spongy pizza if the cooking is on the coals.
As the dough is so thin, it must be cooked at the moment and does not require prior cooking.
As for the covers, creativity has no limits.
The dough is a blank canvas for cooks and grillers to display their art.
In Argentina, the commercial grilled pizza boom arrived almost 3 decades ago at the hands of Danilo Ferraz.
It is possible that this technique has been used in homes before to take advantage of the fire or as a pre-roast, but
until 1994 there was no establishment that offered it.
How does grilled pizza come about?
Grilled pizza began to be sold in the nineties in Buenos Aires.
Photo: Thousand and odd
"I made pizzas on the stone and
I saw that some put pre-pizzas on the grill with cans of sweet potato and fire on top, like a small oven
," says Ferraz, who from that fact began to stretch them with a stick, killing the same buns. the development of gluten and alveoli.
From there, “directly on the grill with subtle products on top and without a lid or anything, working directly on the dough”, he explains.
With this technique,
in 1994 he opened the first pizzeria in 1983
and "word of mouth" did its thing.
Morelia followed in 1997
, which was for the pizza master “the consecration of technique”.
“
Without a doubt I am a pioneer, the first to commercialize it.
I don't like to say that I'm the 'inventor' because there were people who made it one way or another at home, but I developed my method and opened the first pizzeria”, Ferraz, current chef-owner of Mil y Pico, proudly states.
Danilo Ferraz and his grilled pizzas.
How to make grilled pizza dough
The previous preparation of the ingredients is essential for the success of the recipe.
Thinking that because the mass is finite it can be done just before lighting the coals is a mistake.
“I always recommend organizing in advance:
48 hours of cold leavening and little yeast ensure a lighter and healthier pizza
”, says Ferraz.
For six thin eight-portion pizzas you will need: flour (1/2 kg), yeast (0.5 gr), water (250 cc), oil (50 cc), sugar (1 tablespoon), salt (1/2 tablespoon ).
For the kneading, first you must make a volcano with the flour on a table, activate the yeast in a cup of warm water with the sugar, place the water in the center of the volcano and gradually integrate with the flour, add the oil , add the activated yeast, finally -and on the edges- add the salt.
One pound of flour makes three grilled pizza buns.
Photo: Unsplash
Knead for a few minutes and let the bun rest covered with a towel for 45 minutes.
Then, separate into 3 and buns are formed.
Let it rise for 48 hours in the fridge.
How to cook pizza on the grill
Charcoal
, as for any product that is "thrown" on the grill,
must be turned into an ember.
It is important to take enough time so that all the pieces are well lit and fluorescent.
The grill is placed about 35 or 40 centimeters away
and a test is carried out that does not fail: you have to leave your hand on the bars - without supporting it, of course - and when it does not tolerate more than 15 seconds we will know that we are ready to cook .
The embers, one of the keys to cooking pizza on the grill.
Photo: Unsplash
Now yes,
the bun is stretched with a rolling pin on a smooth surface.
If the circle is large, it is preferable to cut it into 2 semicircles to make it easier to manipulate.
With the help of a pizza shovel (or with a kitchen board), place it on the grill over medium heat,
when one side of the dough is cooked (which forms a kind of cookie) it is removed.
If you are going to prepare several, you can stock up on the allowance to continue cooking later, but
if you are going to eat at the moment, turn it over and place the toppings on top such as sauce, mozzarella, etc.
Approximate total cooking time is 12 minutes.
What are the common mistakes when making pizza on the grill
Schedule these tips from Danilo Ferraz:
Grilled pizza, crispy and thin.
Leave the dough raw: it should be well cooked on both sides and crispy.
Ideal about 7 minutes on each side to ensure even cooking.
Hurry up when placing the dough on the grill: first you must have a good mattress of fire so that the pizza cooks well (it's like when you make a barbecue, you must first achieve a good ember).
Placing products such as a bell pepper or onion without prior cooking: the result is very aggressive because they are not cooked on top of the dough.
Topping with cheese and toppings: the dough is very fine and subtle, ideal to be the base of quality products placed in the right measure.
6 grilled pizza recipes
Grilled pizza.
Basic Grilled Pizza Recipe
Look at the step-by-step recipe for grilled pizza
Grilled pizza, Thousand and odd
Grilled Neapolitan pizza recipe
Look at the step-by-step recipe for grilled Neapolitan pizza
grilled pizza recipe
Grilled pizza recipe with brie cheese, bondiola and arugula
Look at the step-by-step recipe for grilled pizza with brie cheese, bondiola and arugula
Putanesca pizza recipe.
Grilled putanesca pizza recipe
Look at the step-by-step recipe for grilled putanesca pizza
Grilled pizza recipe with vegetables.
Unsplash
Grilled Vegetable Pizza Recipe
Watch the step-by-step recipe for grilled vegetables
Grilled pizza with aioli.
Grilled Aioli Pizza Recipe
Look at the step-by-step recipe for pizza with grilled aioli
look also
What are the 5 most traditional pizzerias in Buenos Aires and why they continue to captivate us
What is the best mozzarella for pizzas: the secret of Buenos Aires pizzerias