I made my own dough for the first time, using The Sullivan Street Bakery recipe, and it came out amazingly well and was much easier than I imagined. It's one of those no-knead deals where you let the dough sit overnight on your counter, and when you wake up you've got twice as much dough. I incorporated some finely chopped garlic scapes into the dough, and topped the pizzas with an assortment of goodies from our garden (basil, arugula, oregano), the farmers' market (more scapes, goat cheese ricotta, portobello mushrooms, scallions) and the met (fresh mozzarella, canned tomatoes, grilled onions and prosciutto).
Man, that dough was delicious and way easier to work with than the frozen stuff from the supermarket, and much cheaper to boot. I highly recommend trying it if you've got the time: it's really easy and will make you feel like you've accomplished something ethereal and elemental.
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Pizza Dough (via Sullivan Street Bakery)
3.75 cups all-purpose flour
.25 teaspoons dry-active yeast
2 teaspoons salt (fine sea salt or kosher)
1.5 cups water
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic scapes
Preparation
Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 1.5 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature (about 72°F) in a draft- free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).
Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 4 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions. Add garlic scapes to top of each ball.
Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap and chill. Unwrap and let rest at room temperature on a lightly floured work surface, covered with plastic wrap, for 2-3 hours before shaping.
Hand-shape each ball into an amorphous approximation of an pizza crust. It won't be round and it won't be even, but it'll have character.
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The key to great grilled pizza is having everything ready in arm's reach before the dough hits the hot grill. Seriously. It's important.
To grill the pizzas, brush them with plenty of olive oil on one side. Throw them on a very hot direct-heat grill and brush the tops with olive oil. Then close the top quickly and let it go undisturbed for 3-5 minutes. Check the bottom and if there's a nice char developed flip and top with whatever you like, holding the greens and herbs until they're fully cooked. My favorite combination this time was tomato sauce, grilled mushrooms, mozzarella, ricotta, and basil and arugula tossed on at the last second. Delicious.
