Styling by Elle Simone Scott.

Thin-Crust Grilled Pizza with Manchego, Fig, and Serrano Ham

Name: Thin-Crust Grilled Pizza with Manchego, Fig, and Serrano Ham
Total time: 4 h
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 3 cups (16 1⁄2 ounces/468 grams) bread flour; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1⁄4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast; 1 1⁄4 cups plus 2 tablespoons ice water (11 ounces/312 grams); 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 1 1⁄2 teaspoons table salt; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary; 3⁄4 cup fig preserves; 1 1⁄2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 12 ounces Manchego cheese, shredded (3 cups); 3 ounces thinly sliced Serrano ham, chopped coarse (about 1/2 cup); 1⁄3 cup chopped fresh basil; 1 teaspoon flake sea salt

Time

2½ hours, plus 1½ hours proofing

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Ingredient check listDough

3 cups (16 1⁄2 ounces/468 grams) bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1⁄4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1⁄4 cups plus 2 tablespoons ice water (11 ounces/312 grams)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1⁄2 teaspoons table salt

Ingredient check listPizza

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

3⁄4 cup fig preserves

1 1⁄2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

12 ounces Manchego cheese, shredded (3 cups)

3 ounces thinly sliced Serrano ham, chopped coarse (about ½ cup)

1⁄3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon flake sea salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Grilled pizza—popularized in the 1980s at Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island—has a thin, light, crisp crust. The live fire gives it intensely flavorful smokiness and char, and the exceedingly hot temperatures enable the pizza to cook very quickly, making for a tender crust that’s never dry or rubbery. We wanted a simplified method for restaurant-quality results. The food processor made quick work of our homemade pizza dough, but we engineered our method to ensure that it also worked with store bought doughs. Coating the dough balls with olive oil made it easy to press them into thin ovals by hand, while shaping the ovals on parchment paper enabled us to stack them neatly on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transport outside to the grill. The parchment also provided a no-stress vehicle for lifting and transferring the dough to the grill with no awkward sagging or stretching of the dough. A two-zone charcoal setup facilitated even cooking by enabling us to slide all or part of the pizzas over to the cooler side to account for hot spots. Topping our grilled pizzas first with rosemary oil and creamy, nutty manchego cheese created a delicious barrier that kept the dough from getting soggy. For the sauce, stirring a bit of sherry vinegar into fig jam tempered its sweetness with complex acidity. A final sprinkling of cured serrano ham balanced that sweetness with assertive, funky saltiness.

Before You Begin

You can substitute 2 pounds of store-bought pizza dough for the dough in this recipe (and skip steps 1 and 2); the dough balls in step 3 will weigh about 8 ounces each, and the finished pizzas may be slightly thicker than those made with homemade dough. Grilled pizza cooks quickly, so it’s important to have all your ingredients and tools ready ahead of time. A two-zone charcoal setup facilitates even cooking by enabling you to slide the pizzas over to the cooler side if they are browning too fast. Two pairs of grill-safe tongs make moving the dough on and off the grill easier.

Instructions

for the dough

Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add ice water; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces (about 7 ounces each). Shape each piece into tight ball and transfer to lightly oiled baking sheet. Lightly brush or spray tops of dough balls with oil. Cover sheet tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until dough balls have relaxed and spread to 4 inches in diameter, about 11⁄2 hours. (Alternatively, unrested dough balls can be refrigerated—on sheet wrapped with plastic—for up to 3 days; let sit at room temperature until relaxed and spread to 4 inches in diameter, about 2 hours, before using).

Pour remaining 2 tablespoons oil over dough balls. Coat both sides of 1 ball in oil and transfer to 12 by 16-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter. Using your fingertips and palms, gently press and stretch dough to form rough 13 by 9-inch oval of even thickness; transfer parchment with dough round onto second baking sheet. Repeat stretching dough on parchment with remaining 3 dough balls; stack stretched rounds between parchment on sheet. Press large sheet of plastic wrap directly onto surface of top dough round and let sit at room temperature while heating grill.

for the pizza

Combine oil and rosemary in bowl. Whisk fig preserves and vinegar together in second small bowl. Set bowls aside.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (41⁄2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Grasp 1 long side of 1 dough round and parchment with both hands (gently holding dough and parchment together between your thumbs and fingers) and carefully flip onto grill, dough side down (over hotter side if using charcoal). Gently peel parchment away from dough with tongs, using second pair of tongs or spatula to secure dough in place on grill. Cook (covered if using gas) until bottom is well browned and spottily charred, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating dough once during cooking. Invert dough onto cutting board, grilled side up.

Brush top of pizza with one-quarter of rosemary oil (2 heaping teaspoons). Sprinkle one-quarter of Manchego (about 3⁄4 cup) evenly over pizza. Drizzle one-quarter of fig mixture (1⁄3 cup) evenly over pizza. Using your hands or 2 sets of tongs, transfer pizza back to grill (over hotter side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas), rotating pizza often until bottom is well browned and spottily charred and cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. (If cooking over charcoal, middle of pizza will brown faster; to ensure even cooking, check bottom frequently, and rotate and reposition pizza as needed to ensure even browning from middle to edges.)

Using 2 sets of tongs, transfer pizza to cutting board (if using gas, keep grill covered to conserve heat) and sprinkle with one-quarter of ham (about 3⁄4 ounce), one-quarter of basil (about 1 heaping tablespoon), and 1⁄4 teaspoon flake sea salt.

Repeat with remaining dough and toppings, adjusting heat on gas grill as needed to ensure crust reaches visual cues in given time ranges for each pizza. Slice and serve pizzas immediately after removing from grill.