This week we tried Domino’s new pizza that claims to be better than Papa John’s. We weren’t convinced; the dough was still cardboard-like, the insane amount of sauce used was nothing out of the ordinary, but the crust did have an added garlic and herb flavor that added some interest to the otherwise bland and chewy dough.

Photo from Food Network

We give them an A for effort, but their pizza has left us craving some classic Italian style thin crust pizza with no sauce and just enough cheese to hold the toppings.

Grilling the pizza dough gives it that extra toasty flavor and crunch for an at home adaptation of wood fired brick oven pizzas, finished by melting the cheese in the oven and topping it with simple flavors like tomatoes, arugula and capers. The whole process, especially if you opt for some store bought pizza dough (like the ones from Trader Joe’s), takes less than 30 minuts and is perfect on a busy weekday night.

Grilled Pizzettas with Parmigiano, Prosciutto and Arugula and with Taleggio and Puttanesca
(from Anne Burrell on Food Network’s Secret of a Restaurant Chef)

Ingredients
Chili Oil:

5 to 6 Fresno chile peppers, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

For the dough:

1/2 cup warm tap water
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the toppings:

1/2 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved thin
1/2-pound Taleggio cheese, rind removed and chopped
1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced thin
2 cups baby arugula
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup pitted gaeta olives, sliced
2 tablespoons capers
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Chili-infused oil, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish

For the Chile Oil:

In a small saucepan, bring chiles and oil to a simmer. Remove from heat and let peppers steep in oil at least 1 hour.

To make the dough:

In a small bowl add the warm (this activates the yeast. If the water is too hot the yeast will die and if the water is too cold the yeast will not activate) tap water add the dry yeast and the sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes. The top of the water will bubble and it will smell very yeasty, this is what you want.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture. Using a fork gradually stir the flour into the yeast/water mix. Once most of the flour has combined, turn the dough out to a smooth clean work surface and use your hands to knead the dough to a smooth consistency.

Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and preheat grill to medium-high heat.

For the puttanesca topping:

In a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, olives, capers, red pepper flakes and season with salt and a drizzle of olive oil, set aside.

Brush and oil grill to remove any crud and clean.

Portion the dough into golf ball size rounds. Using a rolling pin, roll each dough into a rectangle, I like irregular shapes. If not using the dough right away, wrap each 1 in plastic wrap and reserve until ready to use. If using the dough right away grill each dough on both sides so there are grill marks and the dough is stiff and crisp. Top some of the dough with shaved Parmigiano and the other with Taleggio.

Top the Taleggio pizzas with the tomato mixture. Place pizzas in oven until cheese melts, about 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately when the Parmesan pizzas come out of the oven, arrange prosciutto slices on top and then top with the arugula and drizzle with spicy chile oil. Cut pizzas into pieces and serve immediately garnished with chives.