Grilled Deep Dish Pizza

You can prepare the sauce ahead or make it during the first rise of the dough. If you're planning to grill the two pizzas, assess whether your pans fit in your grill.

The YEAST dough needed about 1 hour for the first rise in a warm 78°F kitchen. Refrigerated for the final proof, this dough reached almost double in 1 1/2 hours. At warm room temps, the second rise took 30 minutes.

The SOURDOUGH dough needed about 5 1/2 hours for the first rise in a warm 78°F kitchen. The final proof was 2 1/2 hours also at warm room temps.

Sauce Prep

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and saute the grated onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and dried oregano.

Add the can of tomatoes (immersion blended or hand crushed) and the small can of tomato paste.

Mix and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Salt to taste and consider adding a small amount of sugar if desired.

Dough Mixing and Fermentation

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, salt) minus the instant yeast if you're doing that variation.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the water (start with the smaller end of the range), oil, and instant yeast or sourdough starter.

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix. Only add more water if you need it to incorporate the dry ingredients.

Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead or slap and fold for about a minute. Add flour a little at a time if the dough is very sticky-wet.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or dough bucket and let it rise until it has doubled in size. Depending on the ambient and dough temperatures, this could take 1-2 hours for yeast and 4-7 hours for sourdough.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide it in half, and roll the pieces into two tight balls.

Oil two take-out containers (quart size) or a 9x13" baking dish, place the dough balls inside, and cover.

Let the dough rise to almost double in size again. This may take 30-90 minutes with yeast, and 2-4 hours with sourdough, temperature dependent.

Pizza Assembly and Baking

Just before you begin assembling the pizzas, prep your cast iron pans with oil or melted butter and begin preheating your oven or grill. If you plan to hand stretch the doughs, immediately place them in the greased pans so they can begin relaxing outward.

Preheat the oven to 425°F - OR - turn on the grill to the hottest setting.

Set up your pizza assembly station with the pans, 3-4 cups of shredded mozzarella, tomato sauce, a large spoon, grated parmesan or pecorino romano, additional dried oregano, flour for dusting your workspace, and a rolling pin. (If you plan to hand stretch the dough, you don't need the flour and rolling pin.)

Rolling pin shaping: Place one of the doughs on your lightly floured work surface and roll it into a circle ~13 inches in diameter. Lift and place the dough into a pan. Repeat with the second dough.

Hand stretching: Press one of the doughs outward from the center toward the edge of the pan, rotating in a circle. Switch to the other dough and do the same, letting the first rest. Repeat a few times until the doughs fill the pans.

Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups mozzarella to the top of each dough, followed by any optional toppings like pepperoni or vegetables. Then spread on 1 - 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce, grated parmesan or pecorino romano to taste, and several shakes of dried oregano.

Oven: Load the two pans into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is browned.

Grill: When the grill is around 550°F, turn down the flames to the lowest setting, place the two pans inside, and close the lid. The temperature should drop over the next few minutes. If it settles around 425°F, continue grilling for about 20 minutes. If the temperature drops lower than 425°F, turn up the flames as needed. If your grill won't get as low as 425°F, aim to end the bake earlier than 20 minutes and if possible, add a barrier under the pans e.g. an aluminum baking sheet. Make sure you use oven mitts and only use materials that are safe at high temps and not vulnerable to thermal shock. The top of the pizzas likely won't need to be covered because grilling tends to make a crispier/darker base than top.

Let the pizzas cool in the pans on racks for about 10 minutes before you remove them and serve.