Cinn-O-Bun Pizza
Serves 2 to 4
Everything you love about warm-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls is on this pizza. Sure it takes a bit of time to prepare the ingredients from scratch, but that’s what makes it cinnfully delicious.
1/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup water
3⁄4 cup raisins or dried cherries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for rolling the dough
1 ball prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
2 tablespoons walnut oil
3⁄4 cup pecan pieces, toasted (page 181)
1⁄3 cup Caramel Sauce (page 165) or store-bought
ADVENTURE CLUB Poach your raisins in rum instead of apple cider.
DRINK THIS Whether you are enjoying this sweet pizza for breakfast or dessert, it fares best with a strong cup of joe.
Combine the cider and water in a small saucepan. Add the raisins, bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer until the fruit is plump and has absorbed the cider mixture, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve for topping.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the butter and mix with a fork until completely smooth. Reserve for topping.
Mix the confectioners’ sugar, a pinch of salt, the cream, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until smooth. If too thick to drizzle, add a little more cream; if too loose, add a little more sugar until you have the right consistency. Reserve for topping.
Preheat the grill, roll out and shape the dough, and brush on 1 tablespoon walnut oil. Grill the first side of the crust per the master instructions on page 11 for gas or page 14 for charcoal. Use tongs to turn the crust over; brush the remaining walnut oil on the crust. Continue grilling until the bottom crust is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the crust from the grill to a peel or rimless baking sheet.
Immediately spread the entire surface with the cinnamon-sugar butter mixture. Top with the raisins and scatter with the pecans. Drizzle all over with the caramel sauce. Finish grilling the pizza
per the master instructions, cooking just until the toppings are warmed through, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the grill and generously drizzle with the icing. Slice and serve immediately. Yummmm.
How to Toast Nuts
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden brown,
5 to 15 minutes, depending on the nut variety. Turn once during cooking. Let cool before using.
Overall Instructions
The Gas Grill Method: Master Instructions
1. Preheat the grill by opening the lid and setting all the burners on high. Close the lid and leave the grill on high for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat of all the burners to medium.
2. While the grill preheats, sprinkle your work surface generously with grits or polenta. We find that a cutting board, the back of a sheet pan, or a pizza peel works best. Place the dough in the middle of the surface and roll in the grits until the ball is evenly dusted. Drizzle the dough generously with oil (the oil helps generate the crispy crust). Then roll out the dough with a rolling pin, stretch it out with your hands, or press it out from the center against the work surface. Your ultimate goal is to get the dough 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Shape your dough according to your grill configuration (see the diagram on page 12). Don’t worry about making it perfect—organically shaped crusts are part of the charm of grilled pizza.
3. Transfer your dough to the grilling area—we find that a pizza peel does this job the best—and pick it up by the two corners closest to you. In one motion, lay it down flat on the cooking grate from back to front (as you would set a tablecloth down on a table).
4. Close the lid and grill for 3 minutes (no peeking!), then check the crust and, if necessary, continue grilling until the bottom is well marked and golden brown. If your grill cooks unevenly, finesse the bottom by rotating the crust and/or moving it to another section of the grill. Once you become comfortable making pizza on the grill, this part of the process will become second nature to you and will contribute to a perfectly cooked pizza.
5. Once the bottom is well browned, use tongs to transfer the crust from the grill to the pizza peel or rimless baking sheet, then immediately close the lid of the grill; this will keep the grill at the ideal temperature. Flip the crust to reveal the grilled side. Follow the specific recipe directions for adding sauce, toppings, and/or cheese.
6. Before returning your pizza to the grill, switch the grill to indirect heat. (For a two-burner grill, turn off one burner. For three- or four-burner grills, turn off the center burner or burners.) Transfer the pizza onto the grate over the unlit section and close the lid. Grill until the bottom is golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes. For two-burner grills, rotate the pizza 180 degrees after 5 minutes.
7. Remove the finished pizza from the grill, garnish, and season as directed. Slice and serve immediately.
The Charcoal Grill Method: Master Instructions
1. Build a fire by lighting 50 to 60 charcoal briquettes in either a chimney starter or in a pyramid-shaped mound on the bottom grate of your grill. Once the briquettes have become gray-ashed (20 to 30 minutes), move them all to one side of the grill.
2. While the grill preheats, sprinkle your work surface—we find that a cutting board, a sheet pan, or a pizza peel works best—generously with grits or polenta. Place the dough in the middle of the surface and roll in the grits until the ball is evenly dusted. Drizzle the dough generously with oil (it’s the oil that helps generate the crispy crust). Then roll out the dough with a rolling pin, stretch it out with your hands, or press it out from the center against the work surface. Your ultimate goal is to get the dough 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 inch thick. Stretch your dough into a rectangular or oblong shape (see the diagram on page 15). Don’t worry about making it perfect—organically shaped crusts are part of the charm of grilled pizza.
3. Transfer your dough to the grilling area—a pizza peel does this job the best—and pick it up by the two corners closest to you. In one motion, lay it down flat—over the side of the grill without briquettes—on the cooking grate from back to front (as you would set a tablecloth down on a table). Close the lid and grill for 4 minutes (no peeking!), then rotate the crust 180 degrees and continue grilling until the bottom is well marked and golden brown, another 2 to 3 minutes. You may need to finesse the bottom by rotating the crust again, and/or shifting its position slightly. Once you become comfortable making pizza on the grill, this part of the process will become second nature to you and will contribute to a perfectly cooked, crispy pizza.
4. Once the bottom is well browned, use tongs to transfer the crust from the grill to your pizza peel or rimless baking sheet, then immediately close the lid of the grill; this will keep the grill at the ideal temperature. Flip the crust to reveal the grilled side. Follow the specific recipe directions for adding sauce, toppings, and/or cheese.
5. Transfer the pizza back onto the grate over the side without briquettes and grill, with the lid on, for 4 to 5 minutes. Rotate the pizza 180 degrees and continue to grill with the lid on until the bottom is golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted, another 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Remove the finished pizza from the grill, garnish, and season as directed. Slice and serve immediately.