Summer bread-baking roundup: start with a simple flatbread
It’s the heart of summer now, and with Fourth of July entertaining on the immediate horizon (and super-hot temps all over the country), the grill is the place to bake bread if you don’t want to heat up the kitchen — and yes, it works. I’ve posted many gas-grill recipes over the years, because its such a great way to keep baking fresh bread in the warm months. Readers tell me it can be done on a charcoal grill (live coals), but it takes a lot more practice and results may vary. I find that the controllable heat from a gas grill is a better bet. A simple grilled flatbread is the easiest place to start — no toppings to monitor, and it never fails. A perfect accompaniment for summer salads and dips. Scroll down for details. Other summer posts:
Keep baking bread all summer long
Five rules for great grilled pizza: short video!
Rustic fruit tart on the gas grill
Bread on a Coleman stove while camping
Kohlrabi Greens Pizza right on the grates
Fruit pizza on the grill baked with the stone
This is the bread I usually make when it’s hot. Why? Because it’s super-easy and fast. I go into the yard and do it in the morning, very very simple.
First, you don’t need a baking stone, and that means a very quick pre-heat. Turn on your gas grill to high heat, close the lid, and wait about five minutes. Meanwhile, take out your stored dough, the white-flour version or any other kind in the book, even enriched (though you’ll need to turn down the heat for enriched).
Meanwhile, use a rolling pin and a sprinkle of flour to roll out a grapefruit-sized piece of dough to about 1/8-inch thickness, right on a floured pizza peel.
By now the grill should be hot, so slide the flatbread right onto the grates. Close the top, and wait about two minutes (depends on the intensity of the grill-heat). Open the lid; the bread is ready to turn (with a spatula) when it looks puffy, but the underside isn’t starting to burn (this one has some seeds, see below for details on that):
It’s OK if there’s a little char, but if the grill’s closed and you smell something burning, it may be going too far (check it)!
After turning, about two more minutes should do it, again with the lid closed. Grilled flatbreads generally don’t puff like the pita, so you’ll need to slit them to make filled sandwiches.
A variation: using a pastry brush, paint the surface of the dough with water before sliding onto the grill. Sprinkle with alternating bands of white and black sesame seeds. My youngest used to call this “bumblebee bread”:
Everything tastes better outside!
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I think of you each time I make a new batch of dough! That’s over a decade of wonderful home made deliciousness. We have all your books and continue to have fun experimenting with adding different types of flours in differing amounts to the Master recipe with a surprising variety of flavors. Who knew flour and bread baking could be so varied and interesting!!! Thank you so very much for enriching our lives.
Thank you so much for checking in. This is so sweet, and makes it all worthwhile!
Is there an equivalent gluten free version?
I did a 100% GF book, Gluten-Free Bread in Five Minutes a Day, on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3NSJCNM
There are also some GF dough recipes and instructions here on the website, just type “gluten-free” into the Search Bar near the top of this website’s home page and see what you think. Unfortunately, sometimes entries were listed as “gluten free” without the hyphen, so try that too. Start with this post for my flour mixture: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/04/30/gfmix/
Then instructions for the basic loaf are at:
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5/
… and a video at:
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2015/03/03/gluten-free-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-the-video/