Father’s Day is the day where everything good in life happens on the grill. While you are making burgers, kebabs or brats, you can also slide your Dutch oven in next to them and bake up some fresh buns. I made these with the olive oil dough from Artisan Bread in 5, but you can use any of the doughs from our books. The only adjustments you may need to make is the temperature in which you cook them. The key to successful grill baking is knowing your grill and how it heats up. The best way I have found is to use the built in thermometer, but if your grill doesn’t have one, you will just have to keep a close eye on the buns, as you flip those burgers, and they will come out just great!
This post also appeared on the Weekend Baking Posts I do for the Cooking Channel Blog. Enjoy!
On baking day, prepare a 4-quart Dutch oven or other flame proof baking dish (The one I used is a Emile Henry Flame Top Round Oven, which can withstand direct heat on the grill, despite being made of ceramic.) by covering the bottom with a pillow of foil. It should be about 1-inch thick, this will insulate the dough from the intense heat of the grill and prevent the bottom of your rolls from burning.
Add a smooth layer of foil on top of the pillow and sprinkle it generously with cornmeal. This will prevent the rolls from sticking to the foil and adds a lovely flavor and texture to the rolls.
Uncover the refrigerated dough and sprinkle the surface with flour. Pull up and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece of dough using a pair of kitchen shears. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerate for baking at another time.
Divide the 2-pounds of dough into 10 equal pieces. Dust each piece with more flour. Create smooth balls of dough by gently pulling the sides down around to the bottom, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. While shaping, most of the dusting flour will fall off. The bottom of the rolls may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out during resting and baking. Shaping the rolls this way should take no more than 20 seconds each.
Place the dough balls on the cornmeal covered foil.
Cover the Dutch oven and allow them to rest for about 40 minutes. The dough may not rise much during this time.
After the 40 minute rest, place the covered Dutch oven on the cold grill and turn it on to Medium heat. Close the grill lid and bake for about 30 minutes.
The grill should reach 450°F. You will need to adjust the heat depending on your grill’s thermometer. If you are using a charcoal grill you will want to light the coals, let the flame die down and then place the Dutch oven on the grill. Charcoal is a little harder to regulate so you will need to keep a close eye on the rolls.
After about 30 minutes of baking the rolls with the cover on the pot, you will take it off and continue to bake the rolls, with the grill lid closed, until they are golden brown.
For more grilling recipes and techniques visit:
Pumpernickel done on the grill
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
Whole wheat pita on gas grill, on a stone
Limpa, in a cloche, on the grill
