Grilled Hearthbread Johnson

Among my favorite and most requested bread recipes is the Grilled Hearthbread Johnson. If you are looking for a flavorful addiiton to a grilled meal and want to astonish and impress your guests, this is it. The dough is loaded with flavor by adding an herb infused oil, and the bread receives tremendous flavor by grilling it instead of baking. The original recipe calls to shape into this into two flat rounds, however, I like to split mine into personal-sized “breadlings” which improves the serve-ability, appearance and handling by hungry eaters.

Given rising times, I would recommend beginning this 2 ½ hours before grilling or starting the day ahead and refrigerating the dough overnight.

The original recipe can be found in the book “Big Flavors of the Hot Sun” by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (Morrow, 1994).

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minched fresh herbs: rosemary, basil, and/or thyme
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 ¼ cups warm water
• 1 envelope (or 2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 – In a small saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil. Saute the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Let this cool.

2 – Place warm water in a (warmed) mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast and sugar. Mix with a fork. Allow to proof for 10 minutes.

3 – Add flour to mixing bowl. Without mixing, pour infused oil onto flour. Mix. On a lightly floured surface, or using your stand mixer, knead for 3-4 minutes, until well combined.

4 – Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap and/or a towel. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in size, approximately 1 ½ hours. (Alternatively, if you are making this in advance, you can place this in the refrigerator overnight or until about an hour before using. About an hour before continuing, remove the dough, move to a warm bowl and allow to come back to room temperature.)

5 – Punch dough down gently to remove air, and knead for 2 minutes. Divide dough in half for two larger loaves or into rough 2 inch balls for smaller individual sized portions. Allow dough to rest for 5 minutes.

6 - Form each into a smooth ball, cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes or until ready to grill. (Do not allow the dough to overproof at this point. Chill slightly if the dough will not be grilled right away.)

NOTE: I have also had some success with leaving the dough in the bowl and tearing pieces off, shaping and throwing right onto the grill surface. This is easier, faster and allows you to eliminate steps 5-6.

7 – To grill, brush each round with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill over low-medium heat, about 8 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Do not overcook as the bread will become dried out internally – instead, aim for a slight doughiness.