I regularly share sourdough recipes in January, but this summer grilling recipe is too good to hold onto until winter. A ball of sourdough pizza dough can be cooked outdoors in all sorts of shapes beyond pizza, from garlic knots to empanadas. When I’m too lazy to prep pizza toppings, I dip these cheese-stuffed breadsticks in premade sauce, serving them alongside grilled shrimp skewers or a fresh-from-the-garden salad.
Chilled sourdough is easiest to roll but warm dough rises better, so this recipe starts cold and then lets the dough reach room temperature. Sourdough pizza dough keeps well in the refrigerator for up to three days, so you can prepare the dough in advance. If you aren’t yet baking with sourdough, pizza dough made with dry yeast works instead.
A cheese that melts readily, like homemade or store-bought mozzarella, gives breadsticks a gooey filling. It also requires extra attention when wrapping the bread to ensure the cheese doesn’t ooze onto the coals. Use as little flour as possible on the rolling surface and pin so that the dough edge stays sticky and seals.
Stuffed and grilled breadsticks have a lightly crisped exterior with a soft layer next to the warmed cheese. The egg wash makes the outside shiny and golden; without it, the dough looks pale. These breadsticks are thick enough to dip in sauce and best eaten while still warm.
Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Sourdough Breadsticks
Makes 12 breadsticks
1 ball Sourdough Pizza Dough, refrigerated
3 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Grilled Tomato Pizza Sauce, warmed (optional)
On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to shape the cold dough ball into an approximately 10-by-15 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into quarters, and then cut each quarter into three strips about 2-1/2 inches wide and 5 inches long.
Cut the cheese into 12 matchstick-style pieces, ensuring each is shorter than a dough strip. Lay a cheese stick on a piece of dough and wrap it like a burrito: fold the dough’s long edge over the cheese, fold in its short ends and then roll the rest around the cheese. Pinch the exposed edge against the dough beneath it, sealing in the cheese. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rest at room temperature for about one hour, until the dough puffs slightly.
Heat the grill to at least 450°F and oil the grate. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white and water. Brush the egg wash over all sides of each breadstick, and set the sticks in a single layer on a pizza peel or plate.
Lay the breadsticks across the hot oiled grill grate, giving them space on all sides. Immediately close the lid and cook for about two minutes, until the dough puffs and begins to brown. Flip the breadsticks and grill another 30 to 60 seconds, until golden. Serve immediately with warm sauce, if desired.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.