Baking Sourdough Bread in a Kamado Style Grill

Baking sourdough bread in a Kamado-style grill can result in a loaf with a fantastic crust and a unique smoky flavor that's hard to achieve in a conventional oven. A Kamado-style grill is a versatile outdoor cooking appliance based on a traditional Japanese design. Its ceramic walls retain and radiate heat evenly, and it can reach high temperatures, making it an excellent tool for baking bread. Here's a step-by-step guide to baking sourdough bread in a Kamado grill.

Ingredients:

• One batch of sourdough bread dough, prepared and shaped as per your favorite recipe and proofed

Tools:

• Kamado-style grill

• Pizza stone

• Pizza peel or wooden cutting board

• Baking parchment paper

• Spray bottle with water
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat Your Kamado Grill: Light your grill and set it up for indirect cooking. Place the heat deflector plates in the grill to protect your bread from the direct flame. Preheat your grill to the desired temperature - around 450-500°F (232-260°C). Allow the grill to preheat for at least 30 minutes to ensure even heat distribution. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the grill grates during the preheat. This will help mimic the heat distribution of a bread oven.

2. Prepare Your Bread for Baking: Once your dough is proofed and ready, place it on a piece of parchment paper on your pizza peel or a wooden cutting board. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or a lame to allow it to expand during baking.

3. Transfer the Bread to the Grill: Open your grill and quickly but gently slide the bread (along with the parchment paper) onto the preheated pizza stone or directly onto the grill grates.

4. Steam the Grill: Spray some water onto the walls of the grill (avoid spraying on the bread or hot coals). The water will create steam, which helps the bread develop a crispy crust.

5. Bake the Bread: Close the lid of the grill and bake the bread for about 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread is around 205°F (96°C).

6. Cool and Serve: Using your pizza peel or a pair of grill tongs, carefully remove the bread from the grill. Allow it to cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
   

Remember, every Kamado grill and sourdough recipe is different, so cooking times and temperatures might vary. It might take some experimentation to achieve the perfect loaf, but the unique flavor and experience of baking bread on a Kamado grill make it well worth the effort.

Happy grilling!