Shawarma Shop Pizza

When your cravings for both shawarma and pizza kick in this Ramadan, but you won't have room to eat both, make this beautiful Shawarma Shop Pizza! All the yummy flavours of a shawarma in a gooey, cheesy pizza form. With the best homemade crust and fresh toppings, this is a pizza that will become a staple during pizza nights.

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Shawarma Shop Pizza

Prep Time: 2 hours Cook Time: 30 minutes Yield: 1 large (14 inch) pizza, 8 slices

INGREDIENTS

For the Pizza Dough

• 2 & 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 & 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour

For the Sauce

• 2 tbs garlic paste, or 6-7 cloves of fresh garlic, grated

• 1/4 cup full fat plain yogurt

• 2 tbs mayonnaise

• 1 tbs lemon juice

• 1 tbs tahini paste

• 1/2 tsp honey

• Salt to taste

For the Chicken

• 1/2 lb ground chicken

• 1 tbs shawarma seasoning, homemade or store-bought

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp white vinegar

• 1 tbs thyme olive oil

For the Pizza

• 2 tbs thyme olive oil

• 1 tbs za’atar seasoning

• 200 g mozzarella cheese, grated

• 100 g mild cheddar cheese, grated

• 1 cup white onion, sliced 

• 1/3 cup black or green olives, sliced

• 2 tomatoes, divided, diced

• 1 tsp sumac

• Salt to taste

• A handful each fresh parsley and cilantro, minced

• 2-3 tbs sriracha hot sauce (adjust to spice level)

• A drizzle of pomegranate balsamic vinegar

For the Homemade Shawarma Seasoning

• 1/2 tsp paprika or chili powder

• 1/2 tsp black or white pepper

• 1/2 tsp allspice

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Start by making the pizza crust. To the bowl of a kitchen mixer, combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Allow the mixture to get foamy and bloom, 5-10 minutes, then add the salt and olive oil.

2. Add the milk and attach the dough hook to the mixer. Put the bowl in and turn the mixer on low to stir. Turn the speed up to medium and add the flour, half a cup at a time. My dough usually only needs 2 & 1/2 cups of flour, but if it still looks sticky, you can add in the remaining 1/2 cup. Once all of the flour has been added, let the mixer run for 5-6 minutes on medium, or until you have a smooth, elastic dough ball (it will take a minimum of 5 minutes so do not turn the mixer off before that).

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

4. While the dough is rising, prepare the toppings. To a mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients for the sauce. Whisk to combine and set in the fridge until ready to use.

5. To a small mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients for the shawarma seasoning. Whisk to combine. To another mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, 1 tbs of the shawarma seasoning, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well with a spatula until all of the seasoning has been evenly distributed into the chicken. Heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium high heat in a frying pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the ground chicken and 1/2 tsp white vinegar. Saute for 5-7 minutes until the meat starts to brown, stirring often to break up the chicken. The meat does not need to be fully cooked at this point, as it will finish cooking in the oven. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

6. To a mixing bowl, add 1 of the diced tomatoes, the sumac, the fresh parsley and cilantro, and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine and set in the fridge until ready to use.

7. When the dough has risen, prepare the pizza. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Roll the pizza dough out into a large circle to fit on a 14.5 inch pizza tray. Alternatively, if you don't have a pizza tray, you can use a large, lightly oiled baking sheet - just roll the dough into a large rectangle sheet instead of a circle. Place the dough on the tray. Mix together the remaining 2-3 tbs olive oil and the za'atar seasoning to make a paste, and brush 3/4 of it onto the base of the dough; save the remainder for the top.

8. Dollop half of the sauce on to the pizza and reserve the remaining half for garnish. Spread the sauce over the base of the pizza, making sure to go to the edges. Top it with 3/4 of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese, then with the white onion, remaining diced tomato, olives, and cooked ground chicken. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, and splatter on the remaining za'atar infused oil with a pastry brush. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubble.

9. Add the sriracha to the remaining reserved sauce. Whisk well to combine. When the pizza is hot out of the oven, top it with the tomato herb mixture, drizzle on the sriracha garlic sauce, and drizzle it with a touch of pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Let it cool for 5 minutes then cut into slices or pieces with a pizza cutter and serve.

NOTES

• The dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a large airtight container with a lid and put it in the fridge - make sure there's a little space in the container as it will continue to rise.

• This dough can be doubled very easily - for a single portion, I find 2 & 1/2 cups of flour works best. For a double portion, 6 cups of flour works best.

• You can use ground beef or lamb in place of ground chicken.