Why this formula works
The hot and cold halves are treated separately. A strong 320 g base carries 300 g crisp meat, tomato and mozzarella; lettuce, fresh tomato, onion and cabbage are dried and stay cold. A full 120 g garlic sauce makes the pizza genuinely juicy, but narrow lines added after baking prevent the hot base from steaming soft. Lemon, sumac and chili keep the rich meat bright.
Honest timing
| Active preparation | 25 min |
| Hydration / proof / preheat | 1 h |
| Cooking / baking | 10 min |
| Elapsed total | 1 h 35 min |
Ingredients
- mature strong pizza dough ball320 g (11.3 oz)
- thick unsalted pizza tomato sauce130 g (4.6 oz)
- low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated140 g (4.9 oz)
- fully cooked pan-fried doner-style beef or chicken, chilled300 g (10.6 oz)
- iceberg lettuce, very finely shredded and thoroughly dried100 g (3.5 oz)
- firm cherry tomatoes, cut into 5 mm rounds and blotted150 g (5.3 oz)
- red onion, thinly sliced70 g (2.47 oz)
- well-drained pickled red cabbage100 g (3.5 oz)
- thick yogurt-mayonnaise garlic sauce containing milk, egg and mustard120 g (4.2 oz)
- fresh lemon juice25 g (0.88 oz)
- ground sumac2 g (0.07 oz)
- chili flakes1.5 g
Equipment
- wide skillet
- pizza steel or heavy inverted sheet
- pizza peel
- salad spinner
- clean towels
- squeeze bottle or spoon
- digital scale
- rack
Exact method
- 1. Preheat with the loaded-pizza table below. Heat a dry skillet over high heat and crisp fully cooked doner meat in two batches for 2–3 minutes each; cool briefly so it does not steam the dough.
- 2. Spin lettuce completely dry. Blot tomato slices, soak onion in ice water for 10 minutes and dry it, then drain and squeeze only free brine from the cabbage.
- 3. Mix lemon juice with sumac and chili. Toss one-third of this sharp dressing through the cabbage and reserve the rest.
- 4. Open the 320 g dough to 32 cm with a 2 cm rim. Move to a lightly dusted peel and confirm it slides.
- 5. Spread all 130 g tomato, add mozzarella and distribute crisp meat in one loose layer.
- 6. Bake using the matching loaded setup below until the underside is deeply browned, cheese bubbles and meat is steaming; on steel allow 7–10 minutes.
- 7. Rest 90 seconds on a rack. Add lettuce, fresh tomato, onion and seasoned cabbage in a light even mound, not one wet central pile.
- 8. Drizzle all 120 g garlic sauce in narrow lines and spoon over the remaining lemon-sumac-chili dressing. Cut immediately into eight narrow slices.
How to know it is ready
- Meat has dark crisp edges and is steaming hot.
- The 32 cm base supports the cold salad without bending wet.
- Lettuce stays crisp and tomato shows no puddle.
- Garlic sauce is generous but remains in defined lines.
Troubleshooting
- Soft base: dry every salad component and rest the hot pizza on a rack before topping.
- Pale meat: crisp cooked meat in batches before it reaches the pizza.
- Flat heavy flavor: use the full lemon, sumac and chili dressing after baking.
- Messy slices: shred lettuce finely, use narrow sauce lines and cut before the salad wilts.
How to adapt the base recipe
- For chicken doner, use 300 g fully cooked thigh meat and check its marinade allergens.
- For a no-tomato version, replace red sauce with 100 g thick garlic-yogurt base, but bake only half and reserve half cold.
- For 35 cm, use 350 g dough, 170 g tomato, 175 g mozzarella, 380 g meat and increase every cold topping by 20%.
Storage and food safety
Serve immediately. Store hot base and cold salad separately whenever possible. Refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 2 days; remove salad and sauce, reheat the base and meat to 74°C / 165°F, then add fresh cold toppings.
Allergens
Egg, Gluten (wheat), Milk, Mustard Depending on the selected product, may also contain: Soy, Sulphites.
Always verify every label and cross-contact risk; brand formulations can change.