Turkish Pizza

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If you’re in the mood to experiment and take a trip to Istanbul – try my Turkish pizza.

Preparation time:
Cooking time:
Yield: 8

In a small bowl, add 1 1/3 cup lukewarm water and 1 tsp. sugar. Add yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Combine 3 ¾ all-purpose flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough blade, add olive oil, yogurt and yeast mixture. Blend. Knead on low speed for about 10 to 12 minutes until the dough comes together and is smooth. (Alternatively just mix the dough by hand.)
Turn dough onto a well-floured surface. Using the remaining flour continue to knead the dough by hand until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 5 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If dough is still too sticky, add a little more flour. Place the dough in a lightly oiled medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm spot until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a medium large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Sauté eggplant until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl. Let eggplant cool to room temperature.
In the same sauté pan, add 1 tbsp. of olive over medium high heat. Add lamb and season with sumac and salt and pepper. Sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, just to cook the tomato paste. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
Combine eggplant with the lamb mixture in a large bowl. Add garlic, chiles, parsley and ½ cup of the grated mozzarella. Toss to combine.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and heat pizza stone according to manufacturer’s directions. (Alternatively bake the pizzas on baking sheets or pizza pans if not using a pizza stone.)
Punch down dough. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Using your hands, stretch and pull (or alternatively roll with a rolling pin) each piece of dough into a large rectangle, about 10 x 12-inch ovals.
Sprinkle some flour onto a pizza paddle. Place an oval of dough onto the pizza paddle. (Alternatively if you don’t have a paddle, you can sprinkle flour onto the back of a pizza pan or baking sheet to transfer dough to the pizza stone. If you are not using a pizza stone to bake the pizzas just bake them in a floured baking sheet or pizza pan).
Evenly spoon a ¼ of the lamb and eggplant mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold over edges of the dough using a twisting action to create a crust. Sprinkle a ¼ of the remaining grated cheese (about 1/3 cup) on top of the lamb and eggplant mixture.
Transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake until topping is bubbly and crust is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cut in strips or wedges. Repeat with remaining ovals of dough. Makes 4 pizzas.