Canadian Donair Pizza

The donair – a pita sandwich stuffed with beef, tomatoes, onions and sauce – is a hugely popular food in Canada with iterations in egg rolls, poutine and even beer. Not to be confused with its much more famous cousin, the Doner, the donair is sought-after now – both in Canada and worldwide. It wasn't invented until the 1970s, when Greek brothers Peter and John Gamoulakos opened a pizza shop in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

To appeal to Canadian taste, Peter invented a version of a Greek gyro – vertical spit-roasted meat served in a pita with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki, a yogurt sauce – but with beef and a condensed milk sauce. The name may originate from the spit roasting machine the brothers used (the Don-Air), or possibly doner, after the previously mentioned Turkish dish. To say it was a hit is an understatement: in 2015, the donair became the official food of Halifax. 

Here, journalist, former restaurant cook and one-time pizzaiola Ivy Knight (@ivyporkchopknight) marries the best of Canadian legends King of Donair and Nimrod’s versions to create this quintessential pizza. A classic pizza dough base is topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, onions and thinly sliced donair meat (a mix of ground beef and lamb). For a savoury twist, the crust is dusted with za’atar – a Middle Eastern spice mixture that includes thyme, marjoram, sumac and toasted sesame seeds – and the pizza is then drizzled with sweet donair sauce. Unusual? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. 

Want to learn more about the history of the donair? Check out Ivy’s essay here. 



Difficulty

Servings

Makes four 12-inch (30-centimetre) pizzas

Prep Time

20 minutes

(not including dough prep and proof time)
Cook Time

90 seconds to 2 minutes

By Ivy Knight

canadian donair pizza

Note

For the dough, we recommend our Classic Pizza Dough, just be sure to set aside 3 to 4 hours for proofing before cooking. We have recipes for donair meat and donair sauce (and if lamb isn't your thing, simply leave it out and add more beef!).

1. Preheat your oven, aiming for 400 to 450 °C (750 to 850 °F) on your pizza stone.

You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer. 

2. Place a dough ball on your lightly floured work surface.

Push the air from the centre out to the edge with your fingers. Stretch the dough out to a 12-inch (30-centimetre) round base, and then keep your dough on the worktop or lie it over your lightly-floured pizza peel.

3. Working quickly, top the pizza with ¼ of the donair meat, ¼ of the mozzarella, ¼ of the chopped onions and ¼ of the tomatoes, leaving about 1 inch (2.

5 centimetres) for the crust.

canadian donair pizza

4. Brush the crust with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with just under a tablespoon (1 gram) of za’atar.

 

5. Launch your pizza into the oven.

Cook your pizza for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, turning every 20 seconds or so for an even bake.

6. Remove the pizza from the oven, slice and drizzle with donair sauce to taste (you can also reserve the sauce for dipping!).

Serve immediately and repeat the steps for the remaining pizzas.

Ivy Knight

Ivy Knight (@ivyporkchopknight) is a journalist, former line cook and one-time pizzaiolo who grew up on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Her byline can be found in The New York Times, The New Yorker and Food & Wine. She also creates restaurant memes @allezceline.

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