Imitation Pepperoni Pizza

I started with a light soft dough, topped it with pizza sauce, then added cubes of turkey pastrami and shredded sweet potato in lieu of cheese. The sweet and piquant drizzle is the perfect balance of flavor for the turkey. It’s not your typical pizza, but you’re going to love it. Can be used as an appetizer or side. Yields 20 mini pizzas

Directions

Prepare the Dough

1. Pour warm water or juice into the bowl of a mixer. Add yeast and sugar and let it proof.

2. Add the remaining dough ingredients in the order listed. Mix until a soft dough is formed, and continue beating for five minutes. (This can be done by hand too.)

3. At this point you have three options: 1) Place the dough in freezer, well wrapped, until ready to use, then defrost fully before using. 2) Form the dough into small discs and freeze on a tray. Once frozen, place in a bag, then defrost when ready to use. 3) Place the dough in the fridge for a few hours or leave out to rise for about an hour and continue.

Tips:

When adding flour to a dough, always start with the lesser amount. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen and other factors, you might have to add more.

Assemble

1. Break off small pieces of dough and roll each one with a rolling pin into a small circle or disc. Place on a Gefen Parchment-lined baking sheet.

2. Mix the marinara sauce and the mayonnaise together in a small bowl. (A whisk is helpful to fully incorporate the mayo.)

3. Cut the turkey pastrami into strips and then into small squares.

4. Place the shredded sweet potato in a small bowl and mix with two teaspoons olive oil and a pinch of salt.

5. Mix glaze ingredients together in another small bowl. You might want to microwave for 30 seconds so it’s well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

7. Smear each dough disc with sauce, top evenly with turkey, and sprinkle shredded sweet potato on top. Drizzle glaze over all. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Notes:

I froze these already baked. The result was quite satisfactory, although the sweet potato was a little moist.