Cheesy garlic fingers with donair sauce

A made-in-the Maritimes delight!

A recent trip to Nova Scotia reawakened my love for garlic fingers dipped in the made-in-the-Maritimes delight that is donair sauce. Donairs are similar to gyros or shawarmas, but their sauce – a sweet and sour concoction that is oddly irresistible – is what sets them apart. Pair this sauce with cheesy, pizza-style garlic fingers and you’ve got a snack that’s as tempting at breakfast as it is at 3 a.m. after a night on the town.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) active dry yeast
• 1 cup (250 mL) warm water (~110F)
• Pinch white sugar
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups (625 – 750 mL) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 (7.5 mL) teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) white sugar
• 5 tablespoons (75 mL) olive oil

Donair sauce

• 3/4 cup (185 mL) canned sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup (90 mL) white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) garlic powder

Toppings

• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) garlic butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 cups (500 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (use a stand mixer if you have it). Add pinch of sugar. Let sit 5 minutes.
• Add 2 cups (500 mL) of flour, salt, remaining sugar and olive oil. Mix thoroughly, adding another 1/2 cup (125 mL) of flour as the mixture comes together.
• Keep mixing, adding more flour one tablespoon (15 mL) at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl without sticking. Knead in stand mixer for 3 minutes or turn out onto floured counter and knead by hand for 5 minutes.
• Put dough in a second bowl which has been lightly oiled; cover with a clean towel.
• Let rise for 1 hour.
• While dough is rising, prepare donair sauce by combining sweetened condensed milk, vinegar and garlic powder in a bowl. Stir or whisk to blend well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
• When dough has finished rising, punch it down then remove from bowl to a parchment-lined pizza pan or baking tray.
• Preheat oven to 450F.
• With your hands, press dough outwards from centre to stretch to fill the pizza pan or create a large oval on the baking tray. Brush garlic butter over dough to cover evenly then sprinkle cheese over top.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and transfer to cutting board. With a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut into sticks about 2 x 6 inches (5 x 15 cm).
• Serve with donair sauce for dipping.

Makes 1 pizza-sized portion of garlic fingers. No judgement if that’s one serving in your world.