Peking Duck Pizza

Name: Peking Duck Pizza
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 56 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 balls (1 lb each) (900 g) store-bought or homemade pizza dough, at room temperature, in 2 equal balls of about 450 g each; 2 tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour, for dusting the counter; 2 tbsp (18 g) fine cornmeal, for dusting the peel; 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil such as canola, for brushing the rim of the crust; ⅓ cup (90 g) hoisin sauce; 1 tbsp (15 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar; 1 tsp (5 ml) toasted sesame oil; 1 clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated; 1 tsp (3 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; ¼ tsp (½ g) Chinese five-spice powder; 2 tbsp (30 ml) water, 1 tbsp for the sauce and 1 tbsp for the drizzle; 12 oz (340 g) cooked Chinese roast duck meat with skin, boneless, shredded or chopped into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces; 6 oz (170 g) low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely shredded; 5 oz (150 g) Persian cucumbers or ½ English cucumber, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) matchsticks and patted dry; 4 (60 g) scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced lengthwise into long shreds; 3 tbsp (50 g) hoisin sauce; 1 tbsp (9 g) toasted sesame seeds; ¼ cup (8 g) fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed, roughly torn (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crisp, chewy pizza crust spread with a garlicky hoisin sauce, melted mozzarella and shredded roast duck, then finished with cool cucumber, scallions and a hoisin drizzle, like a Peking duck pancake on a pizza.

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 16 min
Wait: 49 min
Total: 1 hr 45 min
Makes: 2 pizzas (12-inch / 30 cm each), 8 slices total

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the crust
2 balls (1 lb each) (900 g) store-bought or homemade pizza dough, at room temperature, in 2 equal balls of about 450 g each
2 tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour, for dusting the counter
2 tbsp (18 g) fine cornmeal, for dusting the peel
1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil such as canola, for brushing the rim of the crust
For the hoisin sauce
⅓ cup (90 g) hoisin sauce
1 tbsp (15 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp (5 ml) toasted sesame oil
1 clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated
1 tsp (3 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
¼ tsp (0.5 g) Chinese five-spice powder
2 tbsp (30 ml) water, 1 tbsp for the sauce and 1 tbsp for the drizzle
For the topping
12 oz (340 g) cooked Chinese roast duck meat with skin, boneless, shredded or chopped into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces
6 oz (170 g) low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely shredded
To finish
5 oz (150 g) Persian cucumbers or ½ English cucumber, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) matchsticks and patted dry
4 (60 g) scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced lengthwise into long shreds
3 tbsp (50 g) hoisin sauce
1 tbsp (9 g) toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup (8 g) fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed, roughly torn (optional)

Equipment (5)

Pizza stone or steel, or a heavy rimmed baking sheet
Pizza peel or a sheet of parchment paper and a rimless baking sheet
Sharp chef's knife and cutting board
Small mixing bowls (3)
Pizza cutter

Steps

Before you start

Take the dough out of the fridge 45 minutes before shaping. Cold dough is stiff and snaps back when you stretch it.
Put the pizza stone or steel on the middle rack and preheat the oven to its highest setting, up to 500°F (260°C), for a full 45 minutes. If you don't have a stone, preheat an upside-down heavy rimmed baking sheet.
You need cooked roast duck. Buy it from a Chinese barbecue shop or grocery, or use leftover roast duck. The meat should include some skin.
The pizzas bake one at a time. Have the second one shaped and ready to top while the first bakes.

1
Rest dough, heat ovenOven 500°F / 260°C
- Set the dough balls on a lightly floured plate, cover with a clean towel, and leave them at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- At the same time, put the pizza stone or steel on the middle rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C), or its highest setting, for 45 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough feels soft and slack and no longer cold to the touch; the oven has been at temperature for the full 45 minutes.
Tip: Do not shorten the preheat. A stone that isn't fully hot gives a pale, soft crust.
2
Mix hoisin sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together 90 g (⅓ cup) hoisin, the rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated garlic, grated ginger, five-spice powder and 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the water.
- Stir until smooth and spreadable, like thick ketchup.
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Ready when: Sauce is glossy, evenly mixed and drips slowly from a spoon.
3
Prepare the duck
- Shred or chop the duck meat and skin into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.
- Toss it with 1 tbsp of the hoisin sauce from the bowl so it is lightly coated.
- Divide the duck into 2 equal portions.
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Ready when: Duck pieces are small, evenly sized and lightly glossy with sauce.
Tip: Keep the pieces small and the layer thin. Big chunks of duck stay cold and slide off the slices.
4
Prep the fresh toppings
- Cut the cucumbers into 2-inch (5 cm) matchsticks and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Shred the scallions lengthwise into long thin strips.
- In a small bowl, stir the 3 tbsp hoisin for drizzling with the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) water until it runs off a spoon in a ribbon.
- Shred the mozzarella if you haven't already.
- Keep everything at the counter.
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Ready when: Cucumber is dry, scallions are in fine strips, and the drizzle pours easily.
Tip: Wet cucumber will make the pizza soggy, so dry it well.
5
Shape the first crust
- Dust the counter with some of the flour.
- Press and stretch one dough ball into a 12-inch (30 cm) round, leaving a slightly thicker ½-inch (1 cm) rim.
- Sprinkle the peel (or parchment on a rimless baking sheet) with 1 tbsp of the cornmeal and lay the dough on it.
- Brush the rim lightly with neutral oil.
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Ready when: Dough is an even round, thin in the center, and slides freely when you shake the peel.
Tip: Stretch with your knuckles and fingertips rather than a rolling pin so the rim keeps its air bubbles.
6
Top the first pizza
- Spread about half of the hoisin sauce in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border.
- Scatter over half of the mozzarella (about 85 g), then half of the duck.
- Shake the peel to check that the pizza moves freely.
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Ready when: Toppings are evenly spread and the pizza still slides on the peel.
Tip: Work quickly. Dough that sits under wet toppings sticks to the peel.
7
Bake the first pizzaOven 500°F / 260°C
- Slide the pizza onto the hot stone.
- Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 7 to 9 minutes, rotating it halfway through if your oven heats unevenly.
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Ready when: Rim is deep golden brown with dark spots, the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned in places, the duck edges are crisp, and the bottom is browned and firm. The duck should reach 165°F (74°C).
Tip: Hoisin has sugar and darkens fast. If the duck edges start to blacken before the crust is done, move the pizza to a lower rack.
8
Finish and slice
- Transfer the pizza to a cutting board.
- Top with half the cucumber and scallions, drizzle with about half of the thinned hoisin, and sprinkle with half the sesame seeds and cilantro, if using.
- Let it rest 2 minutes, then cut into 4 or 8 slices.
- While the first pizza rests, shape and top the second one as in the previous steps.
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Ready when: Cheese no longer slides when the board is tilted; toppings are cool and crunchy against the hot base.
Tip: Add the cucumber and scallions after baking, never before. Heat wilts them and you lose the contrast.
9
Bake the second pizzaOven 500°F / 260°C
- Slide the second pizza (with the remaining dough, sauce, cheese and duck) onto the stone.
- Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 7 to 9 minutes, until it looks like the first.
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Ready when: Deep golden rim, bubbling cheese, firm browned bottom.
Tip: Let the oven come back to full heat for 3 to 4 minutes after the first pizza before baking this one.
10
Garnish and serve
- Top the second pizza with the remaining cucumber, scallions, hoisin drizzle, sesame seeds and cilantro.
- Rest for 2 minutes, slice, and serve right away.
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Ready when: Slices come away cleanly with a pizza cutter.

Good to know

Tips

Spread the sauce thinly. Hoisin is very sweet and salty, and too much makes the center soggy and the pizza cloying.
Roast duck skin gets crisp in the oven. Keep some skin in each portion of duck for the best texture.
For a crisper crust, slide the pizza off the peel in one quick motion and don't open the oven door more than needed.
If you don't have a pizza stone, bake on a preheated, inverted heavy baking sheet. It works nearly as well.

Make ahead

"Make the hoisin sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Shred the duck and cut the cucumber and scallions up to 1 day ahead and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Dough can be shaped into balls and refrigerated up to 2 days, but bring it to room temperature for 45 minutes before using."

Storage & reheating

Best eaten right away. Refrigerate leftover slices, ideally with the fresh toppings scraped off and kept separate, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the duck is steaming hot (165°F / 74°C), then add fresh cucumber and scallions. To freeze, wrap baked slices without the fresh toppings tightly for up to 2 months, and reheat from frozen at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes. Don't leave pizza at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Substitutions

cooked Chinese roast duck meat with skin → shredded rotisserie chicken or Chinese barbecue pork (char siu). Chicken is leaner, so add an extra teaspoon of hoisin to coat it. Char siu is already sweet, so use slightly less sauce.
low-moisture mozzarella → Monterey Jack. Melts similarly with a mild flavor that doesn't compete with the hoisin.
Chinese five-spice powder → a pinch of ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground star anise or fennel seed. Gives a similar warm, sweet-spicy flavor.
unseasoned rice vinegar → apple cider vinegar. Use the same amount. The flavor is slightly fruitier.