Brat and Kraut Pizza with Tillamook Cheddar Sauce
Brat and Kraut Pizza with Tillamook Cheddar Sauce
Sausage and sauerkraut is one of my favorite pizzas, but I wanted to do something a little different than normal. Instead of a tomato-based sauce, I made a garlicky cheese sauce with Tillamook cheddar. I used sliced bratwurst instead of Italian sausage. What I ultimately created was the most Wisconsin-inspired pizza known to man.
Equipment
- pizza pan or pizza stone
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe or 1/2 the recipe for thin crust
- 8 oz bratwurst cooked; thinly sliced
- 1 cup sauerkraut drained of juices
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 2 green onions finely chopped
Tillamook Cheese Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup tillamook cheddar shredded
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion. Cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk. Whisk out any lumps of flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the Tillamook cheddar.
- Roll out your pizza dough to your desired thickness. Spread the cheese sauce, leaving a 1/4” edge of crust.
- Top the pizza with mozzarella cheese; followed by the sliced brat, sauerkraut, and green onion.
- Bake in a preheated 475° oven for 12-15 minutes.
Pizza Dough
For the last 8 months, I’ve been trying to perfect the perfect standard pizza dough. Through lots of trial and error, I think I may have done it. This recipe is basic and straightforward, yielding what I consider a really good medium thickness crust for a 14” pizza. If you divide the dough into two, you will have 2 – 12” thin crust pizzas. Once assembled, these pizzas bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes depending on the crust thickness and the type of pan or pizza stone you use. This dough can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can also be frozen.
Equipment
- upright standing mixer with dough hook attachment
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour plus extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast and sugar. Dissolve in the warm water and let activate until bubbly; about 5 minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt in an upright standing mixer for 30 seconds on low. Pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will pull away completely from the side of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.
- Gently flour a clean surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour the top.
- Using either your hands or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough to your desired thickness.
