New year, old school food. What better recipe to make in such stressful and anxious times? This pizza is one of my all-time favorites, especially with Kramarczuk’s sauerkraut and Polish sausage.
Polish Sausage & Sauerkraut Pizza
Ingredients
The Dough
Makes two 12-inch pies, or one really big one
- 1 cup of 00 flour
- 1 cup of AP flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
The sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot or onion
- 1 pinch ground clove
- 2 pinches ground fresh nutmeg
- Several pinches of cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons Kirsch or brandy
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 12 ounces shredded gruyere cheese
Toppings
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons of my French Lemon & Shallots Seasoning seasoning (available at Walmart, Shoprite and www.badiaspices.com)
- 3 cups naturally fermented sauerkraut, squeezed to remove liquid
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 pound Polish sausage (or any of your favorite sausages), thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
Make the dough
Whisk together the flours and salt.
In a large bowl combine 1 cup lukewarm water, the yeast and the olive oil.
Add the flour mixture to the yeast bowl and begin to combine with your hands, eventually kneading it when it comes together for several minutes. Drape a towel over the bowl and let it rest for 25 minutes.
Knead rested dough for 3-5 minutes by hand. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Then shape each piece into a ball. Place on a heavily floured wooden board and cover with a damp cloth. I let mine rest/rise for 3 hours in a warm spot in my kitchen.
To utilize, transfer dough balls onto another floured surface to stretch it and shape as desired.
Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a 3 or 4 quart pot over medium heat. When foaming, add the shallots and spices. Cook for a minute, then add the flour. Cook for another 30-45 seconds. Add the kirsch or brandy and the milk. Continue whisking, let the milk heat up briefly, then add the half and half. Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes, until it is thickened and resembles a bechamel.
Add the gruyere cheese in thirds, whisking. Adjust seasoning.
Let cool but spread on pizza dough while warm.
Make the pizzas
Place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
Place each pizza dough onto a pizza paddle and using a ladle spread some sauce on your dough.
Sprinkle on the garlic and French Kiss seasoning.
Add the kraut, then the grated gruyere, then the sausage, and finally sprinkle with thyme.
Bake in a 500-degree oven on a pizza stone or cookie sheet.
When finished cooking, I look for yummy blisters on my crust, remove and eat!
