Oktoberfest Pizza

As you read this, millions of people are marking the change of the seasons by donning lederhosen, scarfing down sauerkraut and bratwurst, and chugging beer. It can only mean one thing: Oktoberfest.

Lager-lovers have until October 7 to get their polka on, (the annual festival, however quixotically, starts in September). What better way to celebrate at home than with America’s favorite beer food: pizza. Brats, apples, mustard, and caramelized onions will transport you to Bavaria, and your taste buds will be dancing on the table, or at least cheering Prosit!

Read on for the recipe...

Oktoberfest Pizza

To save time, use smoked brats instead of the fresh kind. Just slice them and add to the pizza before baking.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced in 1/4” slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup Oktoberfest beer, divided
• 2 or 3 fresh bratwurst
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 pound pizza dough*
• 1 cup packed shredded mozzarella
• 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in skillet, add apple slices and sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat oil in a different skillet. Add sliced onions and sauté over low heat about 15 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add ¼ cup beer and increase heat. Cook until onions are deep golden and beer has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove onions from skillet and set aside.

Prick bratwursts with a fork and add to same skillet with ½ cup beer. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook until browned and the beer has evaporated, about 2 more minutes. Remove from pan and cut into ¼” slices.

Roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface into a 9” round. Brush pizza with mustard. Sprinkle with mozzarella, then onions. Top with apple slices and bratwurst. Sprinkle with thyme. Bake until cheese melts and crust is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.

*You can find fresh pizza dough at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Italian markets.

Comments

That looks soooo good, it's making me hungry. Have you ever used this recipe with premade pizza pies? I am not so cooking inclined, but want to make this since it looks so good.

Hi Johan, I prefer the raw dough to a premade pizza like Boboli because it just taste so much better. You can find dough balls for 99 cents in the refrigerator section of Trader Joe's, and you can stretch it out with your hands. You don't even need a rolling pin!