Currywurst Pizza

Currywurst is a German street food classic. Invented in the late 1940s in Berlin by kiosk owner Herta Heuwer, this spicy sausage is a riff on bratwurst, and it’s incredibly popular (the average German consumes 10 currywursts a year).

So, what’s in a currywurst? Well, you begin with a sliced bratwurst base (a rich pork-blend sausage seasoned with salt, pepper and maybe a little marjoram, caraway seed, nutmeg or garlic), pour a generous amount of curried tomato sauce over the top and finish with a dash of curry powder. Full-sized cutlery? No. Tiny wooden fork? Yes.

In Germany, currywurst recipes vary from region to region. Most sausage experts agree that currywurst began as a thing in Berlin — but these days, the Ruhr valley region also has a special relationship with this ready-to-eat treat. Case in point: Bochum’s very own Herbert Grönemeyer once dedicated a slightly tongue-in-cheek song to the humble currywurst.

Pizza and currywurst have a lot in common. They’re both comfort foods, and they’re both delicious: Combining them into one mouthwatering dish just makes sense.

Recently, Ooni ambassador Julia (@manopasto) invented a homemade curry sauce of her very own — an updated version, if you will, of Heuwer’s original Chillup sauce. Apples, orange juice, and just a touch of cola add sweetness to the paprika-enhanced tomato base. We think it’s delicious.

(By the way — currywurst usually comes with fries. For a fully authentic “currywurst pommes” experience, add a handful of your favourite fast food fries to the pizza post-bake.)

Difficulty

Servings

3 x 12” pizzas

Prep Time

20 minutes

By

A pizza topped with bratwurst, french fries and German curry sauce on a perforated pizza peel

1. Remove the dough from the fridge at least 2 to 3 hours before baking to bring it to room temperature.

2. Put the paprika, curry powder and chilli powder in a deep saucepan over medium heat, and let them warm up to activate the seasonings.

Add half the vegetable oil and mix thoroughly. Sauté the spices lightly over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and cook the fragrant mixture for an additional minute.

3. Pour in the cola, the orange juice and the broth to deglaze the pan.

Pour in the cola, the orange juice and the broth to deglaze the pan. Simmer until the liquid reduces by slightly less than half.

4. Add the ketchup, the water, and the grated apple.

Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes over a low flame.

5. Warm a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the remaining vegetable oil.

Sear the bratwurst on all sides (about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove them and set them aside on a plate, reduce the heat and return the sauce to the pan.

6. Slice the bratwurst, add it to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. (Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.)

7. Preheat your Ooni pizza oven to 450°C, using an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the stone.

8. Sprinkle your peel with a generous amount of flour or semolina, then gently stretch and shape the first dough ball into a 12-inch-round pizza base.

9. Starting from the center and moving out to the edges in a circular motion, spoon on 85 grams of curry sauce, leaving space at the edge for the crust.

Distribute a third of the sliced bratwurst evenly on the pizza.

10. Turn the heat halfway down and launch the pizza into the oven.

Bake for about 2 minutes until golden brown, turning regularly.

11. Transfer the pizza to a cooling rack and allow it to cool there for 1 to 2 minutes.

Then, transfer it to a bamboo peel or cutting board, and cut it into six slices. For an even more authentic currywurst experience, add an even layer of hot, fresh french fries to each slice.

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