Schweinekrustenbraten literally translates to “pork roast with a crust,” and is a staple of Bavarian cuisine. Schweinekrustenbraten is often found in beer halls, served with roast vegetables, potato dumplings or spaetzle, and sauerkraut. It’s particularly popular during Oktoberfest (the annual, weeks-long Bavarian festival that draws millions), when cooler days call for heart-warming dishes. The pork joint (typically the shoulder) is seasoned with a paste made from paprika, mustard and caraway seeds.

Cooking Schweinekrustenbraten in an Ooni oven is simple, thanks to Bavarian grill enthusiast Dominic Stettner (@dominic.stettner), who brought this delicious Ooni recipe to life. All you need is a deep stainless steel baking dish (that can sustain temperatures of 200°C / 392°F), tin foil, and a wired meat thermometer to ensure the meat is cooked thoroughly. After a sear on both sides, the cut is slow-cooked atop a bed of seasonal root vegetables, which infuse with the juices, stock, and dark beer as they cook. Later, the vegetables and juices are blended to make a beautifully rich sauce. The crispy pork rind is cooked last, and requires a strong lick of flames which caramelise the fat. Carve with your sharpest knife and serve with sauce and vegetables—washed down with a tankard of Bavarian beer! This dish should be enjoyed all year round, but it's especially apt to warm the cockles in the colder fall and winter months, and makes a great alternative to traditional beef or chicken roasts.

Bright and full of flavor, quick-pickled red onions add zest to almost any dish. Made with a simple mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt and spices, this recipe will give you crunchy, briny, gloriously pinkish-purple onions in just 30 minutes (plus an overnight soak).. In a hurry? In that case, just let your quick pickles sit until they’re cool, then dig in. If you’re in a real pinch, you can use raw onions and vinegar to create an ultra-fast quick pickle substitute without the spicy kick. .

We call these pickles, but they’re not the same as the jarred slices lined up on supermarket shelves. How are they different? In quite a few ways, actually.

In a more traditional pickling process — think kimchi, shelf-stable Mexican escabeche or jarred dill pickles — anaerobic fermentation preserves food while also giving it a distinct vinegary flavor. In simple terms, lactobacillus bacteria turn vegetable sugars into lactic acids. These acids lend pickles their distinct flavors while also killing harmful bacteria and preserving the vegetables. 

Our “quickles” don’t go through fermentation, so they’re not shelf-stable or safe to eat after a long period of time. We’re simply using a brine mixture  to give onions extra “oomph.” Plan on refrigerating any leftover quick pickles, and eat them within a few days. We doubt they’ll stick around long though: After all, they’re great on pizza, salads, sandwiches, and everything in between. 

Pizza crusts often go uneaten. Sometimes called “pizza bones,” they’re often seen as lower value in the pizza culture, tidbits to be cast aside in favor of the cheesy, saucy, delicate center. . If you’re the kind of person who leaves a pile of “bones” on your plate (or maybe you know someone who does), prepare to make a pizza judgment U-turn..

Our herbed garlic butter turns plain crust into something rich, aromatic and delicious. Made simply — we believe that fewer, better ingredients produce the best flavors — this easy garlic butter might just transform the way you make pizza forever. Brush it on after your pie is done baking and you’ll bring it back to the bones.

We took jalapeño poppers — breaded or bacon-wrapped jalapeño peppers stuffed with cream cheese — and baked them right into a pizza crust. Our riff on this beloved party snack is full of dairy and light on the bacon for maximum cheese pull and minimal bacon fat leakage.

There are many approaches to jalapeño poppers and stuffed crusts. After plenty of *ahem* “research,” we’ve found the most effective is to bake jalapeño poppers and then cut them up and combine them with mozzarella, cream cheese and heavy cream to create a spreadable mixture (shredded mozz gives you that picture perfect string cheese effect).

There are a few extra steps to building a pizza with a jalapeño popper stuffed crust, which we outline below. But here’s the headline: Your dough ball needs to be bigger than normal. We know this sounds like a duh! moment, but trust us — it’s an oft-forgotten step in the process.

We launched our pizza into the oven from a peel, but if you’re a somewhat-more-hesitant pizzaiolo, you can use a screen or cook this pizza on a steel in your conventional oven, so that you don’t risk any rippage.

You’ve probably seen hot honey on pizzeria menus or as a condiment in restaurants (think Mike’s Hot Honey), but what about a chipotle version? Our foolproof recipe calls for just three things: hot peppers, honey and time. Suspending toasted chipotle peppers in an airtight jar of honey creates something smoky, earthy and sweet — the perfect finishing touch for pizzas, wings and other delectable eats.

Chipotles are simply smoke-dried ripe jalapeños. As the peppers dry, they lose their snappy, fiery jalapeño flavor and mellow out, gaining a bit of sweetness and a different kind of bite along the way. Our simple, delicious hot honey recipe harnesses that unique chipotle flavor and balances subtle heat with even more sweet.

Love chile de árbol or ancho chiles? Use them instead. This infusion works beautifully with a whole range of dried chiles.

If you’d like to expand your honey repertoire, check out our Thyme, Meyer Lemon and Bay Leaf-Infused Honey recipe or buy a bottle of Mike’s Hot Honey.

This recipe is part of our garnish of the month series. Find the rest of the series here.

We love infusing our own honey. Remember making potions as a kid? This is just like that — only for grown-ups. Infused honeys are quick and easy to make, and they open the door to a world of inventive flavor. The herbal base notes in this aromatic combination of thyme, Meyer lemon and bay leaf-infused honey complement its sweetness perfectly.

Our recipe is simple, calling for just a few ingredients, a little heat and a little time. We chose Meyer lemons because they’re sweeter and more fragrant than your average supermarket lemon, but feel free to substitute another type of lemon or in-season citrus fruit if you like. We made things even zingier with lemon thyme because of its piquant aroma and floral flavor, which pairs well with the bay leaves and citrus, but any readily available thyme will work.

We recommend drizzling this delightful infusion over our Bianco-Inspired Pistachio Pizza. You can also use it as an alternative to regular honey in topping recipes, or as a dip for crusts. If you’d like to expand your honey repertoire, check out our chipotle honey recipe or buy a bottle of Mike’s Hot Honey.

This recipe is part of our garnish of the month series. Find the rest of the series here.

Sure, you’ve had pesto pizza and a fresh basil garnish on your Margherita, but have you ever tried basil oil? This simple finishing oil is easy to make and packs a sweet, peppery punch — and it’s not just infused: It’s blended and strained, which amplifies the basil flavor in a big way. 

This recipe uses only two ingredients, so it’s important that both are high quality. Look for fresh basil and choose an olive oil brand you can trust. After you emulsify the ingredients, give this oil plenty of time to strain. Here at Ooni HQ, we have a Chemex (a glass coffee maker that doubles as an all-purpose filter), but a cheesecloth, a strainer and a bowl will work perfectly well (and we’ve even been known to use paper towels in a pinch). 

Once the oil has gone through your filter, you’ll be left with an emerald green elixir, which you can store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it (but bring it up to room temperature before attempting any drizzling). We love it in place of fresh basil leaves on top of a pizza Margherita, but use it on anything you see fit. You can distribute the oil with a spoon, but if you’re going for presentation points, a plastic squirt bottle or glass bottle with a nozzle will make the oil easier to control.

This recipe is part of our garnish of the month series. Find the rest of the series here. 

Inspired by the mail-order packets of herbs and spices that Hidden Valley Ranch-founder Steve Henson started selling in 1954, we made our own homemade ranch crust dust. Our secret ingredient is buttermilk powder — a dehydrated version of the cultured dairy product — which gives our spice blend that particular beloved tang. You can find it on Amazon or at your local supermarket. Just brush some melted butter on your crust, sprinkle on a healthy dose of ranch powder post-bake, and you may find yourself wanting to eat crust-first. 

Featured in: Pizza ♥ Ranch: An Edible Love Affair

Fried garlic chips add crunch and flavor to anything. We’re partial to using them as a pizza topping, of course, but they’re excellent on salad, pasta, soup, fish, and much more. Easy and shelf-stable, once you know how to make ‘em, you’ll always want to have a batch on hand. 

When making garlic chips, think thin (like Paulie in Goodfellas thin). We prefer using the inexpensive and amazingly useful Japanese Benriner mandoline (a mainstay of professional kitchens) but however you choose to do it, slice your garlic as finely as possible. Aim for almost translucent; the thinner the slice, the more delicate and crispy the chip. 

These are only fried briefly, so stirring often and keeping an eye on the stove is essential. In just a few minutes, these can go from toasty golden brown to bitter and burnt. 

When choosing an oil, opt for a high-quality grapeseed or other neutral oil, since you won’t want to throw it out when you’re done. Instead, once you’ve fried your garlic, save the oil and reuse it. The leftover garlicky oil  is great drizzled on roasted veggies, made into vinaigrette, or used as a finishing oil on pizza. 

This recipe is part of our Garnish of the Month series. Find the rest of the series here. 

Ramazan pidesi, Turkish leavened bread traditionally eaten during the evening meals of Ramadan — a month in which Muslims strictly fast from sunup to sundown — is light, chewy and covered in sesame and nigella seeds. Turkish pizza maker Serhan Ayhan of Astoria, Queens-based pizza popup Next Level Pizza created a version of the bread that cooks up in either an Ooni oven or a home oven. Glazed with egg and yogurt and dimpled in a criss-cross design, this is a bread that deserves to be the centerpiece of your iftar (the evening meal that ends the day’s fast).  

In order to make a pidesi recipe that’s versatile, Serhan provides a few different options for cooking. Yeast, salt and temperature can all vary slightly depending on your preferences.

Designed to work whether you prefer sourdough or instant yeast, Serhan’s recipe includes techniques for both. If baking with sourdough starter, you’ll need to add one day to the recipe time, as you’ll have to make a levain (a mixture of water, flour and sourdough starter) and leave it to pre-ferment overnight before adding it to the rest of the mix.

You can change the amount of salt you add to the recipe-anything between 15 to 20 grams will work-but keep in mind that the less salt used the more slack this dough will be. Serhan prefers diluting the salt in about 25g of the recipe’s water and adding it after the initial mix.

Finally, there’s room to play with the temperature of your oven, anywhere from 450° to 600°F (230° to 315°C). Pidesi baked at a higher temperature (550° to 600°F/290° to 315°C) may be done in 4 to 6 minutes and yield a softer bread with nice charring, whereas the same dough baked at a lower temperature (450° to- 550°F / 230° to 290°C) may be done in 6 to 12 minutes (or longer) and yield a crispier bread that has an even, golden brown crust.

This recipe is featured in “This Ramazan Pidesi is an Iftar Centerpiece.”

Candied jalapeños are a treat that expertly balances heat and sweetness. Crunchy and fiery jalapeños are boiled in sugar and water until they’re softened, then coated in a simple syrup made from the reduced liquid. Easy to make and easy to store, candied jalapeños are a crowd-pleasing shortcut to sweet-heat nirvana. We love ‘em on pizza, but they’re just as good with cheese and crackers or added to a sandwich.

Sometimes referred to as cowboy candy (at least in Texas), candied jalapeños have a long history punctuated by a surge in popularity. While Texans have been making them for upwards of a century (or some version of sweetened jalapeños, at least), they’ve started showing up more recently on pizza menus — and for good reason. A self-contained dose of sugar and spice, they make any topping combination more exciting and unexpected.

Our recipe is easy: peppers, vinegar, sugar, lime, and a little time.

Be sure to let the sugary cooking liquid reduce after you remove the jalapeños. This ensures you’ll get more of a syrup than a sweet water. While we’ll always pop a whole round on our own slice as a topping, we’d understand if you preferred to chop them up in smaller pieces for even distribution. And once you get a taste for it, you may just find yourself spooning the spicy-sweet syrup directly from the jar (or, better yet, applying it with a squirt bottle!).

However you use them — and we hope you’ll be inventive — you’ll be wishing you had made them sooner.

This recipe is part of our garnish of the month series. Find the rest of the series here.

We took the best elements of a cheese board — fruit, pickles and cheese, all complex in flavor — and combined them on a pizza for an effect that’s sweet, sour, creamy and a bit funky. It works year-round, of course, but it’s extra special when summer berries are at their best. The fresher the blueberries, the better the slice.

Pickled blueberries (added pre- or post-bake) and lemon zest make for a sweet zing that’s complemented by the creamy Camembert and nutty Gruyère. Other berries would work well in this application (try raspberries or blackberries when they’re in season) but there’s just something about the plumpness of the blueberries that provides for that extra textural contrast. While this pizza is mostly about assembling quality ingredients, it does require a bit of forethought: You’ll have to make the pickled blueberries two days in advance so they have time to brine.

Excellent for an afternoon picnic in the back garden or boxed up to cart to the park or beach, we recommend pairing this pizza with a bottle of sparkling white wine and good friends.

This recipe features pickled blueberries, part of our Garnish of the Month series.