Why this formula works
Sucuk already carries garlic, cumin, paprika, fat and salt, so the surrounding ingredients should brighten it rather than compete. Unsalted tomato is seasoned with pul biber; onion is cold-soaked to soften harshness; sumac, parsley and 15 g lemon juice stay post-bake for a sharp, fresh finish.
Honest timing
| Active preparation | 20 min |
| Hydration / proof / preheat | 1 h |
| Cooking / baking | 8 min |
| Elapsed total | 1 h 28 min |
Ingredients
- mature room-temperature pizza dough ball250 g (8.8 oz)
- thick unsalted pizza tomato sauce110 g (3.9 oz)
- low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated120 g (4.2 oz)
- ready-to-eat sucuk, casing removed and sliced 3 mm thick120 g (4.2 oz)
- fresh green chili, thinly sliced35 g (1.23 oz)
- red onion, sliced into 2 mm rings70 g (2.47 oz)
- flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped15 g (0.53 oz)
- ground sumac2 g (0.07 oz)
- pul biber or Aleppo-style chili flakes1.5 g
- fresh lemon juice15 g (0.53 oz)
Equipment
- pizza steel or stone
- pizza peel
- small bowl
- fine sieve
- clean kitchen towel
- digital scale
- pizza wheel
Exact method
- 1. Preheat the chosen steel, inverted sheet or stone oven exactly as shown in the oven table below.
- 2. Soak onion rings in cold water for 10 minutes, drain and blot completely dry. Slice chili thinly and remove some seeds only if a milder result is wanted.
- 3. Remove the sucuk casing and cut 3 mm slices. Blot the surfaces lightly; do not fry them first because the measured slices render during the pizza bake.
- 4. Stir tomato with all pul biber. Grate mozzarella, wash and dry parsley, and measure sumac and lemon for the cold finish.
- 5. Open the dough to 28–30 cm with a 1.5–2 cm rim. Move to a lightly dusted peel and confirm it slides.
- 6. Spread all 110 g seasoned tomato and add mozzarella. Arrange sucuk in one layer, then distribute dry onion and fresh chili without overlapping the sausage.
- 7. Bake with the matching setup below. On steel, use 5–8 minutes and rotate once; pull when sucuk edges curl and the underside browns.
- 8. Rest on a rack for 60 seconds. Add parsley, sumac and all 15 g lemon juice in fine droplets, then cut into six slices.
How to know it is ready
- Sucuk edges curl and brown while the centers remain juicy.
- Fresh chili softens but retains green color.
- The center supports 110 g tomato and rendered sausage fat.
- Sumac and lemon arrive as a bright finish rather than a sour puddle.
Troubleshooting
- Greasy center: keep sucuk in one non-overlapping layer and use low-moisture mozzarella.
- Too salty: use unsalted tomato and check the sucuk label before adding any salt.
- Harsh onion: complete the cold-water soak and blot it dry.
- Flat finish: use fresh lemon juice and sumac after baking, not before.
How to adapt the base recipe
- For medium heat, remove chili seeds and reduce pul biber to 0.75 g; keep sumac and lemon unchanged.
- For kaşar-style flavor, replace 60 g mozzarella with 60 g grated kaşar and check its milk declaration.
- For 35 cm, use a 300–320 g dough ball, 145 g tomato, 155 g cheese, 155 g sucuk, 45 g chili and 90 g onion.
Storage and food safety
Serve promptly. Refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 days and reheat uncovered until steaming. Add fresh parsley, sumac and lemon again only after reheating.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), Milk Depending on the selected product, may also contain: Mustard, Soy, Sulphites.
Always verify every label and cross-contact risk; brand formulations can change.