Flammkuchen

It’s referred to as Tarte Flambee in French and Flammkuchen in German. What this is is a thin-crusted “pizza” from the Alsacian area between Germany and France and it has a long history.

In either language, it means “tart baked in flames” and it was traditionally baked in large, wood-fired communal ovens as a test piece. If the fire was hot enough, the Flamed Cake would be done in mere minutes. Then whatever you wanted to cook was ready to go in.

Tarte Flambee can be found all over the regions of Alsace, the Rheinland (where my family is from) and Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is typically served with a local beer or wine. During my recent trip to Germany in September, I ordered Flammkuchen fairly frequently. It was the perfect light meal at a very reasonable cost. The photo above was one I ordered in Wissembourg, France (in the Alsace). Alongside a colorful salad and glass of local red, it made for a light and tasty lunch.

The traditional recipe calls for bread dough rolled out very thin in the shape of a rectangle or oval and then covered with creme fraiche, speck (bacon) and white onions. Mine was also sprinkled with finely chopped chives. The bacon and onions are sauteed before being added because they are not in the oven long enough to get properly cooked through.

While some recipes I researched call for yeast to be added to the dough, others didn’t and said it wasn’t necessary and I agree. A very thinly rolled dough doesn’t really need any. Flour, salt, water and some olive oil are all you need, so this is super easy to make! That said I usually toss in a little sourdough starter discard for a little sourdough tang, but this completely optional. I’ve made it several times now since returning home from Germany because it is just so easy to make and delicious. I use Applewood smoked bacon because of the smoky element, and prefer sweet red onions to white, but you could use pancetta or white onions if you prefer.

You’ll want to use a sheet pan and some parchment paper or a Silpat, like I’m using in the photo below so it doesn’t stick.

Here’s my version with Creme Fraiche, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Sauteed Red Onions

I’m using grams because I now weigh everything. I’ve gotten in the habit of doing that since I bake a lot of bread and baker’s use scales rather than measuring cups. You get more precise results that way. You can convert quite easily using a converter on Google. Just enter “grams to ounces conversion”. Enter the grams and it converts it to ounces for you. For example, the 350g of flour below is a little over 12 ounces. The below recipe is ideal for 2 people at 1 Flammkuchen each.

Ingredients for 2 Flammkuchen, measuring 12”x 8” each:

The dough:
350g all-purpose flour
220g water
45g sourdough starter discard (optional)
7g olive oil
7g sea salt

The toppings:
80g creme fraiche or sour cream
1 Tbsp or 2 of freshly chopped chives (optional)
6 strips bacon, cut into lardons (little strips)
1 small red onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 425F. Mix the dough ingredients and set aside. (If you add the sourdough starter, it’s just there for flavor, not to leaven the bread. I add it because I always need to find a use for the starter I have to discard, so why not). In a separate bowl, mix the creme fraiche with salt and pepper and some chopped chives, if you have any.

Slice bacon and cook, ideally in a cast iron pan. When browned and crisp, remove and drain on a paper towel. Remove all but 1 Tbsp bacon fat. Slice onions and add to pan with fat and cook until slightly browned. Drain on a separate paper towel-lined plate.

Your dough will be a little wet, so use plenty of flour on everything: your parchment, rolling pin and hands. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough in half. Roll out one dough ball into a rectangle or oval shape about 12”x8” directly on the parchment lined sheet pan. Smear on 1/2 the creme fraiche mixture (you want this to be a thin layer, not too thick), then sprinkle on 1/2 the cooked bacon and onions, and bake approx. 20 minutes until dough is slightly browned and crisp. Start eating that one immediately! (Of course, if you have 2 sheet pans, you could make them both simultaneously, but you’ll want to rotate them half way through and add a few minutes to your cook time.)

Repeat for the 2nd Flammkuchen. If you want to make 4 Flammkuchen, double the recipe.

Variations of the original recipe call for Gruyere cheese, mushrooms, or Muenster cheese. A sweet version is made with apples and cinnamon, then flambeed with Calvados, an apple brandy from Normandy. Really, you can put on top whatever you want and get creative! But this original recipe is near perfect.

Eat alone or make a little green salad or serve with a bowl of vegetable soup. It’s so good with a glass of Rhone wine. Enjoy!

A nice article about the history of Flammkuchen can be found here.