Flammekueche: The German Pizza you NEED to Know About!
Flammekueche (German Pizza): Join us as we prepare a delicious flammkuchen recipe, a German-style pizza that’s perfect for the whole family! This easy pizza features a homemade thin crust pizza base, topped with savory bacon for an incredible flammkuchen pizza experience. You’ll love the crispy crust on this delightful flatbread pizza!
Things to know:
What is flammekueche or flammkuchen?
Flammekueche (or Tarte Flambée) is a thin, crispy flatbread from the Alsace region of France, similar to a pizza but with a cracker-like crust and no tomato sauce, traditionally topped with crème fraîche (or sour cream), thinly sliced onions, and lardons (bacon). It’s a popular appetizer or light meal, often served with a salad, and is known for its simple, savory flavor. Variations include adding cheese (gratinée) or mushrooms (forestière).
What’s the difference between pizza and flammkuchen?
The main difference between Flammkuchen and pizza lies in the dough and base sauce: Flammkuchen uses a thin, unleavened dough (flour, water, oil) and a creamy base (crème fraîche/sour cream), while pizza typically uses a yeasted dough with a longer rise time and a tomato sauce base. Flammkuchen’s crust is cracker-thin and crispy, often topped with just bacon and onions, contrasting with pizza’s chewier crust and wider variety of toppings.
Is flammkuchen French or German?
Flammkuchen (German) or Tarte Flambée (French) is a dish from the Alsace region, a border area with deep French and German roots, making it both French and German, a regional specialty enjoyed in both cultures, originating from Alsatian farmhouses and popular in Germany (as Flammkuchen) and France (as Flammekueche or Tarte Flambée). It’s a thin flatbread with a cream base, bacon, and onions, traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven.
Is flatbread the same as Flammkuchen?
The Flammkuchen is Germany’s version of the flat bread pizza. It originated in Alsace (now part of France), just across the border from Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Bakers would test the temperature of their wood-burning ovens before baking bread by making Flammkuchen.
Ingredients
For the base
1 cup all purpose flour
1 T olive oil or vegetable oil as you prefer)
¼ t salt
¼ cup water or a little more as needed
For the topping
2 ½ oz smoked bacon
½ onion medium
4 oz sliced mushrooms (optional)
Artichoke hearts, quartered (optional)
1/2 cup kalamata olives (optional, though if you use them, smoked are the best)
½ T butter
3 T creme fraiche
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
¼ cup gruyere cheese approx, optional (Try to find Fromage blanc)
1. Mix together the flour, oil, salt and water in a bowl. If it’s too dry and won’t come together, add a little more water, but it will be a relatively dry dough. Kneed for a minute then set aside while you prepare the toppings.
2. Cut the bacon in to thin strips (‘lardons’) and cook in a small skillet/frying pan over a medium heat until they are just starting to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add the onions to the pan, along with the butter, and cook a few minutes until the onions have softened but are only just browning. If you are using mushrooms like us, add those puppies also!
4. Make the “sauce”. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to the creme fraiche and mix well.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle/oval as thin as you can (around ⅛ in/3mm).
6. Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet then spread the creme fraiche over the top, leaving a space around the edge without any topping.
7. Spread over the sautéed onions then top with the bacon, spreading them as evenly as you can. Add any other toppings you like. We did quartered artichoke hearts and katakana olives. Top with the gruyere, if using, then bake for around 10 minutes until the edges are lightly brown and crisp and the toppings are just starting to color.
8. Serve and ENJOY!
Pro tip: If you can’t find creme fraiche, try a mix of sour cream and Greek yogurt.
Equipment used:
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