Flammekueche Recipes

FLAMMKUCHEN/FLAMMEKUECHE (TARTE FLAMBEE)

Steps:

• 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.
• Preheat the oven to 450F/230C. Line a large baking sheet/tray (half sheet) with parchment.
• 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.
• 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.
• Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to the creme fraiche and mix well.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle/oval as thin as you can (around 1/8in/3mm).
• 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.
• Spread over the sauteed onions then top with the bacon, spreading them as evenly as you can. Top with the gruyere then bake for around 10 minutes until the edges are lightly brown and crisp and the toppings are just starting to color.

FLAMMKUCHEN (TARTE FLAMBEE)

Steps:

• Place 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons of flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add yeast, 3 to 4 tablespoons of the lukewarm water, and sugar into the well and stir in a small amount of flour from the sides. Set aside until mixture is frothy, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in remaining water and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. Add 1 teaspoon salt and knead vigorously with your hands until dough holds together as a ball.
• Loosely cover dough with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm, dry place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
• Prepare the topping while dough rises. Stir 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and sour cream in a bowl until smooth; season with salt, pepper, and parsley.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out 2 pieces as thinly as possible into long rectangles on a large piece of parchment, so both will fit on one baking sheet. Fold the sides of the dough pieces to form a 1/4-inch edge all around. Spread cream topping evenly across the dough and top each dough piece with 1/4 of the bacon and the onion rings. Transfer the 2 flammkuchen with the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Repeat with the other 2 dough pieces.

JOHN'S FLAMMEKUECHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out the bread dough into a rectangle, and spread out on a baking sheet greased with olive oil. Set aside.
• Place potato slices in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add bacon slices to the water, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Drain. Remove bacon, then dice.
• While the potatoes and bacon cook, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring until tender. Remove from heat and stir in cream; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Spread the onion mixture over the bread dough. Arrange potato slices evenly, and sprinkle with bacon.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until crust is golden on the bottom. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing.

TARTE FLAMBéE (ELSäSSER FLAMMKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to the highest temperature possible.
• Thoroughly mix flour, oil,water and salt to make a dough (should not be sticky) and roll out as thin as possible.
• Optional:Melt the butter in a pan, add onions and sweat for just a couple of minutes. Add bacon, stir and heat through. If you slice everything thin you don't have to sautée it before putting it on.
• Spread creme fraiche on top of dough, then spread onions and bacon on top of it. Season with salt and pepper.
• Put in the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Once the bread looks crispy it's done.
• SUGGESTIONS: Tastes great with a glass of white wine.
• Thin out the sour cream with a bit of cream.
• You could add cumin or grated cheese.
• Top with olives,tomatoes and bacon instead of onions. Or top with spinach,garlic tomatoes and sheep's cheese.
• You could even make a sweet version and top with thinnly sliced apples and cinnamon sugar on top of the creme fraiche.

FLAMMEKUECHE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in bowl of a large mixer. Mix with a dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until dough forms a sticky ball on the end of the hook. Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, approximately 1 hour. Punch down and divide into 6 equal pieces. Place 1 piece of dough on a floured board and coat with flour. With a floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a rough rectangle, approximately 10 inches to 12 inches across and 1/8-inch thick using plenty of flour on both sides of dough at all times. Repeat with remaining dough. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the topping. Dough can be prepared 1 day in advance, wrapped and refrigerated, until ready to roll.
• For the topping: In large bowl whisk together first 8 ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. and place racks close to bottom of oven. Spread 1/2 cup topping on each piece of rolled dough. Sprinkle with onions and then bacon. Bake until brown and crisp, approximately 10 minutes, rotating sheets midway through to brown evenly. Repeat with remaining dough and topping. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

TARTE FLAMBéE (FRENCH) OR FLAMMEKUECHE (GERMAN)

Steps:

• Dough:.
• Mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl, cover tightly, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• When the starter is light and bubbly, mix the beer and milk into the mixture.
• Put the flour and salt into a food processor, then, with the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. Process the dough until it forms a ball. Add very small amounts of additional flour or milk if necessary.
• Process the ball until it is smooth, elastic, and warm, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Butter a medium-sized bowl, roll the ball around in the butter, then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and let rise a second time.
• Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Oil a 14 x 16 inch baking sheet. Roll the dough until slightly smaller than the baking sheet. Place it on the sheet.
• Alsatian Tarte Flambee:.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
• Combine the crème fraîche, fromage blanc, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooled onion.
• Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Remove and drain through a strainer.
• Spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim all the way around, then dot with the bacon.
• Baking:.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tart is lightly browned.
• Variation - Arugula Tarte Flambee:.
• Instead of preparing the traditional Alsatian topping, proceed with baking the crust. Once the crust is baked, toss 2-3 handfuls of arugula with lemon vinaigrette. Top with shaved gruyere, olives and tomato.

FLAMMEKUECHE

Steps:

• At least 1 hour before baking, place pizza stone on lowest rack of oven and preheat oven to highest setting (500-550F)
• Stir yeast into 1/2 cup of warm water until dissolved and let stand until foamy, 5-10 min.
• Add flour and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough forms. Add additional water 1/2 tbs at a time, if dough seems dry.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, 7-10 min.
• Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 min.
• Cook bacon in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then crumble. Pour off all but about 1-1/2 tbs. fat from skillet.
• Add butter to the skillet and cook onions over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 25 min. Season with salt and pepper and cool.
• Whisk together heavy crea, fromage blanc, sour cream, yolk, oil, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
• Flatten dough with your hands on a floured surface and divide into thirds. Roll out 1 piece into a 9" round with a floured a rolling pin (dough wil be very thin) and transfer to floured bakers peel.
• Spread with 1/3 of the cream mixture, leaving 1/2" border around edge. Top with 1/3 of onions and bacon.
• Line up the far edge of the peel with the far edge of the pizza stone and tile peel, jerking it gently to start flammekeuche moving. Once the edge of the flammekeuche touches the stone, quickly pull back the peel to completely transfer the flammekeuche to the stone.
• Bake until the crust is browned and crisp, 6-8 min, then transfer with peel to a cutting board.
• Repeat with remaining 2/3 of ingredients to make an additional 2 flammekeuche

FLAMMEKUECHE (THIN-CRUSTED CHEESE, ONION AND BACON TART)

Steps:

• Combine the water, yeast and one cup of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended and set aside to proof the yeast, about five minutes.
• Once proofed, add the salt, then begin adding the remaining flour, little by little, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and begin kneading, adding additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead until the dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes.
• Once kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about one hour.
• Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Combine the onions, cheese, creme fraiche, salt and pepper and let sit for 15 minutes to soften the onions.
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, measuring about 12 1/2 by 15 inches. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
• Spread the onion mixture over the dough right to the edge. Sprinkle the bacon evenly over the top, then sprinkle generously with pepper.
• Bake just until the dough is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.