A thin, crispy flatbread topped with creme fraiche, bacon and onion, baked at high heat until the edges char, a beloved German-Alsatian snack.
Flammkuchen, sometimes called tarte flambee, comes from the border region between Germany and Alsace, France, a paper-thin dough topped simply with creme fraiche, bacon lardons and thinly sliced onion. Unlike pizza, the dough here is rolled extremely thin and baked at a very high temperature for a short time, resulting in a shatteringly crisp base rather than a chewy, bready crust. The creme fraiche topping stays tangy and light rather than melting into a gooey cheese layer, giving flammkuchen a distinctly different character from Italian-style flatbreads, best eaten immediately while the edges are still crackling.
Serves 4
Mix flour and salt, then stir in warm water and olive oil until a smooth dough forms; knead 5 minutes and rest 20 minutes.
Roll the dough out as thin as possible on a floured surface, ideally to a paper-thin rectangle.
Roll the dough as thin as possible — flammkuchen's signature crispness depends on a very thin, cracker-like base.
Mix creme fraiche with nutmeg and salt, then spread thinly and evenly over the dough.
Scatter bacon lardons and thinly sliced onion evenly over the top.
Bake at 250C/480F (or the highest your oven allows) for 10-12 minutes until the edges are deeply charred and crisp.
Scatter with chives, slice, and serve immediately.
Roll the dough as thin as humanly possible — this cracker-like thinness is the defining characteristic of proper flammkuchen.
Bake at the highest temperature your oven allows, which is essential for developing the charred, crisp edges quickly.
Serve immediately after baking, since flammkuchen loses its crispness relatively quickly once it sits.
A vegetarian version omits the bacon and adds extra caramelized onion or mushrooms.
A sweet version topped with apple and cinnamon is a dessert variation found in some regions.
Adding a bit of gruyere cheese is a more modern, non-traditional touch.
Best eaten fresh and hot; leftovers keep a day refrigerated but lose much of their crispness — reheat briefly in a very hot oven to help restore some crunch.
Flammkuchen originates from the Alsace region on the border of France and Germany, its name meaning 'flame cake,' traditionally baked in the intense residual heat of a wood-fired oven after bread baking, using scraps of dough that would otherwise go to waste.
Yes, though roll it much thinner than you would for pizza — flammkuchen's crispness depends on a paper-thin base.
Sour cream is a widely accepted substitute and gives a very similar tangy richness.
The dough was likely rolled too thick, or the oven wasn't hot enough — roll thinner and bake at the highest possible temperature.
Per serving (200g / 7.1 oz) · 4 servings total
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