Flammekueche (Bacon and Onion Flatbread)
Difficulty 3/5 Ingredients 15 Steps 12
Flammkuchen or tarte flambée is a well-known Alsacian speciality. It is like pizza in that a thin crust of dough is baked in a very hot oven, but its topping is primarily crème fraîche, onions, and bacon. Like many traditional regional dishes there are innumerable ways of preparing it. Here is one example.
Ingredients
Starter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup moderately hot water, about 110 °F (45 °C)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 package yeast
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup beer (home brew)
- 6 tbsp (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) milk
Topping
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 medium (3 oz / 85 g) onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup crème fraîche, commercial or home made (see note)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 4 pinches nutmeg
- 3 ounces bacon, cut into matchsticks
Steps
- Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl. Cover tightly. Set aside in a warm place, 30 minutes.
- When the starter is light and bubbly, mix in the beer and milk.
- Put the flour and salt in a food processor. With the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. Process until the dough forms a ball. Add very small amounts of flour or milk if necessary.
- Process the ball 45 seconds to 1 minute, until smooth, elastic and warm.
- Butter a medium bowl. Roll the ball in the butter. Cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down. Let rise a second time.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook the onion, stirring, over low heat 5 minutes until golden brown. Cool.
- Combine the crème fraîche, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cooled onion.
- Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Fry the bacon, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Remove. Drain through a strainer.
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F (220 °C) or as hot as it goes. With a pizza stone, preheat at least 30 minutes.
- Lightly oil a 14 x 16 inch (35 x 40 cm) baking sheet. Roll the dough slightly smaller than the sheet. Place on the sheet. With a pizza stone, roll the dough onto parchment paper.
- Spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim. Dot with the bacon.
- Bake 4 to 20 minutes, depending on oven temperature, until lightly browned and bubbling. Burned edges are traditional. Serve very hot.
Notes from the original
- Some recipes, like the one used by restaurants in Strasbourg, do not use yeast in the dough.
- To make crème fraîche, combine 1 cup heavy cream with 2 tbsp cultured buttermilk, stir, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, or until it has become very thick. Refrigerate, and it will become even thicker.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Flammekueche (Bacon and Onion Flatbread)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-17, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.