Flammkuchen (German Pizza)
When most people think pizza, they think Italy, but Flammkuchen, the crispy and smoky German pizza, is definitely worth your time! We do love a big slice of saucy, mozzarella-laden, classic, Italian pizza. But, it’s also fun to explore the way that pizza has taken on a life of its own in regions outside of Italy. Translated ‘flame cake,’ flammkuchen were originally used by bakers to test the temperature of their ovens. A bit of dough was taken and rolled flat, topped with crème fraîche, and baked in the wood-fired bread oven for a few minutes.
Thin and crispy crust pizza lovers, this pizza is for you! Flammkuchen is characterized by its incredibly thin, crisp, and blistered crust. We’re talking cracker-like here folks. Rather than a tomato sauce, the dough for flammkucken is spread with crème fraîche, a thick, French, soured cream. Crème fraîche is less sour than American sour cream, so if you can’t find crème fraîche, we recommend using plain, strained yogurt. (Yogurt is naturally thinner than crème fraîche, so we strain it through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to thicken it to a more proper consistency.) When the crème bakes with the crust, it creates a slightly tart, creamy contrast to the crust’s crispness. While you can use any toppings that you like for you flammkuchen, the most traditional combination includes bacon and caramelized onions. These are seasoned only with a bit of nutmeg and black pepper. We went for the classic caramelized onion and bacon version today. Because, really, how can you go wrong with those toppings? Crisp, creamy, smoky, with a hind of caramelized sweetness. This pizza makes for a perfect light dinner or appetizer.
Ingredients:
- 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ c water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 c crème fraîche, or 1 c Greek yogurt, or slightly over 1 c plain yogurt, strained *
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ lb bacon, diced
- 2 onions, halved and sliced thin
- ground black pepper (to top)
- Cornmeal (for the pan)