Flammkuchen recipe by Anja Dunk
Flammkuchen, often nicknamed "German pizza", is a very thin and crispy piece of dough topped with sour cream, onions and schinken (cured ham) . It originated in the Franco-German border region of Alsace - traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven, it was invented by bakers to test the temperature of their ovens; if the oven was hot enough for the bread, the flammkuchen would only take a minute to cook.
The dough is actually very similar to a strudel, or filo dough rough (just flour, oil and water) and is incredibly easy to prepare.
It is important, when preparing at home, heat the baking tray in the oven first, as this guarantees a crispy base, or if you have a pizza stone it's even better. I've given some suggestions for my favorite alternate flavor combinations below the recipe, but really anything goes.
Makes 2 (for 2 as a main or 4 -6 as a snack)
For the doughplain flour 200 g, plus extra for sprinkling rapeseed oil 3 tbsp water 80ml fine sea salt a pinch
For garnishsour cream or crème fraîche 150ml onion 1 small brown mushrooms, chopped finely diced 150 g, finely minced fleur de sel sea rapeseed oil for drizzling with fresh thyme leaves ½ tbsp 7.
Place two large baking sheets in the oven to heat them.
To make the dough, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Knead for a few minutes until you obtain a soft and silky dough. Divide the dough in two. On a floured work surface, roll out each half as thinly as possible. As long as it fits on the baking sheet, its shape doesn't matter, although I'm aiming for a rough oval.
Remove the sheets from the oven and lay -the dough on it; this can be a bit tedious - I use a pizza peel to do this, but a large flat spatula or a hand supporting the bottom center of the dough as you move it also works.
Working quickly, spread the sour cream evenly over each piece of dough and scatter the onion and mushrooms over the top. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the edges are crispy and the flammkuchen is starting to brown on top. Sprinkle with thyme, cut into portions and serve immediately.
VariantsSchinken – substitute mushrooms with 200g finely diced schinken or bacon striated.
Goat cheese and honey – replace the mushrooms with 200g of goat cheese. Drizzle 1 tbsp honey over each serving and sprinkle with thyme and chopped chives before serving.
Pesto and tomato – add 2 tbsp cream pesto sour and replace the mushrooms with 180g cherry tomatoes (halved). Add a handful of arugula at the end in place of the thyme.
Red bell pepper and black olive – add ½ tsp sweet paprika to sour cream. Replace the mushrooms with a thinly sliced red pepper. Cut a handful of black olives in half and divide them over the two flammkuchen. Add fresh basil when it comes out of the oven.
From Anja Dunk's Advent (Quadrille, £25)
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Flammkuchen, often nicknamed "German pizza", is a very thin and crispy piece of dough topped with sour cream, onions and schinken (cured ham) . It originated in the Franco-German border region of Alsace - traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven, it was invented by bakers to test the temperature of their ovens; if the oven was hot enough for the bread, the flammkuchen would only take a minute to cook.
The dough is actually very similar to a strudel, or filo dough rough (just flour, oil and water) and is incredibly easy to prepare.
It is important, when preparing at home, heat the baking tray in the oven first, as this guarantees a crispy base, or if you have a pizza stone it's even better. I've given some suggestions for my favorite alternate flavor combinations below the recipe, but really anything goes.
Makes 2 (for 2 as a main or 4 -6 as a snack)
For the doughplain flour 200 g, plus extra for sprinkling rapeseed oil 3 tbsp water 80ml fine sea salt a pinch
For garnishsour cream or crème fraîche 150ml onion 1 small brown mushrooms, chopped finely diced 150 g, finely minced fleur de sel sea rapeseed oil for drizzling with fresh thyme leaves ½ tbsp 7.
Place two large baking sheets in the oven to heat them.
To make the dough, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Knead for a few minutes until you obtain a soft and silky dough. Divide the dough in two. On a floured work surface, roll out each half as thinly as possible. As long as it fits on the baking sheet, its shape doesn't matter, although I'm aiming for a rough oval.
Remove the sheets from the oven and lay -the dough on it; this can be a bit tedious - I use a pizza peel to do this, but a large flat spatula or a hand supporting the bottom center of the dough as you move it also works.
Working quickly, spread the sour cream evenly over each piece of dough and scatter the onion and mushrooms over the top. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the edges are crispy and the flammkuchen is starting to brown on top. Sprinkle with thyme, cut into portions and serve immediately.
VariantsSchinken – substitute mushrooms with 200g finely diced schinken or bacon striated.
Goat cheese and honey – replace the mushrooms with 200g of goat cheese. Drizzle 1 tbsp honey over each serving and sprinkle with thyme and chopped chives before serving.
Pesto and tomato – add 2 tbsp cream pesto sour and replace the mushrooms with 180g cherry tomatoes (halved). Add a handful of arugula at the end in place of the thyme.
Red bell pepper and black olive – add ½ tsp sweet paprika to sour cream. Replace the mushrooms with a thinly sliced red pepper. Cut a handful of black olives in half and divide them over the two flammkuchen. Add fresh basil when it comes out of the oven.
From Anja Dunk's Advent (Quadrille, £25)
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