Flammkuchen (German ‘Pizza’) is a traditional German recipe for a classic pizza-like crisp piece of dough topped with soured cream, onions and Schinken (cured ham) that's traditionally served during advent. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic German version of: German ‘Pizza’ (Flammkuchen).
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Flammkuchen, often dubbed 'German pizza', is a very thin and crisp piece of dough topped with soured cream, onions and Schinken (cured ham). It originates from the German/French border region of Alsace – traditionally baked in a wood oven, it was invented by bakers to test the temperature of their ovens; if the oven was hot enough for bread, the flammkuchen would only take a minute to cook.
The dough is actually very similar to a strudel dough or rough filo (just flour, oil and water) and is incredibly easy to make. It’s important when making this at home to heat the baking sheet up in the oven first as this ensures a crisp base, or if you have a pizza stone that’s even better. I’ve given some suggestions for my favourite alternative flavour combinations below the recipe, but really anything goes for the dough.
Ingredients:
For the base:
200g (1 3/5 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
rapeseed oil 3 tbsp
80ml (1/3 cup) water
pinch of fine sea salt
For the topping:
150ml (3/5 cup) soured cream or creme fraiche
1 small onion 1, finely diced
150g brown mushrooms, finely sliced
flaky sea salt
rapeseed oil for drizzling
fresh thyme leaves ½ tbsp
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan/430°F/gas mark 7). Place 2 large baking sheets in the oven to heat.
To make the dough, put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix using your hands. Knead for a couple of minutes until a supple, silky dough is formed. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each half out as thinly as possible. So long as it fits on the baking sheet it doesn’t matter what shape it is, although I aim for a rough oval.
Take the sheets out of the oven and lay the dough on top; this can be a little fiddly (I use a pizza shovel to do this but a large flat spatula or a hand supporting the underside centre of the dough while you move it also works).
Working quickly, spread the soured cream evenly across each piece of dough and scatter the onion and mushrooms over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the edges are crisp and the Flammkuchen is starting to burnish on top. Sprinkle with thyme, slice into portions and serve immediately.
Variations:In addition to the classic topping, described above the following toppings are also commonly used:Schinken — replace the mushrooms with 200g finely diced Schinken or streaky bacon.Goat’s cheese and honey — switch the mushrooms for 200g goat’s cheese. Drizzle 1 tbsp honey on each portion, and sprinkle with thyme and some snipped chives before serving.Pesto and tomato — add 2 tbsp pesto to the soured cream and switch the mushrooms for 180g cherry tomatoes (halved). Add a handful of rocket at the end instead of the thyme.Red pepper and black olive — add ½ tsp sweet paprika to the soured cream. Switch the mushrooms for a finely sliced red pepper. Slice a handful of black olives in half and scatter them over both Flammkuchen. Add some fresh basil once it’s out of the oven.
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