It is, but the idea of topping simple flatbreads with delicious ingredients and cooking in a wood-fired oven is almost one of the oldest recipes in the world, with versions in nearly every culture. Alsatian Flammkuchen is often known in the USA as ‚German Pizza.‘

What toppings are on Flammkuchen?

While there are plenty of regional variations, the traditional toppings are very simple. This is a white pizza with a sauce made of crème fraîche or a big dollop of sour cream, which cooks down to a wonderfully tangy white cheese topping.

Vegetarian Flammkuchen have become popular recently, with thinly sliced pear and feta replacing the traditional speck.

Flammkuchen (Flammekueche/tarte flambee from Alsace)

Flammkuchen or flammekueche is essentially a bacon-onion flatbread/pizza. It may seem like only a few ingredients, but they transform into a truly delicious dish you’ll instantly love! And it’s easy to make, too.

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When you think pizza, you almost certainly think of a traditional Italian pizza with a tomato sauce base. Maybe you think of a „white pizza“ with cheese on the bottom as a slight alternative. But many other cultures also have a variation on the theme, which can have quite different toppings.

When I first lived in Spain, I became a big fan of Catalan coca, a kind of Spanish pizza. It can have various toppings, but I found the softened pepper and onion the most common and a big favourite. On a visit to Cyprus, I discovered Turkish lahmacun, with a thin tomato-meat topping spread on top of the dough that packs a flavour punch.

Then I came across Flammekueche and knew I needed to try it, too. After all, it would be hard to go wrong with some of my favourite ingredients on top. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

How to assemble and bake your Flammkuchen

When rolling out the dough, make sure to roll it out paper thin. It’s best to roll it out directly on a parchment-lined baking tray. That way, there’s no risk of breaking your dough when you transfer it to the oven.

Be very generous with the cultured cream. It’s better to put too much onto your Flammkuchen than too little. Some of the water in the cultured cream will evaporate, so there will be a lot less sauce on the final pancake. Your onion slices and bacon cubes will also shrink in the oven.

It’s important to bake your Flammkuchen at the highest possible temperature. In my oven, that is 480 °F (250 °C). You must bake your Flammkuchen at that temperature for 10-12 minutes.

If you have access to a commercial or wooden oven, you can raise the temperature even higher and reduce the baking time further.

The Flammkuchen is done once the crust is super crispy and the top is lightly charred. You don’t want it to look too dark or burned—just a little char on the edges.

Flammkuchen are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, accompanied by a glass of dry white wine. For a light meal, pair them with a green salad.

Flammkuchen Recipe (Alsatian / German Flatbread)

My friend Felix from Munich frequently impresses guests with his delicious Flammk uchen, a type of German flatbread with a tasty sour cream, bacon and onion topping. He provided all his Flammkuchen baking insight to me yesterday, so what better way to finish a long week than unwinding with a freshly baked Flammkuchen and a nice glass of Austrian Weißburgunder, watching a movie on the couch wrapped in a cosy blanket? Here is his Flamm kuchen recipe for all of you to enjoy!

Flammkuchen (or Tarte Flambée in French) is an Alsatian dish – it’s easy to make, and you’ll only need a few ingredients. The traditional Flammkuchen toppings are sour cream (Felix recommends crème fraiche as it’s thicker), onions and bacon. I’m planning to experiment with different toppings, but to start with, I go all traditional on this recipe.

Flammkuchen and pizza use the same base dough. The key difference is that Flammkuchen uses a sour cream or crème fraiche base, while pizza comes with tomato sauce. Flamm kuchen is also not to be confused with white pizza, which is pizza with a cheese base. Cheese is not traditionally used as a topping for Flamm kuchen, and the bread dough crust is generally thinner than that of pizza. … the Flamm kuchen shape is usually rectangular or oval rather than round, as it is for pizza.

Tarte flambée, Flammekueche, Flammkuchen

It’s a thin-crust pizza topped with lardons (bacon strips), white onions, and a cream-based sauce made with fromage blanc and crème fraîche. So, uh, yeah, not exactly low-fat or low-cal…. President’s Choice recently came out with a pretty good version of Flammkuche n Flamm kuchen, but it has been on my list of things to try replicating since we returned from our trip.

I knew I could figure this out quickly, but it’s not rocket science. But what I wanted to do was lighten it up a bit since it can be pretty heavy, so this was the perfect opportunity to see whether Liberté’s Plain Greek yogurt 0% could make a suitable stand-in for the fromage blanc (which we can’t find here anyway – I would have been using sour cream mixed with mascarpone or something like that…) in this, my sixth post for Liberté.

How to pronounce Flammkuchen

In case you were wondering this. The German‘ a‘ is pronounced like the ‚a‘ in „alpha“. The double ‚mm‘ indicates that the ‚a‘ ahead of it is short, not long.

The ‚u‘ is pronounced like the American English ‚ew‘ in „new“. The ‚ch‘ is pronounced like the Scottish English‘ ch‘ in „loch“. The ‚e‘ is pronounced like the ‚e‘ in „elegant“.

See?? It’s not that difficult, eh? 😛

To the more important part, who cares how that thing is pronounced anyway? Just call it „German deliciousness“ if you want

FAQs:

1. What kind of dough is used for Flammkuchen?

Flammkuchen dough is typically a simple, unleavened mixture of flour, water, oil, and a pinch of salt. Its simplicity ensures a light, crispy crust that cooks quickly.

2. Can I make Flammkuchen at home?

Yes! Flammkuchen is easy to make at home, either in a traditional oven or on a grill. A hot baking surface, like a pizza stone, helps achieve its signature crispiness.