After spending time in Bretagne France and Quebec City Canada, flammekueche has become one of my favorite alternatives to pizza. It is a flatbread, smothered in a cream sauce and traditionally topped with onions and pancetta. It is cooked over a wood fire to create an extra crispy crust. We have made it in a very hot oven, but I think once it’s not freezing outside, we can try it outside over a wood fire.

Flammekueche originates from Alsace France, an adorable region of France located on the Rhine river. There is much German and Swiss influence in this region of France because it is the only region of France that boarders both countries. It has a few different names based on where it is made. In France it is also called tarte flambee. In neighboring Germany it is called flammekuchen.

Good quality pancetta has been a struggle to find here, so we substitute crispy thick cut bacon. Also, onion preparation can vary. I have read that it is traditional to use raw onion and raw pancetta before baking. The flammekueche that we ate in Bretagne and Quebec City both used caramelized onions. This recipe makes 2 flammekueches on 2 sheet pans that are 18 inches or larger.

Print Recipe

Flammekueche

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

stand mixer
Rolling Pin
medium sized mixing bowl
2 large sheet pans
medium sized cast iron skillet

Ingredients

Flatbread

4 cups All purpose flour
1½ cups Water
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/2 tsp Sea salt

Cream sauce

1 cup Sour cream (or creme fraiche if you can find it)
2 Egg yolk
1 tsp Sea salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Nutmeg

Other ingredients

8 strips Bacon, thick sliced
2 cup Yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp Sugar
1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Bacon

In a medium sized cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat, fry the bacon until crispy. Once bacon is finished cooking, move the strips to a paper towel lined plate. Turn off the stove while making the dough but save the skillet and bacon grease for caramelizing the onions.

Dough

In a stand mixer, combine flour, water, olive oil, and salt.
Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until all the flour is mixed into the dough, about 5 minutes.
Cover the dough with a towel and allow to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

Caramelized onions

Using the skillet that was used to fry the bacon, turn the heat back on to medium. Once the bacon grease is hot, add the onions and sugar. Sauté the onions until they are very soft, reduced by two thirds and slightly caramelized.

Cream Sauce

While the onions are caramelizing, mix the sour cream, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Assembling the flammekueche

Preheat the oven to 450℉
Lightly flour a large work surface to roll the dough.
Cut the dough ball in half and roll each dough ball out to a 18x10 rectangle
Place the thin flatbreads on 2 separate parchment paper lined sheet pans.
Smother both flatbreads with the cream sauce, using half of the sauce on each flatbread.
Sprinkle both flammekueches with mozzarella cheese.
Evenly spread caramelized onions over the top of the cheese.
Lastly, evenly sprinkle the chopped bacon onto both flammekueches.
Place the sheet pans in the preheated oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
The sheet pans may need to be rotated halfway through baking from top to bottom to ensure that the bottoms of both flammekueches are crispy.
The flammekueches are ready to be removed from the oven when the flatbread is browned and crispy and the cream sauce and cheese are bubbling and melted.
After removing from the oven, rest the flammekueches for 5 minutes before cutting.