German Pizza - Flammkuchen

 

The first time I heard of German pizza was a couple years ago.  I intended to make it and then never got around to it, and actually completely forgot, until I was scrolling through my blog a couple weeks ago, and there it was.  

Me, mentioning wanting to make it, but yeah....never got around to it.

So a few days ago, when I was trying to figure out what to make for lunch for myself and the kids, I remembered the German pizza and quickly threw it together.

 

I will say, when I first saw the recipe I was a bit apprehensive, only because it's not the traditional pizza dough and the sauce is not pizza sauce either, it is yogurt and nutmeg.  Strange, not something I am used to, but I just went with it anyway.

Wow, am I glad I did.  What a delicious and easy pizza to make.  I wasn't sure the kids would like it, but they loved it too, so that's always a plus.

So, what exactly is Flammkuchen?

The dish was created by Germanic farmers from Alsace, Baden and the Palatinate who used to bake bread once a week. The Flammekueche was originally a homemade dish which did not make its urban restaurant debut until the "pizza craze" of the 1960s. A Flammekueche would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. - Wikipedia 

Do give this pizza a try, I know it's not the traditional tomato based sauce, but it's so good, you won't even miss it. 

German Pizza (Flammkuchen) 

 

 

Ingredients 

 

For the Dough 

2 c unbleached all-purpose flour 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup of water 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

 

For the Toppings 

1 c crème fraîche, or 1 c Greek yogurt, or slightly over 1 c plain yogurt, strained (I used greek yogurt) 1/4 tsp nutmeg 

1/4 lb bacon, diced 

2 onions, halved and sliced thin 

ground black pepper 

Cornmeal 

 

 

Preheat your oven to 500F. 

 

 In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, water, and oil. Mix until a dough begins to form, the turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft and smooth, 3-5 min. Set the dough aside and cover it with a towel. 

 

 In a small bowl, mix together crème fraîche and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large sauté pan, sauté bacon over medium high heat, until it is cooked about halfway to crisp, 2-4 minutes. Remove the bacon (keeping the grease in the pan) to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. 

 

Place the sliced onions into the hot bacon grease and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 10 min. Remove the pan from the heat. Roll and stretch the dough out into a rectangle, roughly 11x16 inches. 

 

Place the dough onto a large baking sheet that has been generously dusted with cornmeal. Layering bacon, caramelized onions, and creme fraiche on a thin crust for a classic German Flammkuchen recipe. Spread the crème fraîche mixture over the crust, leaving just a little bare crust border. 

 

Distribute the caramelized onions over the crème fraîche, and sprinkle the bacon over the onions. Finish everything off with a dusting of black pepper. 

 

Place the baking sheet with the pizza into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pizza is crisp and the edges are starting to darken. Remove from the oven, cut, and serve immediately.