A nice alternative to pizza or focaccia: the German Pizza!
It is a popular German recipe from the Baden-Wuttenberg and Rhineland-Palatinate areas.
Flammkuchen were originally used by bakers to test the temperature of their ovens.
Difficulty level: |  |
|---|---|
Cooking Time: | 12/15 minutes (6/8 minutes at higher temperature) |
Oven Temperature: | 250˚C (280˚C if your oven can reach this temperature) |
Cooking Method: | Static Oven, With Water |
Ingredients for 4 Flammkuchen:
Using Sourdough Starter
| Using Dried Yeast
|
My suggestion for Toppings:
Sour cream/crème fraîche, bacon, onions, cheese, salt, pepper
Steps:
Mix the yeast with the water and the malt until it is almost dissolved.
Add the flours and start kneading it. If you use a stand mixer attach the dough hook and mix at speed 2 for 16 minutes.
Add the salt, and continue mixing for 7 minutes, the dough will become smooth, elastic, and will stay on the dough hook.
Remove the dough from the mixer and leave it to rest on a wood surface covered with a bowl for about 1 hour.
Divide the dough in 4 pieces and start rounding each piece. There is no need to fold the dough before rounding it, unless you’re planning to prepare very thin cakes (similar to pizza). In this case fold the dough 3 times before rounding it.
Place the doughs balls in proving basket covered with a cling film and put it in a warm dry place to rise until it double up in volume (the best temperature for this phase is between 25°C and 28°C).
When the dough is raised, preheat the oven to 250°C with a cast iron plate, or a pizza stone. Put an oven proof pot filled with water inside the oven. This will generate some steam and will not dry the dough too much.
Gently form the cakes of the size and thickness you like.
Spread the cakes with sour cream, double cream, crème fraîche, or cottage cheese, sprinkle with diced bacon, sausages, chorizo, or other meat, add some onions and cheese to complete.
Carefully transfer the cakes on the cast iron plate or the pizza stone (if you put the dough on a piece of baking paper it will be easier to transfer it).
Bake at 250°C for 12/15 minutes or 280°C (if your oven allows it) for 6/8 minutes.
If you’re cooking one piece at the time allow about 10 minutes for the tray or the pizza stone to re-heat before cooking the next piece.
Flammkuchen are usually very thin and crisp, I also like to make a thicker version that can be frozen for future use or a quick lunch/dinner.
For a softer version of the dough replace the spelt with re-milled semolina. You can also try reducing the water removing about 20 to 30 g from the recipe for a crisper result.
Comments