Flammkuchen

For my first exploration of a recipe that my actual ancestors might have eaten, we’ve got Flammkuchen, literally translated as “Flame Cake”, also known by its French name, tarte flambee’!

This bi-lingual naming isn’t surprising, considering Flammkuchen is a traditional dish in the French-German border regions of Alsace, Loraine, Saarland, the Palatinate, and Baden; and some of those regions have changed hands between German and French multiple times over the last several hundred years (generally as a result of war), with Alsace & Lorraine now part of France, and Saarland, the Palatinate, and Baden now part of Germany.

The traditional Flammkuchen regions are in the south-west (bottom left) of Germany.

This back-and-forth can actually be seen in documents pertaining to my own great-great-great-great-great grandparents, Johann Nikolaus Bettinger and his wife Elisabetha who lived near Bexbach, Saarland in the late 1700 and early 1800s.

Marriage record for my 5x-great grandparents, written in French in 1807

Since this area was conquered by the French in 1792, their marriage documents, from 1807, are written in French, and Johann Nikolaus is referred to as Jean Nicola. But records after the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, such as the birth registration for some of their children, and Johann’s death registration from 1844, are written in German as Bexbach was then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Death record for 5x-great grandfather, written in German in 1844

I have no doubt that Johann, Elisabetha, and their children would have been well familiar with Flammkuchen as they were traditionally made by farmers in these regions, who, while preparing to bake their weekly bread, would test the heat of the oven by placing a thin sheet of dough inside, and depending on how quickly it cooked, they could tell if the oven was too hot to bake bread, or not hot enough.

Der Flammkuchen (Hermann Werner, 1816 - 1905)

The earliest mentions I could find was in the writings of Swiss physician Bartholomäus Carrichter in his Treatise on the German Pantry:

“But our hearts don't like such Flammkuchen; everything has to be fried in special pans and molds, otherwise they couldn't perform their service with bad, unseasoned Flammkuchen, roasted in ashes.”

I only translated a small section of his writing, so I’m not sure if he’s implying that a poorly-made Flammkuchen is bad for the heart, or if he was just a bit bougie.

Page from Treatise on the German Pantry (Bartholomäus Carrichter 1510 - 1567), mentioning Flammkuchen

Being a food that was made by farmers, as a kind of weekly treat, there isn’t even really one, established way to make the dough for Flammkuchen. One of the biggest differences is that some people use yeast, others do not.

While on the one hand, it could be argued that for testing the heat of the oven, you’d just need a simple, unleavened dough, on the other hand, if you’re already baking loaves of bread, you’d probably just use some leftover bread dough, which would have used yeast. In fact, references to Flammkuchen in the past, mention it being made from, “ordinary bread dough.”

That being the case, I think using a leavened dough would be more historically authentic; although, throughout most of history, breads would’ve been leavened like sourdough, using naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria, rather than the dried yeast commonly used today.

Now, the great thing about a dish like this, is that it you can really top it with whatever you want! There are all sorts of regional varieties, with different meats and cheeses, not to mention sweet versions with toppings like apples and cinnamon, and if you’re making it at home, you can really get creative with it!

For this recipe, however, I’m going with what’s probably considered the most traditional version: crème fraiche, bacon, and onion. In fact, writings, going back hundreds of years attest to these being classic toppings.

In a book from 1840, about the history of the city of Reutlingen, in Baden, Christoph Gayler writes:

“The above-mentioned flat-breads, Flammkuchen, with bacon and onions, were baked there, and the lowest hut was filled with their lovely aroma.”

The below recipe should be enough for 2 Flammkuchen.

Yield: 5 - 6

Author: Loyd Mitchell

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Flammkuchen

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 12 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 12 M

A traditional German flatbread from the German/French border regions!

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp neutral oil (sunflower, grapeseed, canola)
• 1/2 cups warm water

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups crème fraiche
• 1/2 white onion
• 100g or 3 strips thick-cut bacon
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

Instructions

To make the dough

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
2. Add water and oil.
3. Mix together to form a dough. If the dough is too dry, add more water. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
4. Knead to form a smooth ball of dough.
5. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, let rise for 30 minutes.

To make the topping

1. Cut the onion into very thin slices.
2. Cut the bacon into small strips.
3. Put the crème fraiche in a bowl, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
4. Mix together until well incorporated into a smooth, spreadable cream.

To make the Flammkuchen

1. Preheat the oven to 480 F
2. Take the ball of dough, cut in half, form the half into another ball.
3. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
4. Dust your work surface with flour, and roll the dough out very thin, into a roughly oblong shape.
5. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
6. Spread a layer of seasoned crème fraiche and top with onions and bacon.
7. Cook on the bottom rack for about 10 - 12 minutes (but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn!)

Notes

• The dough can be made without yeast. Use the same proportions, just leave out the sugar.
• Using a pizza stone also makes for a great Flammkuchen.