Flammkuchen (Flatbread) with Asparagus and Prosciutto

Here we are a little over two months of being confined to our homes trying to adjust to a new life. No, I can’t complain, I haven’t lost a loved one, I am retired, I can pay my bills, and I live in a beautiful area. I am trying to be positive and some days I am, but other days are difficult and depressing. It makes me sad to think of all the hardship that this pandemic has created and  yes I miss my old life with all its privileges and perks. There is no running away from it, we are all affected. Enough of whining, I know there are people who are much worse off than I am.

So, how am I coping. I cook and cook and cook and when I don’t cook I watch youtube  videos on cooking . My screen time is up exponentially. I read and I watch TV,  although I am watching much less TV than in the beginning. My little garden gives me some pleasure. Sunshine makes me happy, but today it is raining. Every morning I make a plan but on the blah days I procrastinate and nothing gets done.

The other day I was fantasizing about sitting in a little German restaurant somewhere in the countryside enjoying a glass or two of wine and eating Flammkuchen (flame cake) with my friends. So, instead of looking at cheap flights or redeeming my miles I started to research Flammkuchen recipes. Flammmkuchen is a specialty from Alsace where it is called tart flambé. It is a crispy somewhat blackened very thin (1mm) and blistered crust that is traditionally topped with Crême Fraîche, Speck (smoked pork belly,) and thinly sliced onions, sprinkled with arugula. Today it is topped with anything imaginable . It is a favorite treat for the young crowd and often is the cheapest prized item on the menu.

Flammkuchen was used as a trial bake for bakers to test the communal wood-fired ovens to see if they were ready to bake bread and cakes. Every village (including mine) had a Backhaus (baking house) where once or twice a week the village women would bake their bread and cake. Think of this Flammmkuchen as a tart baked in flames, burned on the outside and crispy as a cracker

This Flammkuchen was made with bacon, asparagus and some cheese

Researching Flammkuchen gave me a purpose and I dived right into it. It took away the edges of uncertainty and fear. I made several and my husband liked them. Once I made it for lunch on a sunny day, we sat on our deck with a glass of chardonnay and the living was good.  I see this as a perfect cooking project for young teens, making the dough and choosing their toppings.

The dough is a mixture of flour, salt, water, and oil that needs to be mixed together and kneaded for at least 5 minutes or more until it becomes a smooth and shiny and can be rolled out to a very thin crust. Some recipes call for yeast but I choose one without it from a German YouTube channel called Thomas kocht . I tried several of his recipes and they are all good. Because there is no yeast in the dough it has to be be baked in a very hot oven preferable on a pizza stone that has been heated for an hour or a sheet pan that has been heated for 30 minutes . You are in Flammkuchen heaven if you have a pizza oven.

This is Manu Koenig, running for county supervisor in District 1,Santa Cruz County. He's got my vote and he liked my Flammkuchen.

While sheltering in place I got adventurous  in my cooking and geared into the realm of the unknown for me. I prepared some Asian dishes , some of them not so good but some of them ok. Once this is over I will probably go back to my favorite restaurants. I go shopping at my local farmer’s market and buy seasonal fruits and vegetables. I love asparagus and we have the freshest green asparagus available. Unfortunately we don’t have white asparagus like they have in Europe. My husband and I both love asparagus soup. It’s easy to make and so delicious . We have had it several times.  
Here are some more asparagus recipes, click on the photo for the recipe

Creamy and easy to make asparagus soup

I make this frittata when asparagus is in season

A delicious Chinese noodle salad rom the Greens cookbook.

It is essential that you let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. I leave my dough divided into four parts and covered with plastic wrap for days in the refrigerator. I used some of the dough four days later and it was easier to work with when I rolled it out.  After making the dough by hand the first time I decided to use my KitchenAid , I knead the dough for five minutes with the hook attachment . I then knead it a little bit by hand , divide it into 4 parts , cover each with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. I made one FLammkuchen the traditional way using bacon instead of Speck. It was a little too greasy for us. I fried the bacon and then sprinkled it over the Creme Fraîche with some Gruyere cheese. I prefer a mixture of leftover cheddar and some other cheeses I used on my first Flammkuchen. Thomas also made one Flammkuchen with goat cheese and pears and added some arugula before serving it. It looked delicious but I didn’t try it.

Mixing the ingredients

Pulling and kneading the dough

Rolling out the dough

The rolled out dough 1mm thick

Covering the dough with the Crème Fraîche mixture

Cutting the Asparagus at an angle

When grating cheese or anything else wear a glove that protects your fingers.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
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The dough makes four large ( the size of a cookie sheet) pizzas. I made one at a time and that was plenty for my husband and me.​ 
The topping is enough for one Flammkuchen

The dough:

3 3/4  cup (17oz ) (500g) all purpose flour
1 cup plus 6 TBS lukewarm water (250g)
4 TBS olive oil
1 TBS salt
extra flour for rolling out the dough.

The toppings:

½ lb. green asparagus
1 TBS olive oil
3/4 cup Crême Fraîche
salt 
​pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
A handful of grated cheese
some slices of prosciutto torn apart

Directions:
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The Topping:

Smooth the Crème Fraîche with salt pepper and a little nutmeg.
Wash the asparagus and peel the lower ends. Cut off the woody ends and discard. Cut the asparagus on an angle into ½  inch slices leaving the tops intact.  Slice the tops in half. Heat a frying pan, add the oil and then the asparagus, season with salt and pepper. Fry the asparagus for about two minutes until it turns dark green. 
Grate the cheese.

The dough:
Preheat the oven at 500 degree Fahrenheit for 30 minutes before baking the Flammkuchen with the cookie sheet at the the lowest shelf in the oven. If you are using a pizza stone preheat the oven and the stone one hour before. I used my convection-bake setting in my oven. 

Add the water, olive oil and water and then the flour to a large bowl. I used my KitchenAid to mix the ingredients until they came together, then I kneaded the dough for about 10 minutes by hand  until is was shiny. While kneading I pulled the dough with one hand holding with the other hand. It takes some work and effort . Cover the dough in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. I found the dough better to work with after a couple of days.

Roll out the dough on a flat surface sprinkled with flour. Every time you turn the dough brush off the extra flour on the upside of the dough and add more flour to the surface. Rolling out the dough takes awhile because you want the dough as thin as possible, about a millimeter thick. Turn the dough often and take your time.
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Cut parchment paper the size of your baking sheet, 12-16 inches. Put the parchment paper on a board from where you can transfer the Flammkuchen to the hot cookie sheet. Add the rolled out dough, spread the Créme Fraîche mixture evenly over the dough. Add the asparagus evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the cheese over the asparagus. Slide the Flammkuchen with the parchment paper onto the hot cookie sheet and bake in the lower half  of the oven for 5-7 minutes. Turn the sheet around half way through. Its ok for the edges to burn, you want that crispy flamed taste . Make sure that the buttom has some brown spots. My last Flammkuchen turned out perfect. 
Remove the Flammkuchen from the oven by sliding it onto a board, cut it into serving portions and enjoy it as soon as possible.
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Watch the video even if you don't speak German. Click on the link below.

Guten Appetit!
Recipe and video by ThomasKocht 
translated by ©Sunnycovechef.com