Tarte flambée (flammekueche)
Paper-thin Alsatian tart with crème fraîche, caramelised onions and crispy smoked streaky bacon.
Tarte flambée — or flammekueche if you want to sound like you were sipping wine in Strasbourg — is the Alsatian answer to pizza: outrageously thin, crackling edges, and a lashing of crème fraîche flecked with bacon and onions. It’s perfect when you want something impressive but fast to eat.
Make these for a relaxed supper with a crisp salad and a chilled glass of white. The trick is a very hot oven and rolling the dough paper-thin; the rest is gloriously forgiving.
Ingredients
- 300 g plain flour
- 5 g instant dried yeast
- 175 ml warm water — about 40–43°C
- 15 ml olive oil
- 5 ml fine sea salt
- 5 g caster sugar
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 2 brown onion — thinly sliced
- 150 g smoked streaky bacon — cut into lardons
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
- freshly grated nutmeg — a small pinch
- 10 g fresh parsley — finely chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- baking tray
- rolling pin
- pizza peel or flat board
- frying pan
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the plain flour, instant dried yeast, fine sea salt and caster sugar. Make a well, add the warm water and olive oil and mix to a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and slightly springy.
Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough, cover with a clean tea towel or cling film and leave in a warm place to prove until roughly doubled in size, about 60 minutes.
While the dough proves, thinly slice the brown onions. Heat a medium frying pan over a medium heat, add the smoked streaky bacon and cook for 4–6 minutes until the fat has rendered and the lardons are just turning golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on kitchen paper.
Preheat the oven with a baking tray inside to 250°C fan/270°C conventional for at least 20 minutes so the tray is smoking hot.
Tip the proved dough onto a floured surface, divide into four equal pieces and roll each piece extremely thin — aim for 2–3 mm. Stretch gently with your hands if needed; thinner is better for a crisp base.
Spread about 50 g crème fraîche evenly over each rolled disc in a thin layer, leaving a small border. Scatter the cooked smoked streaky bacon and the sliced brown onion over the top. Grind over freshly ground black pepper and grate a tiny pinch of freshly grated nutmeg across each tart.
Using a floured baking peel or an upturned baking tray, transfer one or two tarte flambée to the preheated baking tray and bake for 6–8 minutes until the edges are blistered and golden and the topping is bubbling.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley, leave to rest for 2 minutes, then cut into slices and serve immediately.
Tips
- Roll the dough as thin as you can — 2–3 mm gives the best crisp. If it springs back, let it rest 5 minutes before continuing.
- Preheat a baking tray or pizza stone for at least 20 minutes so the base blisters; a cold tray yields a soggy underside.
- Cook the bacon first so its fat renders and the topping won’t leach moisture onto the base.
- Make ahead: shape and par-bake the bases for 3–4 minutes, cool, then refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Top and finish in a hot oven when needed.
- Leftovers won’t stay crisp for long — reheat briefly in a hot oven (220°C fan) for 3–4 minutes to revive the base.
Substitutions
crème fraîche → 200 g strained Greek yoghurt (well drained), use slightly less to avoid a watery top
Stays closesmoked streaky bacon → 150 g pancetta, diced
Stays closeplain flour → 300 g strong white flour
Stays closeinstant dried yeast → 21 g fresh yeast (dissolved in the warm water), same method
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 640
- Calories
- 18 g
- Protein
- 57 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — omit the smoked streaky bacon and increase the onions, or use smoked mushrooms or vegetarian lardons for a similar savoury hit.
Do I need a pizza stone?
No — a heavy baking tray preheated in the oven works very well. The key is maximum retained heat so the base blisters quickly.
How thin should the dough be?
Aim for 2–3 mm. Thinner gives a crisp, crackly tart; if it’s thicker the result will be more bread-like.
Can I freeze tarte flambée?
You can freeze par-baked bases for up to one month. Defrost, top and finish in a very hot oven to preserve the crispness.
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