There are only a few dishes and recipes we like to do over and over – Alsatian tarte flambée aka. Alsace tarts flambées is one of them. Originally, these small flatbreads were used to determine the correct oven temperature for baking bread, but these paper-thin flatbreads from Alsace have long since become a favorite snack for many. A thin piece of dough topped with crème fraîche, onions, and bacon delivers maximum flavors with just a few simple ingredients. If you’d like to know how to prepare this down-to-earth snack, simply scroll down. Tarte flambées are perfect for a cozy evening, sharing with friends, or as a quick alternative to pizza.
You can now find countless products for tarte flambée and similar dishes in the supermarkets here in Germany. Whether it’s a pre-topped tarte flambée or simply a package of tarte flambée dough in various sizes to finish it yourself at home. A major producer of ready-made doughs recently launched a special crème fraîche topping just for tarte flambée… well. 😉
We can understand the appeal of ready-made doughs. If you’re already at the supermarket and doing some shopping, a dough like that easily ends up in your basket, right? It certainly makes preparing a tarte flambée easier… But a crème fraîche topping just for this type of bake? We’d much rather mix something ourselves – for a fraction of the price and without any weird additives. There’s a reason those ready-made stuff lasts for days in the supermarkets, right? ;P
Anyway. If you didn’t buy a ready-made dough from the supermarket but still fancy tarte flambée – no worries! The dough is extremely easy to make, and if you cook or bake occasionally, you’ll almost certainly have all the ingredients at home. Flour, salt, oil, water, and egg yolks. That’s all you need for a simple tarte flambée dough. The dough is quickly brought together and ready to use after about 30 minutes of resting. During this time, you can already prepare the toppings and preheat the oven. 😉
Many recipes tell you to either make one giant tart flambée or perhaps two larger tarts with a batch of dough. You could certainly do that with the recipe below as well. However, we prefer a slightly smaller format. This way, there’s no need to cut anything after baking. You can simply toss the small tarts onto a board like mini pizzas, and everyone can help themselves. It’s incredibly practical for cozy evenings with guests.
If you’re not a big fan of onions and bacon, you can, of course, choose other toppings for the mini tarte flambées. The crème fraîche topping is quite versatile and can be enhanced with some cheese, for example – but what else you add onto the tarts is entirely up to you. Contrasts always work well – combining something savory with something sweet. Sheep’s cheese with figs, for example, tastes really delicious. Or ham and peach. We also like to top our tarte flambée like a pizza with Serrano ham, tomatoes, and arugula. So good!
There are really no limits to your imagination here. Whatever works on a regular pizza will certainly be fine to use on a tarte flambée as well. The classic version with onions and bacon is quite delicious, though… just saying.
If you generally prefer something quick and easy for dinner, you could also check out our Chickpea, Tomato & Spinach Melts. It doesn’t get much easier than just melting cheese on bread – in the oven or an air fryer. Simple and delicious, what more could you want?!
If you have some puff pastry in the fridge, you could also try our simple (Vegan) Sausage Snack Rolls. Who would have thought you could make sausage rolls vegan? I’d make them quickly and try them before the EU bans calling them “sausages”. ;P
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
(8 small tarte flambées)
For the dough:
8.1 oz. (230g) all-purpose flour
1 good pinch of salt
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) lukewarm water
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus a little more
1 large egg yolk
For the topping:
7 oz. (200g) sour cream
2 medium red onions, sliced
5.3 oz. (150g) ham, diced
salt, pepper
(8 small tarte flambées)
For the dough:
230g flour (Type 405)
1 good pinch of salt
100ml lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more
1 egg yolk (L)
For the topping:
200g sour cream
2 medium red onions, cut into rings
150g diced ham
Salt, pepper
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. Combine flour, salt, lukewarm water, oil, and the egg yolk and knead to get a smooth dough. Brush the dough with a little additional olive oil and place it in a tight-sealing container. Let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and set aside. Peel the onions and cut them into thin rings.
3. Divide the dough into eight portions (or two portions for two large tarte flambées). Roll out the dough portions very thinly on a lightly floured surface. If the dough does not want to comply, you can simply stretch it over the back of your hands, like you would do with pizza dough – this is often the most effective method. Place four dough circles on each baking sheet, spread the sour cream all the way to the edges of the dough, and distribute onion rings and diced ham evenly on top. Season with salt and pepper and bake the tarte flambée for about 8-10 minutes until nicely browned around the edges. When using a convection oven, you can easily bake two baking sheets at the same time. Serve warm.
1. Knead the flour, salt, lukewarm water, oil and egg yolk into a smooth dough. Brush the dough with a little additional olive oil and place in a tightly fitting container. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) fan. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Peel the onions and cut into thin rings.
3. Divide the dough into eight portions (if you like, you can bake just two large tarte flambées, for example). Roll out each dough portion very thinly on a lightly floured surface. If the dough is stubborn, you can simply pull it over the back of your hands like a pizza – is often most effective. Place the small dough flatbreads on the trays (we fit four on a tray) and spread sour cream up to the edges. Distribute the onion rings and ham cubes evenly over the sour cream. Season the tarte flambée with salt and pepper and then Bake in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes – With circulating air you can easily bake two trays at once. The tarte flambées are ready when the edges are nicely browned. Serve warm.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
A classic bake from the Alsace region – Elsässer Flammkuchen aka. Alsace tarts flambées. Easy to prepare and really delicious! A family favorite!
For the dough:
8.1 oz. (230g) all-purpose flour
1 good pinch of salt
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) lukewarm water
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus a little more
1 large egg yolk
For the topping:
7 oz. (200g) sour cream
2 medium red onions, sliced
5.3 oz. (150g) ham, diced
salt, pepper
1. Combine flour, salt, lukewarm water, oil, and the egg yolk and knead to get a smooth dough. Brush the dough with a little additional olive oil and place it in a tight-sealing container. Let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and set aside. Peel the onions and cut them into thin rings.
3. Divide the dough into eight portions (or two portions for two large tarte flambées). Roll out the dough portions very thinly on a lightly floured surface. If the dough does not want to comply, you can simply stretch it over the back of your hands, like you would do with pizza dough – this is often the most effective method. Place four dough circles on each baking sheet, spread the sour cream all the way to the edges of the dough, and distribute onion rings and diced ham evenly on top. Season with salt and pepper and bake the tarte flambée for about 8-10 minutes until nicely browned around the edges. When using a convection oven, you can easily bake to baking sheets at the same time. Serve warm.
Notes
The kitchen is calling, time to bake!
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