Main ingredients
Search locations or food
OR
Already have an account? Log in
OR
Authentic Tarte Flambée Recipe
Alsace, France
JUMP TO RECIPE
We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Although it looks like pizza and cooks like pizza, tarte flambée is a tart, though often called a Franco-German take on pizza. It’s traditionally made with bread dough and topped with fromage blanc, crème fraîche, smoked bacon, and onions, seasoned only with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. There are many variations on this basic version, most notably the gratinated version, which also includes either Emmentaler or Munster cheese, the variation that includes mushrooms, and the version that’s prepared with Alsatian sauerkraut. Besides savory, there are also sweet types of tarte flambée.
Pair with
Cooking tips
-
dough
Traditionally, tarte flambée is made with bread dough, which is made with just flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and water. However, today, tarte flambée is most often made with unleavened dough. -
dairy
Tarte flambée is topped with a mixture of fromage blanc, an acid-set soft cheese, and crème fraîche. Some recipes will also call for egg yolks or rapeseed oil to make the spread richer. -
toppings
Traditional toppings are lardons (salted bacon) and onion. Although not a must and traditional, it’s recommended to pre-cook both for flavor reasons. -
baking
Traditionally, tarte flambée is baked in a wood-fired oven for 2-3 minutes. Since most households don’t have one, we recommend using a pizza stone and baking at the highest oven temperature possible to imitate the conditions of a wood-fired oven as much as possible. If you do not have a pizza stone, bake the tart on the back of the baking tray that you’ve previously heated. -
serving
Tarte flambée is usually served on a wooden board, cut into quarters or squares, and meant to be eaten by hand. In the past, it was served with schnapps, but today, it will typically be served with local dry white wines or beer.
Tarte Flambée
PREP 1h
COOK 1h 40min
RESTING 2h
READY IN 4h 40min
This is the traditional recipe for tarte flambée — bread dough topped with fromage blanc, crème fraîche, smoked bacon, and onions, seasoned only with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. The recipe makes for 10 tarts, but one can scale the amounts to one's preference.
Ingredients
BREAD DOUGH
1,5 kg (3.3 lbs) T45 flour (equivalent to Type 00 Italian flour, Euro 450 flour type and American Cake flour)
250 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water mixed with coarse salt (dissolved)
250 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water mixed with 40g/1.3 oz fresh bakers yeast (dissolved)
500 ml (2 cups) water
TOPPING
1 kg (2.2 lbs) fromage blanc, 40% fat
250g (8.8 oz) crème fraîche, 30% fat
500g (1.1 lbs) onion
500g (1.1 lbs) smoked bacon
10g (2 tsp) salt
a pinch of ground pepper
a pinch of ground nutmeg
Preparation
1
BREAD DOUGH
Step 1/6
Add the flour to a very large bowl, then pour in the lukewarm water in which you've previously dissolved coarse salt. Mix to combine.
Step 2/6
Now, add the lukewarm water in which you've previously dissolved yeast. Then, add half a liter of water.
Step 3/6
Knead until you have a smooth dough. The dough should not be dry or sticky. If it's dry, add more water; and if it's sticky, add more flour.
Step 4/6
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a warm spot for two hours.
Step 5/6
After two hours, divide the dough into 10 portions. Then, shape each portion into a ball.
Step 6/6
Roll each portion on a lightly floured surface into an oval or a square.
2
TOPPING
Step 1/4
Clean the onions, cut them lengthwise, then cut into half-moon slices.
Step 2/4
Cut the smoked bacon into sticks.
Step 3/4
Then, add the fromage blanc, the crème fraîche, salt, the pepper, and the nutmeg to a bowl and stir to combine.
Step 4/4
Spread the dairy mixture over each oval of dough, then sprinkle the bacon and the onion on top.
3
BAKING
Step 1/2
Bake in a 250°C/480°F oven for 8-10 minutes,
Step 2/2
Cut into quarters and serve hot. Eat with hands!
Other authentic recipes
Rating And Comments
Rate It
Wanna try?
Add To List