thin crust

When most people think pizza, they think Italy, but Flammkuchen, the crispy and smoky thin crust German pizza, is definitely worth your time!

Flammkuchen (German Pizza)

c unbleached all-purpose flour

salt

water

olive oil

c crème fraîche,

nutmeg

bacon,

onions,

black pepper (to top)

Cornmeal (for the pan)

Preheat your oven to 500F.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt,...

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, water, and oil. Mix until a dough begins to form, the turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft and smooth, 3-5 min. Set the dough aside and cover it with a towel.

In a small bowl, mix together crème fraîche...

In a small bowl, mix together crème fraîche and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, sauté bacon over...

In a large sauté pan, sauté bacon over medium high heat, until it is cooked about halfway to crisp, 2-4 minutes. Remove the bacon (keeping the grease in the pan) to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

Place the sliced onions into the hot bacon...

Place the sliced onions into the hot bacon grease and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 10 min. Remove the pan from the heat.

Roll and stretch the dough out into a...

Roll and stretch the dough out into a rectangle, roughly 11x16 inches. Place the dough onto a large baking sheet that has been generously dusted with cornmeal.

Spread the crème fraîche mixture over the crust,...

Spread the crème fraîche mixture over the crust, leaving just a little bare crust border. Distribute the caramelized onions over the crème fraîche, and sprinkle the bacon over the onions. Finish everything off with a dusting of black pepper.

Place the baking sheet with the pizza into...

Place the baking sheet with the pizza into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pizza is crisp and the edges are starting to darken.

Remove from the oven, cut, and serve immediately...

Remove from the oven, cut, and serve immediately with some good wine.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/bvss3edlwbl4rdhjalki.mp4

Bacon, caramelized onions, and a creamy sauce make up this classic German pizza, Flammkuchen, all on top of a cracker-thin, crispy crust.

This rustic thin crust pesto pizza with "feta" packs big flavour, a crispy crust and will have you wanting homemade pizza on the regular!

Thin Crust Pesto Pizza With Easy "Feta" Crumble

Basil

sun-dried tomatoes (½ cup)

milliliters black olives (¾ cup)

½ medium red onion, sliced*

Prepare your pizza dough if making from scratch.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (or follow the directions for your dough). Stretch your dough to cover one oiled and floured pizza pan.  

Pre-bake your dough for 5 minutes without any sauce or toppings (I find this helps the pesto from not getting too absorbed by the dough).

Remove the dough from the oven and top with remaining toppings (except for the &#8220;feta&#8221;).

Bake for another 8-12 minutes. Add the “feta” once the pizza comes out of the oven (or in the last 1-2 minutes of baking if desired).

Peter Reinhart's Napoletana pizza dough recipe. It makes my all-time favorite pizza dough using a delayed-fermentation method.

Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza Dough Recipe

ounces)

(.11 ounce) instant yeast

(2 ounces) olive oil

(14 ounces) water, ice cold (40°F)

Semolina flour cornmeal

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective.

When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other toppings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

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Flammkuchen (German Pizza)

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Top 4 thin crust recipes from across the web

The most viewed thin crust recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Flammkuchen (German Pizza)

Thin Crust Pesto Pizza With Easy "F...

Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza D...

Four Cheese Margherita Pizza

The most viewed thin crust recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine