Flammekueche

A thin-crust pizza with crème fraîche, onions, and bacon that comes from Alsace, the French region at the border with Germany. It won’t help you achieve your daily intake of vegetables but no vegetable tastes this good.

Flammekueche (Thin-Crusted Cheese, Onion And Bacon Tart)

By PATRICIA WELLS

THE DOUGH:

1 cup lukewarm water

2 1/2 teaspoons, or 1 package, dry yeast

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoon salt

THE TOPPING:

2 medium onions, sliced into thin rounds

1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta

1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 ounces slab bacon, rind removed, cut into matchstick-size pieces

PREPARATION

1.

Combine the water, yeast and one cup of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended and set aside to proof the yeast, about five minutes.

2.

Once proofed, add the salt, then begin adding the remaining flour, little by little, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and begin kneading, adding additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead until the dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes.

3.

Once kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about one hour.

4.

Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about one hour.

5.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

6.

Combine the onions, cheese, creme fraiche, salt and pepper and let sit for 15 minutes to soften the onions.

7.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, measuring about 12 1/2 by 15 inches. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

8.

Spread the onion mixture over the dough right to the edge. Sprinkle the bacon evenly over the top, then sprinkle generously with pepper.

9.

Bake just until the dough is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

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