Vegan Flammkuchen (Tarte Flambée)

Flammkuchen (German), or tarte flambée (French), originated in the beautiful Alsace region of France. You could say that it is kind of the French version of our beloved pizza. It looks similar but is usually served in a rather rectangular or oval shape. The toppings are quite different as well. Instead of tomato sauce, it is topped with a delicious layer of crème fraîche and/or sour cream, onions, and bacon. In our case, of course, all vegan. I absolutely love the crispy, thin crust that is characteristic for tarte flambée and dangerously scrumptious.

Remember to soak cashews!

You will need:

• high speed blender for vegan crème fraîche

Ingredients (for two 10 x 12 inch/25 x 30 cm flammkuchen):

For the crust:

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) warm water (not hot!)
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 1/2 cups (325 g) all-purpose einkorn flour + more for bowl and to roll out (I used ‘Jovial‘)
• 1 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For vegan crème fraîche:

• 1 cup (140 g) raw, unsalted cashew, soaked in sufficient water overnight or for at least 4 hours, drained
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) filtered water
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

for tofu bacon:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 oz (170 g) extra firm, pressed tofu, thinly sliced
• 1 generous tsp smoked parika
• 1 generous tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 tsp maple syrup

toppings:

• vegan crème fraîche from above
• 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• tofu bacon from above
• 1 large sweet onion, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into quarter rings
• 3.5 oz (100 g) mushrooms, sliced

add after baking:

• about 4 Tbsp chives, minced

Preparation:

Pour the warm water in a small bowl. Add yeast and maple syrup, stir, and let sit for about 10 minutes until bubbles form.

Meanwhile, put the einkorn flour with salt into a large mixing bowl and form a well in the middle. If you use a machine, attach the kneading hook. Once the yeast/water mix is ready, pour it with the olive oil into the well and start kneading.

It takes about 5 minutes on low to medium low speed for my stand mixer to form one piece of dough that can easily be pulled away from the side of the bowl and the hook. It might take a little longer, if you use your hands.

Cover the bottom of your bowl and your hands with some more flour, and form a nice flour-dusted ball of dough.

Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it’s about double the size. This takes, give or take, about 2 hours, depending on room temperature and the kind of yeast you use.

If your A/C is running, and you can’t find a warm spot in the house, please check my notes for a solution! Once the dough has risen, push it down with your fist, pull it away from the bowl, and briefly knead it again. Transfer dough to a flour dusted work area and divide into 2 similar size pieces.

Preheat your oven to 480°F (250°C).

While the dough is rising again, prepare vegan crème fraîche and tofu bacon.

Place all the crème fraîche ingredients into your high speed blender and blend at full speed for about 1 1/2 minutes until very creamy.

For tofu bacon, preheat a good size frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil with tofu slices, season with smoked paprika, Celtic sea salt, and maple syrup. Stir continuously while frying for about 3-4 minutes until slightly crisp. Don’t snack too much because you still need some for your flammkuchen!

I know – there was a lot of snacking going on before this picture was taken!

Now let’s bring it all together!

Roll out the dough to a generous 10 x 12″ (25 x 30 cm) for each flammkuchen.

Dust your pizza stone or a baking sheet with einkorn flour. This will prevent the crust from sticking to the surface and make it easier to transfer. Place the first rolled-out dough onto the pizza stone or baking sheet.

Spread half of the crème fraîche onto the prepared dough. Top with minced parsley and tofu bacon.

Then add onion and mushroom slices.

In the preheated oven it goes. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crust takes on some color and onions show some burnt edges. Be very careful, when you take out the pizza stone or baking sheet. It’s very hot! Top with minced chives and, voilà, here’s your tarte flambée!

I use my peel to transfer it to a large platter, but you can also slide it off. I have another pizza stone, which comes in very handy for the second flammkuchen. If you don’t, just wait until it’s cooled down a little to repeat this process with flammkuchen #2 or transfer the rolled-out dough to a baking sheet. Enjoy!

Notes:

• If you can’t find a warm spot in your house to let the dough rise, heat your oven to 110°F (43°C). Not higher! Then turn it off again! The yeast loves warm conditions but will die when it’s too hot. Wrap one or two damp kitchen towels around your bowl to give it some insulation and to prevent the dough from drying out. Put it in the warm oven (did you turn off the heat???) and let it rise. This technique will definitely speed up the process.
• If you’re not a mushroom fan, just omit them and add more tofu bacon instead. You could also add some vegan cheese (the melting kind!) as a topping.
• A glass of white wine is an absolutely perfect companion for this very French meal! 😉