How to Make Sourdough Tarte Flambée.

Last updated on January 31st, 2024 at 07:48 pm

As the aroma of sizzling bacon and caramelized onions fills the air, you can’t help but be drawn into the tantalizing world of Sourdough Tarte Flambée, also known as Flammkuchen. This rustic and delightful dish hails from the picturesque regions of Alsace in France and neighbouring areas in Germany. With its thin, crisp crust and luscious toppings, Tarte Flambée has captured the hearts and palates of food enthusiasts worldwide.

Introduction to Tarte Flambée

Beyond its mouthwatering appeal lies a rich history that dates back centuries, making Tarte Flambée more than just a delicious treat; it’s a culinary journey through time. This sourdough version will add just the right complexity, levelling up the depth of flavour in the dough.

I first made Tarte Flambée while working for Chef Daniel Boulud. He is an absolute authority on French cuisine and in my 5 years with him I learned so much about French cuisine.

Originally, Tarte Flambée was created by farmers as a way to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens before baking bread. The term “Flammkuchen” translates to “flame cake,” a name derived from the traditional cooking method—sliding the thinly rolled dough directly onto the oven’s hot stone floor, allowing it to cook quickly and evenly.

As the recipe evolved over generations, Tarte Flambée transformed into a beloved regional specialty, enjoyed during festivals, gatherings, and as a comforting family meal. With its humble beginnings in rural kitchens, this delectable creation eventually found its way to charming cafes and high-end restaurants, becoming a favourite among both locals and travellers.

Back in 2019, I had the pleasure of travelling to Alsace with my wife and our first daughter. We were immediately struck by the beauty of the region, with its picturesque villages, rolling hills, and vineyards stretching off into the distance. Of course, one of the highlights of our trip was sampling the local cuisine, including Tarte Flambée. We visited a few different restaurants and cafes, trying out different variations of this classic dish and enjoying the cozy, welcoming atmosphere of each establishment.

Today, Tarte Flambée has experienced a renaissance, attracting a global audience of food enthusiasts who appreciate its simplicity, versatility, and delightful combination of flavours. From the classic toppings of crème fraîche, onions, and bacon to a myriad of creative variations, Tarte Flambée has embraced innovation while preserving its authentic soul.

In this post, I’ll also share with you my own favourite Tarte Flambée recipe made with sourdough that you can easily recreate in the comfort of your home kitchen.

Flour Specs:

• 73.22% organic strong bakers flour
  • 12.4% protein, 0.54% ash
• 26.78% organic all-purpose flour
  • 11.7% protein

The flour in this recipe is adjustable. The all-purpose flour softens the gluten development a bit making the final dough easier to stretch. You can also use 00 in place of the all-purpose flour. If you’d like to learn more about 00 flour and of course check out a wicked sourdough pan pizza recipe click here.

Sourdough Tarte Flambée Specs

Total Formula

Toppings

Dough Schedule

To help you bake this at home I have created a suggested timeline for each step of the process. This schedule is meant to be a guideline but by no means do you have to stick to it. Feel free to adapt the recipe or timing to best fit your baking schedule.

Mix the Levain 10:00 pm

This sourdough Tarte Flambée uses a levain fed at 8% hydration that has been rising for about 10 hours. If you’d like to adjust the levain feeding to fit your schedule the easiest and fastest way is to use my FREE sourdough Tarte Flambée dough calculator.

You can also use this free resource to help you scale your baking. Increase the dough quantities at ease to suit your baking (or whatever pan size you’ve already got!).

If you are new to sourdough and want to learn more about feeding and maintaining your starter, you can check out my guide on how I’ve kept the same starter around for almost 20 years here.

1. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. This build should take about 10 hours at 20°C/68°F to reach full maturity.

Teachable Moment – The more starter you use the faster it will rise. The temperature will also impact the speed of fermentation. If it is very hot where you live you can reduce the amount of levain in the sourdough starter build. If it is too cold simply increase the amount. The easiest way to do so is to download the free sourdough Tarte Flambée dough calculator.

Mix the Dough – 8:00 am

1. Add the levain and the water to the bowl. Use your hand or a spatula to mix the levain into the water a bit.
2. Add the flour to the bowl and using your hand mix the flour, water and leavin together until there are no dry bits. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
3. Add the salt along with the water 2. Use a wet hand like a claw to pinch through the dough and mix until the salt is fully incorporated. Use your fingers to feel for any salt remaining in the dough. If you can still feel the salt, keep mixing scraping down the sides of the bowl with a wet dough scraper when done. Rest the dough for 20 minutes.
4. Pour the olive oil on top of the dough and mix it until fully combined.

Teachable Moment: If your starter is ready but you are not ready to mix it, place it in the fridge to slow down fermentation until you are ready.

Bulk Fermentation 8:30 am – 10:30/11:30 am

Bulk ferment the dough for 2-3 hours. If you are in a cold environment, keep the dough in a warm place during the bulk fermentation.

1. Bulk ferment the dough for 2-3 hours.
2. Give the dough 2-3 folds during the bulk fermentation.
3. After the last fold, put the dough in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.

Stretch the Dough 11:00 am (1 to 2 days later)

For this sourdough Tarte Flambée I am using a 40.5x 30.5cm (16×12″) Lloyd Pans Grandma Pan. If you don’t have this pan you can use a standard half-sheet pan but make sure to use lots of oil or it will stick! You can also use another pizza pan just remember that the size of the dough might be too much or not enough and you will have to make some adjustments.

1. Take the dough container out of the fridge and allow the dough to come to room temperature for about 1 hour.
2. Lightly oil the pizza pan by splashing it with some oil and rubbing that around with your hand or a paper towel. Remove the dough from the container using lightly oiled hands and begin to stretch it into the pizza pan.
3. Stretch the dough as far as you can by putting your fingers under the dough and lightly pulling it outward, being careful not to tear the dough. When the dough is feeling elastic and resists your stretching stop and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. Repeat this until the dough has been stretched to the outside of the pan and does not shrink back in anymore.

NOTE: There is no par bake on this Tarte Flambée like in my sourdough pan pizza video. This means you can aim to cook this a little bit before you want to eat it so that it is hot and ready to serve. You can also cook it in advance and reheat it when you want to eat it.

Baking 12:00 pm

Baking the sourdough Tarte Flambée may take a bit of practice. The goal is to have the bacon cooked and slightly crisp while not overcooking the dough and burning the onions. I have found that cooking this in the deck oven OR my home convection oven both work well.

1. Preheat your oven to 260/288°C-500/550°F for about 25-30 minutes.
2. Season the fromage frais with salt and pepper then spread it evenly over the dough using the back of a spoon or ladle.
3. Spread the onion evenly over the dough then drizzle the onions with a little bit of olive oil to prevent them from burning.
4. Add the diced bacon on top of the onions.
5. Cook the sourdough Tarte Flambée the about 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove the Tarte Flambée from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack or heat-proof surface. A few signs that your sourdough Tarte Flambée is ready are that it will have a crisp golden bottom and the bacon will be nicely cooked.

Topping Ideas

While the combination of bacon and onion never gets old, it’s always good to make variations of a dish to make you more versatile in the kitchen.

if you are looking for some cool ideas to put a new twist on the classic tarte Here are some alternative toppings to try:

1. Goat Cheese and Fig: Top the tarte flambee with crumbled goat cheese, thinly sliced fresh figs, and a drizzle of honey.
2. Mushroom and Truffle Oil: Sauté some mixed mushrooms until golden brown and pile them onto the tarte flambee. Drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
3. Pear and Blue Cheese: Thinly slice a ripe pear and arrange it over the crème fraîche. Top with crumbled blue cheese and a handful of chopped walnuts.
4. Roasted Red Pepper and Feta: Spread roasted red peppers over the dough and top with crumbled feta cheese and a sprinkle of oregano.
5. Prosciutto and Arugula: Top the tarte flambee with thinly sliced prosciutto and bake until crispy. Toss arugula with lemon juice and olive oil and sprinkle over the top before serving.

Sourdough Tarte Flambée: Final Thoughts

One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. You can customize it to your liking with different toppings (noted above) and experiment with the crust to make it your own. And if you’re a pizza lover like me, you’ll definitely want to check out our sourdough pan pizza blog post for even more inspiration. If you have any questions or comments.

Happy baking!

How to Make Sourdough Tarte Flambée

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• Author: Matthew James Duffy

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Description

As the aroma of sizzling bacon and caramelized onions fills the air, you can’t help but be drawn into the tantalizing world of Sourdough Tarte Flambée, also known as Flammkuchen. This rustic and delightful dish hails from the picturesque regions of Alsace in France and neighbouring areas in Germany. With its thin, crisp crust and luscious toppings, Tarte Flambée has captured the hearts and palates of food enthusiasts worldwide.

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Ingredients

Dough 

Weight	Ingredient	Bakers %
391 grams	Bread Flour	73.22%
143 grams	All-purpose flour or 00 flour	26.78%
438 grams	Water	82.15%
12 grams	Salt	2.2%
12 grams	Olive oil	2.2%
5 grams	Levain	0.86%

Toppings

Amount	Ingredient
1 cup/250-300 grams	Fromage Frais
Half of a large	Onion diced or sliced
400g (1 lb)	Bacon diced
To taste	Pepper
To taste	Salt

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Instructions

For the Levain

Weight	Ingredient	Bakers %
57 grams	Bread Flour	100%
57 grams	Water at 28°C/82.4°F	100%
5 grams	Levain	8%
119 grams	Total	208%

1. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. This build should take about 10 hours at 20°C/68°F to reach full maturity. 

Mix the Dough 

Weight	Ingredient
333 grams	Bread Flour
143 grams	All-purpose flour or 00 flour
357 grams	Water 1
24 grams	Water 2
12 grams	Salt
12 grams	Olive oil
119 grams	Levain

1. Add the levain and the water to the bowl. Use your hand or a spatula to mix the levain into the water a bit.
2. Add the flour to the bowl and using your hand mix the flour, water and leavin together until there are no dry bits. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
3. Add the salt along with the water 2. Use a wet hand like a claw to pinch through the dough and mix until the salt is fully incorporated. Use your fingers to feel for any salt remaining in the dough. If you can still feel the salt, keep mixing scraping down the sides of the bowl with a wet dough scraper when done. Rest the dough for 20 minutes.
4. Pour the olive oil on top of the dough and mix it until fully combined

Bulk Fermentation         

1. Bulk ferment the dough for 2-3 hours.
2. Give the dough 2-3 folds during the bulk fermentation.
3. After the last fold, put the dough in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.

Stretch the Dough

1. Take the dough container out of the fridge and allow the dough to come to room temperature for about 1 hour.
2. Lightly oil the pizza pan by splashing it with some oil and rubbing that around with your hand or a paper towel. Remove the dough from the container using lightly oiled hands and begin to stretch it into the pizza pan.
3. Stretch the dough as far as you can by putting your fingers under the dough and lightly pulling it outward, being careful not to tear the dough. When the dough is feeling elastic and resists your stretching stop and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. Repeat this until the dough has been stretched to the outside of the pan and does not shrink back in anymore.

Baking

1. Preheat your oven to 260/288°C-500/550°F for about 25-30 minutes.
2. Season the fromage frais with salt and pepper then spread it evenly over the dough using the back of a spoon or ladle.
3. Spread the onion evenly over the dough then drizzle the onions with a little bit of olive oil to prevent them from burning.
4. Add the diced bacon on top of the onions.
5. Cook the sourdough Tarte Flambée the about 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove the Tarte Flambée from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack or heat-proof surface. A few signs that your sourdough Tarte Flambée is ready are that it will have a crisp golden bottom and the bacon will be nicely cooked.

Notes

There is no par bake on this Tarte Flambée like in my sourdough pan pizza video. This means you can aim to cook this a little bit before you want to eat it so that it is hot and ready to serve. You can also cook it in advance and reheat it when you want to eat it.