Gluten Free & (cow's) Milk Free Flammkucken (also GREAT recipe for Créme Fraiche substitute)

 

Old camera again :(  Hopefully new one back this week!)

So, living in Munich where there are so many good foods and desserts that I can't have, I thought I would try to make a few of them gluten/milk free.  I have already perfected my Brez'n (Bavarian style pretzels) so next up was Flammkuchen.  It is not a pizza, but very similar.  The dough is rolled out extremely thin and the sauce is a mix of créme fraiche and heavy cream with some spices.  Well, I have been lucky enough to find loads of goat's or sheep's products to use as a substitute for most cow's milk products - however, the illustrious créme fraiche (aka sour cream) has alluded me :(

So, I decided to make my own.  This was not proving easy, as every recipe calls for cream.  You usually mix some yogurt or a bit or créme fraiche with cream and let it sit a couple days.  I set out to find some goat's or sheep's milk cream.  I only find cows, soy, rice, etc... in the  local shop.  So, I decided to just try something different.  I found at my local Bio shop (Basic) some goat's quark.  I thought I would try this instead and it worked beautifully.  I mixed 1 tub of quark and 1 tub of yogurt together - it really really does taste, act and bake/cook like créme fraiche.  They have both goat's and sheep's. I went with the goat's because the goat's yogurt they had there was super thick (greek style).

I searched for a good Flammkuchen recipe to transform into my own (gluten/milk free) and settled on this one form blogger Delicious Days.  I think though that most all Flammkuchen recipes are nearly the same (I did not find much variation in them).  I was very worried about the dough, wondering how it would turn out without the gluten to hold it together since it needed to be rolled so thin.  I typically ONLY use Xanthan Gum when baking bread (I omit it from all other recipes) but did use it for this recipe and also added twice what I normally would to ensure the dough would hold. In the original recipe, he actually forms the dough like you do pizza (stretching with hands up in the air) - no way I would attempt this with gluten free dough.  But rolling it worked supremely!!!

I must say that I was so impressed with the way this turned out.  The taste, appearance, texture - all the same as a "normal" Flammkuchen.  The only real "non traditional" thing we did was to add a bit of pecorino, Flammkuchen typically don't have cheese on them.  This will definitely become a favorite.  I only wish I had a nice pizza stone or wooden pizza board for better presentation ;-) 

So, here is the adapted recipe.  You could substitute any other gluten free flours you  like, however, I REALLY do recommend using the ones listed below.  I have tried many combinations when making pizza dough, and this combination will be my new go-to recipe for this sort of dough.  If you do not need to eat gluten free or milk free - you can substitute the same amount of weight of the flours with a normal flour and of course use normal créme fraiche - enjoy!

Edit: I just ate some of the left overs for breakfast - cold - YUMMY!!!

Flammkuchen
adapted from this one form blogger Delicious Days
Makes 2 Flammkuchen, 8 slices each
Per Slice
Calories: 183
Fat: 3.8g
Carbs: 16.9g
Protein 7.3g

Dough
100g Sweet Rice Flour (I get the "glutinous rice flour" from local Asian shop, don't let the name fool you, it is indeed gluten free, but it is sweet rice flour)
75g Corn Starch
75g Millet Flour
50g Gram (chickpea) Flour
1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
175-200 milliliters Lukewarm Water
1 Packet (15g) dried yeast or 1 Fresh Yeast Cube (I normally use fresh, but did not have any, so used a packet of dried)

Sauce
125 g Goat’s quark (I used Leeb brand from Basic)
125 g Goat’s very thick yogurt (I used Bergerie Brand from Basic)
Sea Salt to taste (be careful here, as remember if you are using bacon as a topping, it can get too salty)
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste (yes, this sounds odd, but traditional Flammkuchen calls for nutmeg or cinnamon - just add a bit (I added 2 good shakes)

Toppings (you can use any toppings of your choice, below is what we used)
Flammkuchen #1
Bacon, diced and cooked
Yellow Sweet Onion, finely sliced and sautéed just to take stiffness out
Sliced Green Onions
Chives, chopped
Salt/Pepper to taste
Pecorino Cheese

Flammkuchen #2
Serrano Ham
Yellow Sweet Onion, finely sliced and sautéed just to take stiffness out
Sliced Green Onions
Chives, chopped
Salt/Pepper to taste
Pecorino Cheese

Mix the flours, xanthan gum and salt and sift thoroughly.  Put into a Kitchen Aid bowl and make a well in the centre. If you do not have a stand mixer, it works just fine by hand, just a bit longer). In a small glass bowl/glass, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (I added a pinch of sugar  to help it along). Let sit for a few minutes then pour into the well and add the olive oil.  Let your Kitchen Aid do the work and mix until smooth ball forms -roughly 3 to 5 minutes (medium speed). If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of the water (or more if needed).  If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Shape into a ball, cover and let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.  Once the dough has risen, punch it down, divide it into 2 equally sized portions, shape them into balls and let them rise again under a towel for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) and put the baking tray in so it gets preheated as well.

Prepare the topping by mixing the quark and yogurt with spices (salt, pepper and nutmeg) to taste,

On a piece of baking paper on the counter, flatten one dough ball with your hands and roll it out thinly with a rolling pin. I drizzled a bit of olive oil over the surface halfway through the rolling to help it not stick.

Apply the yogurt/quark mix on top and spread evenly then add your toppings as you prefer. Transfer the baking paper onto the preheated tray and bake for 15 minutes or until it is a nice golden-brown colour.

Take out and sprinkle with fresh chives and enjoy.

Next weekend - gluten/milk free Spätzle!