Just in case you need another good reason to visit Munich, have I ever mentioned the plethora of different markets and annual fairs which are all very typical for Bavaria? Of course there is the notorious and world-famous Wies’n, individual “Kirwa” (annual church fairs), Christmas markets next to another famous Munich institution, the Auer Dult. They all have one important thing in common, they’re overpriced, a breathtaking abundance of traditional delicacies which are hard to resist. Stall after stall offering all kinds of Bratwürschtl’n (Bratwurst), Dampfnudeln (similar: sweet yeast dumplings) or Steckerlfisch (fish on a stick), but to top things off, there is one item, I’m especially fond of: ever heard of a crispy Rahmfleck or Rahmfleckerl? In case you haven’t, you most positively have been missing out on a very special savory treat!
The Auer Dult also features some great pottery – like I said, this event is hard to resist. Two weeks ago we met with a couple of friends for a stroll over the quite extensive pottery market of this year’s first Auer Dult, which by the way is said to be the largest market of its kind in Europe. A maze of alleys navigates you between antiques, books, kitchen appliances and – foremost – ceramics and porcelain. Buzzing with people due to early summer weather the whole place seemed to burst at its seams. Although it’s usually a challenge to gather all our friends under one culinary umbrella, we unisono agreed to stop at this stall for freshly baked Rahmfleckerl. I don’t think Rahmfleckerl translates well, but if I had to come up with something I’d probably call ’em “cream patches”. Bottom line, it’s a flatbread made out of rye sourdough, topped with Schmand, bacon and chopped chives or green onions, best served straight from the oven. Everyone enjoyed these yummy little snacks and I started day-dreaming wondering what it would take and if it was feasible at all to make them at home with an ordinary oven.
Finding myself out of luck trying to search the web and my cookbooks for an appealing recipe, I felt compelled to create one myself and the Rahmfleckerl turned out (almost) perfect! The topping tasted very authentic, the only thing I will continue to work on is the rye sourdough. The flatbreads’ taste was pretty good, the bottom had some darker spots (similar to a decent wood-oven pizza) and was crunchy, but maybe a tad too chewy and dense. While I was delighted to notice some pizza-like air pockets, the crumb could have been a little more fluffy, but hey, this was my very first rye sourdough… Any rye sourdough specialists out there? Can’t wait to hear your advice!
Start with the dough: Add rye flour and salt to a large bowl, set aside. Dissolve fresh yeast in luke-warm water and add the sourdough starter.
Step by step add the liquid mix to the flour and knead well. You may use a kitchen machine, but you’ll find that eventually you’ll have to knead by hand anyway – not even our heavy-duty Kitchen Aid cut a fine figure in the end. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 60 minutes at a warm and sheltered place.
Preheat the oven to 250 °C (~480 °F) or as hot as your oven permits and place a baking tray on the middle or second from bottom level, so it gets preheated, too. Additionally place a heatproof glass or vessel filled with water on the bottom of the oven to raise steam.
Prepare the topping by mixing the Schmand with spices (salt, pepper and nutmeg) to taste and chopping the fresh green springs or chives.
Briefly knead dough, then divide up in tennis ball size dough balls. Thinly roll out dough ball (~.5cm/.2inch in the middle) until oval-shaped and significantly thicker on both ends. Apply a nice deal of the Schmand mix on top of each and decorate with some bacon. Bake on the preheated tray for about 10 minutes (depending on your oven’s temperature) and check the bottom of the flatbread after 7-8 minutes to make sure it doesn’t get too dark.
Take out and sprinkle with green onions or chives and enjoy while still hot – but be careful to not burn your palate. I know what I’m talking about ;)
Rahmfleckerl
Recipe source: own creation
Required time: 1,5 hours (incl. rising), baking ~10 min.
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Ingredients for the rye sourdough (yields about 10 Rahmfleckerl):
500g rye flour
220ml water
150g sour dough (liquid)
15g fresh yeast
5g salt
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Topping (amounts to taste):
Schmand (could be substituted with sour cream or Crème fraîche)
bacon, sliced or cubed
green onions, sliced or chives, chopped
salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste
May 14th,
2007
250C! I think my kitchen will explode!