Flammekuchen is the Alsatian counterpart to pizza or foccacia. It traditionally is baked in a wood-fired oven.

Flammekuchen (Alsace, France)
Serves 8

(Chill cheese mixture 8 hours.)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup lukewarm water
1 package active dry yeast
about 2-1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 onions, sliced in thin rings
12 ounces slab bacon, diced
pepper

Place ricotta cheese and yogurt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Chill at least 8 hours.

Combine water, yeast, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add salt, then gradually add remaining flour, until dough is too stiff to stir. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes.

Form into a ball. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Combine cheese mixture with onions. Let stand 15 minutes to soften the onions.

Preheat oven to 450F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, about 12 x 15". Spread onion mixture over the dough to the edge. Sprinkle diced bacon evenly on top, then sprinkle generously with pepper.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until crust is crisp.
Serve hot.